The Spotted Saddle Horse
(Information from Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association.

The Spotted Saddle Horse provides a comfortable ride with the chrome of color as an added bonus. This colorful 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.

The easy, docile temperament of the gentle breed combined with a people pleasing personality make this equine sports model a highly sought after trail mount. With comfort second to none, climb aboard a Spotted Saddle Horse and be ready for the recreational ride of your life. An added bonus is that the horse you ride during the week on trails can be your Saturday night show horse. This is a very common occurrence in the Spotted Saddle Horse industry.

The Spotted Saddle Horse can trace its roots back to the history of horses that escaped from ships as they crashed on our shorelines. These horses were often spotted, naturally gaited and possessed the strength and stamina necessary for war use. By the end of the Civil 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 known as the Spotted Saddle Horse.

General
The horse must possess one spot above a level line, midway between the center of the knee and the floor of the chest and midway between the point of the hock and the center point of the stifle. If a horse has only a high stocking on an extended face marking then it must also exhibit a spot of 2 inches in diameger or more or the tail must exhibit contrasting color and skin 2 inches or more. Facial markings do not count. The horse must exhibit a saddle gait and the application must bear the signature of a SSHBEA licensed inspector.

Gaits
The Spotted Saddle Horse performs the show walk, show gait, and canter. These three are the gaits for which the Spotted Saddle Horse is famous, with the show gait being an inherited naturally smooth gait unique to this breed. The Spotted Saddle horse is able to perform the rack, stepping pace, fox-trot, single-foot and other variations of the intermediate gait. The flat walk is a brisk, long-reaching walk that can cover from 4-8 miles an hour. This is a four cornered gait with each of the horse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals. The show gait is the intermediate gait for the Spotted Saddle Horse. This extra-smooth gliding gait is basically the same as the flat walk with a marked increase in speed. This breed can travel 10-20 miles per hour at this gait. This gives the rider a feeling as if he or she were gliding through the air propelled by some powerful but smooth-running machine. the show gait or saddle gait is a smooth, easy gait for both horse and rider. The canter is a forward movement performed in a diagonal manner to the right or to the left. On the right lead, the horse should start the gait in this order: left hind, right hind and left fore together - then right fore. The order for the left lead is: right hind, left hind and right fore, then left fore. When performed in a ring, the animal should lead his canter with the fore leg to the inside of the ring. In the canter the horse gives one the abundance of ease with lots of spring and rhythm, with the proper rise and fall to afford a thrill from sitting in the saddle. This is often referred to as the "rocking chair-gait". The Spotted Saddle Horse comes in a variety of colors and exhibits two main color patterns, tobiano and overo. No preference should be shown in judging as to color combinations. No color combination or pattern should be preferred over any other color combination and/or pattern. Of course, individuals will always have preferences and favorite colors and combinations; however, if the horse is registered with the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, then that horse's color combination has been approved, and should be judged on an equal basis with the other entries. The multitude of pattern and color combinations are what make the Spotted Saddle Horse different, eye catching and desirable. The chrome edition of the equine world is a much sought after horse.

The Spotted Saddle Horse is most easily recognized by its colorful coat. A wide variety of acceptable colors and patterns make each horse unique unto itself. The spectrum of colors ranges from almost solid color to almost solid white, and encompasses all of the hues known in the horse world.

TOBIANO (Pronounced: tow be yah' no)
The tobiano normally exhibits white across the spine extending downward between the ears and tail in a clearly marked pattern. Head markings will be like those of a solid colored horse - solid or with a blaze, strip, star or snip. Generally, all four legs will be white, at least below the hocks and knees. The tobiano rarely has more than one or two solid colored legs. The spots are usually regular and distinct as ovals or round patterns that extend down over the neck and chest. The horse will often have the dark color on one or both flanks. A tobiano may be either dark or white. A tobiano must have one parent that is a tobiano.

OVERO (Pronounced: oh vair' oh)
The white originates on the underside of the horse and will rarely cross the back of the horse between its withers and tail. Generally, at least one, often all four legs will be the dark color. Head-markings are predominately white; often bald, apron or bonnet faced. Generally, the white is irregular, rather scattered or splashy. It is often referred to as calico. The tail is usually one color. An overo horse may be either predominantly dark or white. However, the darker colors are more common.

SABINO (Pronounced: sa bean o)
The sabino horse has color and markings similar to the roan, yet it genetically different. Its base coat color is mixed with white hairs, similar to roaning but often with overo marking: high stockings, white face, white spots. The base color (bay, black, chestnut, etc.) is used with sabino for better identification: - i.e. "bay sabino", "chestnut sabino", etc.

Tovero (Pronounced: tow vair' o)
The Tovero exhibits characteristics of both a tobiano and an overo.