The Missouri Fox Trotter is an American gaited horse breed, which is famous for its unique and comfortable "fox-trot" gait after which it was named. In 2002, the Missouri Fox Trotter was declared the official state horse of Missouri. In 2004, the pony subtype of the Missouri Fox Trotter was officially recognized as well.

A gaited breed from the Ozark Mountains:
The Missouri Fox Trotter was developed in the 19th century in the Ozark Mountains, by settlers who needed a comfortable horse capable of safely traversing the local rocky terrain. They crossed a large variety of breeds, starting with Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Morgans, and then added Tennessee Walkers, Standardbreds, American Saddlebreds, and more.

Some of the horses that were born from these crosses had a unique gait, which was later called the "fox-trot". It was out of selectively breeding these horses that the Missouri Fox Trotter was born.

A perfect ambler for a trek in the mountains:
Missouri Fox Trotters quickly became a local favorite. Their fox-trot gait was as quick as an average trot, but comfortable and balanced, which ensured a smooth, safe, and fast ride, even over rough terrains. They also had good endurance and soundness, which made them less likely than other breeds to get tired or go lame from walking over unsteady terrain.

A gaited cattle horse:
In addition to their unique gait, Missouri Fox Trotters could also work well around cattle, and this made them good horses for herding cattle across the mountains.

In the 20th century, mechanization processes led to the decline of many horse breeds. Luckily, it couldn't replace the Missouri Fox Trotter, which remained favored by cattle workers in the Ozark Mountains who continued to breed and use their horses.

The Missouri Fox Trotter today:
Today, Missouri Fox Trotters are found far beyond the Ozark Mountains. They roam across the entire USA, and some are even bred in Canada and Germany. Some Missouri Fox Trotters have a curly coat, and make good horses for people who have horse allergies.

Missouri Fox Trotters are mostly used for pleasure riding, endurance riding, and, above all, trekking. The latter is their specialty thanks to their unique fox-trot gait.

The "fox trot" gait:
The fox trot is a diagonal gait unique to Missouri Fox Trotters, which can generally be described as a sort of broken trot. During this gait, the horse lifts the front leg of one side and then the hind leg of the other side, thus creating a diagonal. The legs then move together in the air just like in a regular trot.

However, unlike with a regular trot--where both legs hit the ground at the same time--in a fox trot the front leg hits the ground a fraction second before the hind leg. This breaks the diagonal, and makes the fox trot more comfortable and balanced than the trot, because instead of having two legs landing together, the landing is cushioned.

A perfect ambler for horse-lovers and pony-lovers:
Unlike most other American gaited breeds, Missouri Fox Trotters come in both a horse subtype and pony subtype.

The introduction of the pony registry in 2004 increased the popularity of the Missouri Fox Trotter across the USA, as it made it fit for both adults and children.

Conformation:
Compared to most other American gaited breeds, the Missouri Fox Trotter has a more compact and rustic conformation.

The head is of medium length and has a straight profile, large eyes, a broad forehead, and a small muzzle with large nostrils. The neck is held in a high--yet not exaggerated--angle to give an 'alert' appearance, and has a neatly round topline. The withers are unobtrusive and connect smoothly to a short back. The girt is deep, and the legs have substance to them.

The mane is short or medium in length, but the tail can grow long.

A cool curly coat (sometimes):
Most Missouri Fox Trotters are straight coated, meaning that their coat is made of short straight hairs, as seen in most horse breeds.

In rarer cases, Missouri Fox Trotters have a curly coat, characterized by curly body hairs, including on the inside of their ears. They also have curly manes and curly tails that usually grow far shorter than the manes and tails of non-curly horses.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Missouri Fox Trotters in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 13.6-16.8, 15.3 (0.8), 0.16.
Sprint: 40-63, 52 (6), 1.17.

Accel: 0.93-1.13, 1.03 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.96-1.12, 1.04 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.16-5.46, 5.32 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 1.35-2.67, 2.02 (0.33), 0.06.

Turning: 50.65-64.23, 57.20 (3.03), 0.59.
Reverse: 2.2-3.0, 2.6 (0.2), 0.03.

Stamina: 37.85-46.95, 42.11 (2.02), 0.40.
Reaction: 0.69-0.82, 0.74 (0.03), 0.01.

Coats & Height:
Colors & patterns: all colors and patterns except for dominant-black, mushroom, mealy, leopard, and manchado.

Height: 11hh to 16hh.
* Missouri Fox Trotter ponies stand between 11hh and 14hh, with ponies shorter than 12hh being non-rideable in Horse Isle; Missouri Fox Trotter horses stand between 14hh and 16hh.