Single footing horses
Single footing horses are breeding horses.
history
The breed of single footing horses - often equated with the speed racking horses - has been around for more than 60 years. One of the stallions that has shaped today's breeding the most is EZD Falcon Rowdy. The stallion with a height of 1.44 m comes from the rare line of the "Kentucky Walker", a töltende cross, largely from Morgan and Arab , which was almost extinct in the 1930s. They had a soft 4-stroke operation at a speed of up to 24 km / h. Falcon Rowdy, who unmistakably also wore Standardbred blood, became famous because, according to legend, he was able to increase this gait in "single foot" up to a maximum speed of allegedly 82 km / h. In fact, single footers can tölt up to a maximum speed of approx. 40 km / h. Nevertheless, he was known as one of the fastest horses in the world, as a veterinarian, enthusiastic about his gait mechanics, studied and documented them extensively. Another founding father of the Single Footing Horses was Coral LaCe, a Largo Paso Fino , (* 1964) who, however, hardly plays a role in today's breeding.
Out of the enthusiasm for the tough, resilient, strong-nerved and fast tölter, the targeted breeding on the single foot arose. The aim of the breeding was an enduring utility horse suitable for everyday use, capable of both long cross-country rides and speeding away in comfortable speed tölt.
Breed characteristics
The stud books are still open today. The race is defined by the gait and the mind. For this purpose, different gaited horse breeds are crossed with one another. Standardbred crossings from z. B. tölting Tennessee walkers, tölting Morgans, racking horses, spotted saddle horses. The breeders have been working to perfect the gait pattern for generations . The Standardbred, although bred as a racehorse in America, is one of the gaited horses, as it is used in trotting races for pass races and almost always offers tölt.
With a balanced temperament, the horse should be able to accelerate from a quiet 4-stroke operation to a racing oil where only one hoof is left to foot - often up to 50 km / h. The gait should not be broken into a gallop, trot or pass, with many single footers showing next to the single foot, pass, running walk and / or flat walk . Depending on the quality of the horse, direction of breeding, the breed patterns used and taste, the gait differs in terms of how strongly it is genetically fixed, i.e. how much natural tölt is present and whether the horse tends to pass or trot . Trotter impacts are particularly popular, i.e. horses that show a trot in free running but offer the tölt under the saddle. They are known for showing the highest speed in tölt without breaking gear .
The single footer is bred as an all-terrain and recreational riding horse. Therefore, not only the mind, but also the building suitable for riding plays a decisive role. In addition to thrust, the load capacity is also increased. Today not only the pure (tölt) race type is in demand, but the strong moving type is becoming increasingly popular. Due to the open stud books, the outward appearance is very different. All colors and a great diversity of exterior , from the flashy horse with lots of aesthetics, hangings and color to the typical brown standardbred look, are featured. The size can vary widely, usually between 1.50 and 1.56 m.
What they all have in common is a short back, a very athletic build with a large cannon bone circumference and large, hard hooves. The hindquarters are extremely well muscled, the croup is sloping and long with a deeply set tail and sometimes somewhat overbuilt, the shoulder sloping. In contrast to the typical standard breed of racetrack breeding , they usually have a more pronounced hank curvature , the joints are strong. The single footer is precocious in development.
- Characteristics
- Size usually 1.48 m to a maximum of 1.56 m, although there is no size standard
- typical structure of a gaited horse with good hips, sloping croup, short back and sloping shoulder
- attractive appearance with a fine head, lots of curtains
- All colors, including sabinos , piebalds , leopards etc.
- Natural predisposition to tölt and mostly also to pass and walk, the gaits are easy to ride without aids
- Very balanced mind, friendly, frugal, always easy to regulate / not hot
breed
The single footers are a breed recognized by the FN and can be registered with the SHOBA according to their pedigree or qualification . Some single footers are instead or at the same time registered as speed racking horses with the RHBAA . SHOBA-Europa represents the American SHOBA in Europe.
distribution
There are several thousand single footing horses in the United States . Only a few horses have been imported to Europe in the last 30 years. A large number of horses have only been introduced since 2016 and a larger breed for the popular gaited horses has been established. After Israel a descendant of EZD Falcon Rowdy, who found worldwide attention in the social networks, imported on a large scale Single Footing Horses were since the legendary "Falcon Blue Ribbon". There are now some large breeders and around 300 horses.