of a two-beat gait, caused by a moment of suspension followed by the jolt of two feet hitting the ground as the horse shifts from one pair of legs to the other. The value of an intermediate speed is that the horse conserves energy. More than thirty horse breeds are "gaited", able to perform a four-beat ambling gait; some can also trot. A Missouri Fox Trotter, with rider, can maintain a speed of while using the fox trot, and can cover short distances at up to . In comparison, the average medium trot speed is . History The Missouri Fox Trotter was developed from equine stock, including gaited horses, brought to Missouri by settlers from Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. Breeds that contributed to the Fox Trotter included the Arabian, Morgan, American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking Horse and Standardbred. By the time of Missouri's statehood in 1821, the horses of the state were known for their unique gait, which was useful in the rocky terrain of the Ozark Mountains. The breed became popular with cattlemen for their smooth gaits and ability to work with cattle. In 1948, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA) was founded in Ava, Missouri, with an open stud book that registered all horses with the fox trot gait and other specified physical characteristics. The first Fox Trotters were exported to Europe in the 1950s, when the Queen of the United Kingdom imported several palomino-colored horses. In 1982, the stud book was closed, allowing only horses from registered parents to be entered. The Fox Trotter became the official state horse of Missouri in 2002. Missouri Fox Trotters are seen throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and several European countries, and as of 2012 the MFTHBA had registered over 97,000 horses and counts over 8,000 current members. In 1992, the European Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Association (EMFTHA) was formed as the Fox Trotter association for Europe and an affiliate of the MFTHBA. The first European Championship Show for the breed took place in 1996, and in 2010 the EMFTHA and the Free University of Berlin began working together to start a European stud book for the breed. As of 2009 there were approximately 600 Missouri Fox Trotters in Europe, with around 350 of these living in Germany. In 2006, a new registry, the Foundation Foxtrotter Heritage Association (FFHA), was formed with a goal of preserving