After the formation of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Association in Ava, Missouri in late forties, the popularity of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse spread. In the metropolitan Kansas City area, a group of owners of the Fox Trotting Horse decided they would like to form an organization to help promote and introduce the Fox Trotter to the public.

On March 24, 1971, a group met at Benjamin’s Stables in south Kansas City, to form the Northwestern Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Association (NWMFTHA). Founding officers of the organization were: Ernest Long, President; Mylo Brown, Vice-President; Bettie Moore, Secretary-Treasurer; and serving as directors were: Fred Moore, Gorman Dye, Glenn Price and Cliff Webb.

Through the years, many hard working members of the NWMFTHA worked to build the club to it’s present stature. To accomplish this, in the mid-seventies to early eighties, there was a concerted effort to enlist different clubs of the Pony Express and the Golden Circle Horse Show Circuits, to add fox trot classes to their shows. In return, the circuit clubs were promised filled classes. To this end, an intra-club publication entitled the “Show News” was written and mailed to exhibiting members of the club. Even with this effort, there would not have been success has not the “show” members taken their responsibility seriously. Many weekends would have two and sometimes three shows.

Certainly it had to be devotion to the Fox Trotting Horse and the Club that brought the exhibitors to the shows. Often the fox trot classes were the very last class on the show bill which meant it was long, hot days, very late night or very early morning hours before the call to “Bring them in at a foxtrot.”

 The year of 1979 was the NWFTHA’s first attempt to sponsor their own show. After a few years of getting their feet wet and finding themselves successful, the Club’s show committee decided to try it’s had at presenting a Society Show. In 1984, under the chairmanship of Linda and Steve Bakken, Independence, Missouri, the NWFTHA club published it first program/ad book to subsidize a society type show. Luther Hughes, Kidder, Missouri, chaired the first all breed society show.

When the 1985 show season rolled around, Tony Crump, Chairman, organized a most successful show. To add pizzazz and class, four pretty ribbon girls adorned the arm of past presidents of the Club as they presented ribbons and awards. The next big step came in 1986 when the decision was made to become a charity show, sponsoring the Gillis Center for Children.

Over the years, the club’s Annual Show has been responsible for donating thousands of dollars to various organizations including the Gillis Center for Children, American Cancer Society, The Dream Factory, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and the Northland Therapeutic Riding Center.

Our current name (Kansas City Regional Fox Trotting Horse Association) took effect in 1987 to more readily identify our location. Though the name has changed and our bylaws expanded to reflect the growth and progress of our membership and breed, our objectives remain constant. Our Association exists to promote the Missouri Foxtrotting Horse and to educate it’s members in the Breed’s use, development and handling. We encourage and assist in the establishment of Fox Trotting classes in all area horse shows and help these shows in the selection of qualified judges. By providing trail rides, shows, seminars, awards and other activities we encourage good sportsmanship and good fellowship in addition to promoting our beloved Missouri Fox Trotters.

Promotion of the Fox Trotting Horse is still a key objective for the Club as the members look forward to barn rides, trail rides, clinics, socials and meeting, not to mention lots of good fox trot classes this summer.