Our

Breeding horses

We love and live our Missouri Fox Trotter!

“Our breeding stallion ‘Chocolatier’ came to us in 2017 from Sarasota in Florida. In 2014 he became world champion in ‘Western Pleasure’ in Ava Missouri. My choice fell on him because he is just mentally totally strong, a great character. But also our mares ‘Designed to Shine’, ‘Super Smooth Black Rhythm’, ‘King’s June Bug’ and ‘Dirty Distraction’ embody the friendly spirit of these extraordinary horses and are perfectly gaited. Dirty Distraction, or DeeDee for short, was the 2017 World Champion in the Open Amateur Specialty 5 & Older Mares category. This is the prerequisite for good breeding, a combination of both, I am already very excited to see how our foals will develop and which mating worked best”, Kerstin Rigger is pleased. Thanks to the first-class breeding line, a holistic horse training and a lot of love, Foxhill Ranch breeds balanced, characterful and reliable leisure and gaited horses.

FAQ

What is a Missouri Fox Trotter

Missouri Fox Trotters are considered to be extremely easy-going horses that also seek closeness to people. They are bred in the USA for their special “foxtrot” gait, which makes them particularly enduring. But this gait also has practical advantages for riders, as it puts less strain on the knees and back when riding.

In the USA today, Missouri Fox Trotters are often used for ranch work. But also the American forest rangers rely on these frugal off-roaders as proven companions.

why we love them so much?

Due to their surefootedness, their natural existing, super comfortable 5 gaits, their good-natured character and especially their people related nature, the Missouri Fox Trotter are, for us, the perfect leisure and trail horses.

GaitS

Missouri Fox Trotters have a variety of wide reaching gaits that are very comfortable for the rider, the Walk, the Flat Foot Walk, the Foxtrot and the Canter.

The Walk is a natural, flat-footed, four-beat gait with lateral foot sequencing, i.e. the hooves occur in the order right rear, right front, left rear, left front offset

The Flat Foot Walk is also a four-beat gait but faster than the walk. In this gait, the prints of the hind legs exceed those of the front legs. In this gait, the horse often shows the typical nodding head in rhythm with the movement (nodding head).
The rider feels little movement in the saddle.

The Foxtrot – Breeding goal and name-giving for the breed – is a four-beat with diagonal foot sequence. The hooves appear right back, left front, short pause in the beat, left back, right front. The horse gives the impression of walking in the front and trotting in the back. Typical is the nodding head and the wave-like movement of the tail (bobbing tail).
The pleasant rhythm of the foxtrot allows the rider to sit comfortably and relaxed in the saddle. A well gymnastic horse can cover many miles in a relaxed foxtrot without tiring himself or his rider.

The Canter / Lope (three beat gait) is a smooth, comfortable canter with a slight upward movement in the forequarters.

Breeding standards

The Missouri Fox Trotter – the “cowboy’s Rolls-Royce” – originated more than 150 years ago from the horses of the U.S. East Coast with crossbreeding of Arabians, Morgans, Saddlebreds and Tennessee Walkers. Missouri Fox Trotters were the all-around horses that did their work on the ranch or farm during the week and were harnessed to the wagon on Sunday to go to town.

The ability to travel long distances, comfortably at speeds of 5 to 8 miles/hour, favored the Missouri Fox Trotter especially for country doctors, sheriffs and ranchers. Because of their comfortable gaits, the Fox Trotter got the nickname “Cowboy’s Rolls Royce”.

Appearance
The Missouri Fox Trotter is a strong, solid trail and cross-country horse with a size range of 1.43 – 1.63m.

Gaits
Walk, Flat Foot Walk, Foxtrot, Canter