With its spotted coat and comfortable gaits, this horse can be used for anything from riding to ranch work.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Spotted Saddle Horse, keep reading!
In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about these majestic creatures.
Spotted Saddle Horse Breed Info
Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Spotted Saddle Horse:
| Height (size) | 14.3 – 16.0 hands high |
| Colors | All coat colors seen in the horse world are seen in this breed. Typical markings range from tobiano patterns to the irregular, overo designs. Not so common are the roan-like sabino patterns, or the tovero markings combining both traits of the overo and tobiano. |
| Country of Origin | United States of America |
| Common Uses | Trail riding, pleasure riding, showing (pleasure classes, in-hand classes, and driving classes) |
Spotted Saddle Horse Facts & Information (Breed Profile)
The Spotted Saddle Horse is a spotted, naturally gaited horse with great power and endurance.
For horses to qualify for registration with the SSHBEA, they must have white above the hocks (excluding face markings) and have the distinctive saddle gait of the breed.
The Spotted Saddle Horse resembles a heavier Tennessee Walking Horse more closely than any other breed because of the Tennessee Walking Horse’s dominating influence on the breed.
Other breeds that were introduced include the Standardbred, Mustang, Missouri Fox Trotters, Peruvian Paso, Paso Finos, and Racking Horses.
The stepping pace, foxtrot, single-foot, flat walk, running walk, pace, rack, or a combination of these gaits are acceptable “saddle Gaits” for the Spotted Saddle Horse. In addition they can also canter, but they don’t trot.
Even today, the Tennessee Walking Horse continues to have a significant influence on the Spotted Saddle Horse, and many of these horses are double-registered as Tennessee Walking Horses and Spotted Saddle Horses.
The registry allows solid-coated horses bred from registered sires and dams to produce spotted offspring that may be registered as Spotted Saddle Horses.
In 1979, the National Spotted Saddle Horse Association was formed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
In 1985, the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association was established in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!
Alternative Names
n/a
Temperament/Personality
Gentle disposition
Physical Characteristics
The head is refined, and the chest is muscular.
The loose-moving shoulders are sloped, and the back is wide and short.
They are graceful, with long limbs.
They are gaited and very comfortable to ride when moving effortlessly over different terrain.
The breed’s famed saddle gait is an exceptionally smooth, balanced four-beat gait that enables the horse to travel at a speed of 10 – 20 miles per hour (16 – 32 km/h).
Colors
All coat colors seen in the horse world are seen in this breed.
Typical markings range from tobiano patterns to the irregular, overo designs.
Not so common are the roan-like sabino patterns, or the tovero markings combining both traits of the overo and tobiano.
Height (size)
14.3 – 16.0 hands high
Stallions
n/a
Mares
n/a
Weight
900 – 1,000 lbs (400 – 450 kg)
Blood Type
Warm
Common Uses
Trail riding, pleasure riding, showing (pleasure classes, in-hand classes, and driving classes)
Health
n/a
Popular Traits
Gaited horse with colorful coats
Feeding/Diet
n/a
Country of Origin
United States of America
Ancestors
Spanish American type spotted ponies, Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Standardbred, Mustang, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso