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Rocky Mountain Horse

by Jil Wiedemann
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Rocky Mountain Horses are not as well-known as some of America’s famous horse breeds, such as the Quarter Horse or Saddlebred. However, to those with experience of their friendly temperaments and surefooted gaits, Rocky Mountain Horses, or RMHs, are a special horse breed indeed!

History and Origins

Despite the name, the Rocky Mountain Horse is a Kentucky breed. They are, nonetheless, true mountain horses that are nimble enough to negotiate narrow, tricky trails, and they have a kind and generous spirit. There is a mystery about the founding stallion of this breed, who is simply known as “The Rocky Mountain Horse.” He did, indeed, come from Colorado in the Rocky Mountains to Eastern Kentucky, around the year 1900.

 The Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky are also a tough environment, so Colorado stock would be at home here. It is also a landscape of talented horse breeders, where different types and breeds of horses from north and south, Spanish and European, west and east, met and interbred. Some of the country’s finest horses were produced as a result. Along with the Rocky Mountain Horse foundation stallion, the RMHs had Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, and American Saddlebred ancestry. 

Ultimately, they would trace back to the Narragansett Pacer. Horse breeders admired the beauty and good nature of their horses. They also needed versatile horses that were able to work cattle, draw plows, and travel the mountain trails safely. Since every member of the family needed to ride, the horses had to be equally good with children and the elderly

The best horses for spending long hours in the saddle were gaited horses. Rocky Mountain Horses soon had an excellent reputation for calmness and willingness. It’s said they would happily carry several children at one time on their strong backs! They did well in the harsh environment of the mountains.

What are Rocky Mountains Horses good for?

Rocky Mountain Horses make great mounts for all kinds of equestrian activity, from trail riding to Western classes. They excel at endurance riding and are still used for working cattle today.

Rocky mountain horses for sale

Old Tobe and his Legacy

The RMHs already had a great reputation for carrying travelers safely through the mountains when Old Tobe came on the scene. Old Tobe was a son of the Rocky Mountain Horse; the founder of the breed. Like his sire, Old Tobe was gaited and had the rich liver chestnut coat and light mane and tail that would become a feature of the breed. Old Tobe’s owner, Sam Tuttle, had a trail riding concession at the Natural Bridge State Park in Powell County, Kentucky. 

In Sam’s selection of some fifty horses, Old Tobe was outstanding. This stallion was kind, gentle, and intelligent. He would carry beginners and inexperienced riders just as capably as experienced ones. Tuttle used Tobe as a stud stallion, discovering that he passed on his superb temperament and gaits to his youngstock. Thus, other breeders began to use Old Tobe as a stud for their mares, too. Old Tobe lived to be 37 and was still siring foals at the grand old age of 34. 

This meant that there was a great legacy of offspring from this stallion, and it was Old Tobe and five of his many sons who became foundation stallions for the RMH breed. The Rocky Mountain Horse Association was formed in 1986. While the majority of RMHs are in America, there are now studs elsewhere, too, including in the United Kingdom.

Rocky Moutain Horse: two horses grazing on a field

The breed standard sets a minimum height of 14 hands (56 inches/142 cm) high and a maximum of 16.0 hands (64 inches/163 cm) high

Rocky Mountain Horse – Conformation

The breed standard sets a minimum height of 14 hands (56 inches/142 cm) high and a maximum of 16.0 hands (64 inches/163 cm) high. Rocky Mountain Horses are light to medium-sized riding horses, with legs and feet that are in proportion to the body. The chest is deep, wide, and powerful. The shoulders slope notably, with an ideal angle of 45 degrees to give the excellent gaits of this breed. They have well-shaped heads and amiable yet confident expressions. The face should not be dished. Only solid coat colors are permitted. The classic coat color is a liver chestnut that is close to deep, rich, chocolate. 

This appealing color results from the influence of the silver dapple gene on a black base coat. Bay, black, palomino, and chestnut colors are also found. Flaxen or lighter colored manes and tails frequently occur, contrasting with the darker body color. Pinto and Appaloosa coloring is not allowed. There are limitations to the amount of white any Rocky Mountain Horse can have. No white above the knee is permissible, and only a small amount of white is allowed on the face. Bald-faced horses are not eligible for entry into the register.

Characteristics of the Rocky Mountain Horse

Rocky Mountain Horses are known for their superb temperaments, willingness, and nimbleness in rough mountainous terrain. They are easy-keepers. They are also famous for their smooth gaits, which carry riders over the ground at speed with great ease. They are very comfortable horses to ride

Gaits of the Rocky Mountain Horse

This breed is a naturally ambling horse. The gait it uses is also called the single-foot. This is because one foot, and one foot only, is always in contact with the ground. It is a four-beat gait in which each foot follows in succession evenly. Single-foot is an intermediate speed gait, which in this breed, replaces the trot used by other breeds. The single-foot is far more comfortable to ride than the trot since the trot is a two-beat diagonal gait with a moment of suspension.

 Anyone who has ridden a trot will realize that this diagonal gait gives the rider a bump each time the pair of feet hit the ground. In gaited horses, the four-beat alternative is much smoother and more comfortable to ride. It’s also much more energy-conserving for the horse. The single-foot can also cover the ground at a remarkable speed. 7 mph (11 kmh) is achievable over short distances, while over long distances, horses can reach 16 mph (26 kmh)! The faster version is sometimes called racking.

Rocky Mountain Horse: Portrait of the horse

This appealing color results from the influence of the silver dapple gene on a black base coat. Bay, black, palomino, and chestnut colors are also found.

Are Rocky Mountains good for beginners?

RMHs are an excellent choice for beginners, less able, and elderly riders. Their steady temperaments, easy keeping, and comfortable gaits put them high on the list of horses that people new to horse-keeping should consider.

Breeding and Uses

Rocky Mountain Horses are easy to breed, keep, and train. They make superb trail and endurance horses. They have kept the versatility, which originally made them so popular with Appalachian farmers. Due to their smooth gaits, reliability, and willingness, these horses are known as an excellent choice for elderly or less able riders. While interest has grown in the breed since the breed association’s foundation, they have been given “Watch” status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. 

They have come a long way, though. From just 26 horses originally registered, there are now thousands, though there are just 800 or so annual registrations in the USA. There are strict rules, including DNA testing, which apply to the registration of these horses. There is an inspection for youngstock to ensure that they meet the breed standards of the registry.

Rocky Mountain Horse: Foal

There are strict rules when registering a Rocky Mountain horse.

Diet and Nutrition

Rocky Mountain Horses are known to be easy keepers, capable of surviving challenging conditions and bitterly cold winters. They will thrive best on adequate but not too rich grazing and good quality fodder in winter. Care should be taken not to overfeed these horses, which are also used to being ridden for long hours over long distances. Even when in hard work, these horses are not likely to need the levels of feed that other competition horses would require

Are Rocky Mountain Horses rare?

Yes, Rocky Mountain Horses are considered to be a rare breed and are on the watch list of rare breed organizations. There are under 15,000 of these lovely, versatile horses globally

Health and Behavior

These horses are generally healthy and have no behavioral issues. However, they are believed to be at higher risk from genetic ocular syndrome multiple congenital ocular anomalies (MCOA), originally called equine anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) than many other breeds. This can cause problems with their vision, though it is often not so bad that it prevents them from being ridden. Generally, it is a mild form that is not progressive. This condition may be linked to the silver dapple gene that gives them their distinctive coats.

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