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About Mountain Horses __________________________________
What
in
the
world
is
a
Mountain
Horse?
That's
the
first
thing
folks
ask
us.
Read
on
and
you'll
see
why
they
are
so
special--
so
special
that
eventually
we
sold
all
of
our
other
horses
and
all
we
have
now
are
Mountain
Horses! We consider them the Ultimate Trail horse.
First, a Little
History
Tradition has it that at the turn of the 20th Century, the first
Mountain
Stallion (Tobe) was brought to Kentucky where he was bred to the gaited mares in
Kentucky that were of Spanish origin. Tobe was an extra gentle and well-natured
stallion that was used as a trail horse at Kentucky Natural Bridge State Park,
taking novice riders out every day and was also used as a breeding stallion. Tobe
was bred and ridden up until his death at 37 years old. Many Mountain Horse
pedigrees trace back to Tobe.
Since development of the breed
occurred
over
many
years
in
a
remote
area
of
the
Appalachian
Mountains,
an
exceptionally
well-tempered
horse
was produced that
is
fast
becoming
the
most
trusted
family
horse
in
the
country.
They
possessed
a
gentle,
willing
temperament
and
a
natural
four-beat
gait with
mixtures
of
dark,
solid
body
colors
and
flaxen
manes
and
tails.
Over
time,
select
breeding
in
an
isolated
area
made
these
special
traits
become
even
more
pronounced
and
dominant,
resulting
in
what
has
become
known
as
the Mountain
Horse
of
today.
Mountain Horse Characteristics
Four-beat
Gait
All Mountain Horses are born with a natural, four-beat gait,
requiring no special shoeing or training device. You can actually count the four distinct hoof beats, even
when they are young! Mountain Horses are excellent for trail
riding. Because of their sure-footed You
can
cover
twice
the
ground
and
come
back
home
without
a
sore
back. Of the gaited horses, they are one of the smoothest.
Disposition
Firstly,
Mountain
Horses
are
truly
people
pleasers
and
will
actually
seek
you
out
in
a
large
pasture,
coming
to
you
for
love
and
attention!
They are quick
learners
at
an
early
age.
Amazingly,
these
horses
are
able
to
sense
the
ability
of
any
rider,
whether novice
or
experienced,
and
adapt
to
that
rider's
skill. Mountain
Horses
are
best
known
for
their
gentle
temperament,
making
them
an
excellent
choice
for
children.
Originally,
when
these
horses
were
first
bred,
the
simple
criteria
they
were
judged
by
was
gait
and
disposition. Mountain
Horses
are
extremely
hardy
and
have
more
endurance
than
most
horses,
for
both
work,
and
trail
riding.
Because
they
are
cold-blooded
in
nature,
they
can
withstand
harsher
winters
better
than
other
breeds,
requiring
a
minimum
of
shelter,
making
them,
literally,
a
horse
for
all
seasons.
Color
&
Conformation
Not being a large horse,
Mountain
Horses are usually medium in size
ranging
from
14.3
to
16
hands.
They
come
in
various
colors
but
are
known
for
their chocolate
color bodies
with
flaxen
mane
and
tail.
They
have
limited
white
markings
on
their
face
and
legs.
The Ultimate Trail Horse?
The Mountain Horses are
very gentle and calm horses and making excellent trail horses. Their calm nature
and cold blood make them much more suited for the trail than other warm blood
horses. Their smooth gait
takes trail riding to a whole new level. No more sore backs and knees! Most
people find that they can ride one of these horses twice as long as other horses and still be less sore the next day.
Our father, Powell Porter, says of the gaited horses, the Mountain horse have
one of the smoothest gaits. We couldn't believe it until we saw it. While at a
Mountain Horse competition, our dad said to line up any one of the horses in the
arena with the hand rail that went around the arena and tell him what we saw. Well,
after the horse went around once, we saw that the horse's head was pretty much
even with the hand rail the entire ride around the ring. My dad pointed out,
that that was how smooth and even of a ride you will have on any Mountain
Horse.
Wow, now that's a smooth ride!
It
Just Takes One Ride!
That's what my dad often tells people about these
horses. Why don't you find out for yourself!
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