Spots, color mark spotted saddle horse breed

Right here in the middle of horse country, there is a type of horse that might leave even the most dedicated horse enthusiasts puzzled.

No, it's not a Tennessee Walking horse -- entirely.

It's a spotted saddle horse.

Spotted saddle horses, gaited horses, are a breed-registered type of horse, but color -- and spots -- definitely matter.

"They have a lot of pony blood in them," said Dickie Gardner, trainer. "But over the years they've been crossed a lot with walking horses, so they're much bigger now ... There are some top-notch spotted saddle horses, many who are double-registered, who have won at the (Tennessee Walking Horse National) Celebration."

The breed is popularly known for its versatility, and many of the horses who can take long treks on the trails can also be shown in divisions such as country trail, traditional trail, trail pleasure, lite shod, open shod and model classes.

"An added bonus is that the horse you can ride during the week on trails can be your Saturday night show horse," according to the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association's web site. "This is a very common occurrence in the Spotted Saddle Horse industry."

No action devices, which enhance motion or animation on a horse, are used on spotted saddle horses, according to Gardner.

There are three types of shoes used on the breed: a trail pleasure shoe, lite shod shoe and a heavy shod shoe. The choice of shoe is used to enhance the horse's motion.

According to SSHBEA, the spotted saddle horse "possesses a smooth, easy gait that provides hours of pleasure in the saddle. Not only will you enjoy a most pleasurable ride on the trail aboard a Spotted Saddle Horse, but also the beautifully unique color patterns offered by this fast-growing breed will set you apart from the crowd. The trails are never too steep or too rough for this agile breed. Sure footed as a mountain goat, the Spotted Saddle Horse is ready for any terrain."

In fact, like walking horses, their temperament is easy-going and docile, which makes them the perfect mount for trail riding. Also, like walking horses, their smooth gait makes them perfect for recreation riding.

According to SSHBEA, "The Spotted Saddle Horse can trace its roots back to the history of horses that escaped from ships as they crashed on our shorelines."

The gaited horses were often spotted and were strong and athletic to be the perfect mounts of soldiers during the Civil War.

"By the end of the war, many imported 'gaited' types of horses were present in the United States. Selective mating of these gaited horses with the spotted horses resulted in the production of the smooth-gaited, colorful horse that came to be," according to SSHBEA.