North American Single-footing Horse

North American Single-Footer horse

Other names	Single-Footing Horse
Country of origin	United States
Traits
Distinguishing features	Gaited
Breed standards
Single-Footing Horse Owners' and Breeders' Association
Equus ferus caballus

The North American Single-footing Horse, also called the Single-footing Horse or Single-footer, is a horse breed originating in the southern United States. The term "single-foot" refers to an intermediate ambling gait, sometimes alternately called the rack or paso largo, where the horse lifts each foot up separately and puts it down alone.

Characteristics

The Single-footing Horse comes in a wide range of colors, including palomino and buckskin, as well as chestnut, gray, and bay. The Single-footing Horse is a medium-sized breed of light riding horse. It is primarily known for its intermediate four-beat gait, which may range from 7 to 9 miles per hour on a trail ride to over 15 miles per hour at a road speed. High speeds in excess of 20 mph have been recorded.

Uses

The breed is almost always used for trail or pleasure riding. All Single-footers must be shod in plain keg shoes (a standard machine-made shoe) in order to maintain registration.

History

The Single-footing Horse is descended from crosses of American Saddlebreds, Standardbreds, and other gaited breeds, with some influence from Spanish bloodlines. An influential stallion was EZD Falcon Rowdy, who also influenced the Racking Horse breed.