Katie "B" is a dark sorrel/chestnut registered Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA) mare. Katie was foaled in 1974 by Mr. Lawrence Barnes of Ava, Missouri. Mr. Barnes was a founding member of the MFTHBA, and he served as the Association Secretary and Treasurer for many years.
Katie's sire was Gold Man #F-2015, a MFTHBA foundation horse. Gold Man had to be judged under saddle, performing the diagonal Fox Trot gait before entry into the MFTHBA registration book was allowed. Katie's dam was Vicki's Flossy #2014. We now know that Vicki's Flossy should have had the prefix of F before her registration number, since both Gold Man and Vicki's Flossy were judged the same day for registration as foundation horses. Regardless of the clerical error, Katie's bloodlines stem from the foundation horses of the Missouri Fox Trotting Breed.
We purchased Katie from Mr. Barnes through Doc and Mary Graham of Cody, Wyoming in 1980. Part of the purchase price included a breeding to Doc and Mary's stallion, Red's Royal Image. This stallion also traces his bloodlines back to MFTHBA foundation horses. This would be Katie's first foal and our first Missouri Fox Trotter foal.
We retired Katie in 1993 at the age of 19 as our "Foundation Mare". Katie foaled seven foals over the years for us: four were fillies and three were horse colts. You may be thinking that isn't very many foals over the span of 13 years. You are right, but we only foaled Katie "B" on an every other year basis, which continues to be an integral part of the N Hanging P Foxtrotter's brood mare and foaling program.
Katie "B" is 15.2+ with a great disposition and conformation, and a natural fox trot gait. She will be 24 years old in 1998, and her conformation is still straight & firm back with a very beautiful and alert head. Katie as our Foundation Mare is still the horse by which we judge all our other horses.
When we first got Katie in 1980, even though we had two Fox Trotter geldings, we still weren't 100% sure of what was the fox trot gait. Katie's middle name is "go". Katie knew then and still only knows one thing: that is to get you from point A to point B as fast as she can travel. We now know that Katie always fox trotted, but we would pull her up into a single footing gait, for we considered this to be faster and smoother. Katie's fox trot was smooth, but not as smooth as her single footing gait. You always felt like your arms were a foot longer after riding Katie, for she was a strong "going down the road mare".
We still have all four of Katie's daughters in our brood mare program. The reason for this is Katie has passed down her great conformation and disposition. Plus two of her daughters have won us many trophies and ribbons in horse shows over the years. Besides her four daughters, we currently have four granddaughters, two grandsons and a great grandson in our herd of Fox Trotter horses.
The Katie "B" story is also the history of the N Hanging P Foxtrotters. We have owned and used Missouri Fox Trotting horses since May of 1977. We currently have twenty-five registered Fox Trotting horses on our ranch. Our Son and his family - David and Donna Peterson, 10830 Bollenbaugh Hill Road, Monroe, WA 98272 - (360)794-1721 are part of the N Hanging P Foxtrotters and currently own five of the twenty-five horses. We also co-own a 4 year old blue roan stallion with our good friends, Gerald and Lida Robinson, who stand the stallion: Montana's Midnight Trekker "P" at their ranch at Challis, Idaho. Their address is HC63, Box 1802, Challis, ID 83226 - (208)879-4411. We foaled and raised this young stallion and know that Trekker has high energy, is athletic and has a natural diagonal fox trot. Trekker has all ready two BSFTA Grand Champion Junior Model (halter) Horse championships in his show record.
Our horses are handled and developed in what we call the "light handed" horsemanship techniques promoted by the horsemen of the Ray Hunt, John Lyons, and Monte Roberts schools. We imprint our foals at birth, handle and bond with them as foals, and start their development in the round pen on a lunge line. We saddle and bit them as yearlings and two year olds. We never ride a horse until they are at least 30 months of age. Our objective is to allow the horse to mature enough before riding, so we do not cause any injuries to their ligaments, cartilage and bones.
We use no artificial devices or restraining methods in our development program. We want our horses to naturally fox trot and flat foot walk under saddle. We want our horses to be easy to catch, handle and neck rein.
Our motto is: Versatility With a Smooth Gait
This is a Missouri Fox Trotting Horse from the N Hanging P Foxtotters.