The Horse No One Wants to Talk About - The Hanoverian

For generations, the Hanoverian has been recognized as one of the most prominent and successful breeds of riding horses in the world today. Yet for all its prominence and success, including being touted as the best known of the German Warmbloods, there is very little useful information to be found about this 400-year-old variety, either on breeders' websites or on any of the six international registry sites. Piecing together machine translations from the German language is woefully imprecise, but there is very little information in English.

Known in Germany as the Hannoveraner, or Hannöverschen Horse, the origins of selective breeding can be traced back to 16th Century to the Kingdom of Hanover in northern Germany, which is now the state of Lower Saxony. Breeding in Hanover at that time was a major livelihood of farmers, and the Hanoverian was bred for agriculture, carriage, and for the cavalry. Originally developed as a draft horse, the breed has been enhanced by the Trakehner, with imported Thoroughbred stallions. regularly crossed with domestic "war horse" German mares for improvements. The result is the modern Hanoverian horse.

The State Stud in Celle, Germany, was founded in 1735 at a time when the individual reining German sovereigns wanted to be independent of importing horses. Since horses were of prime military importance, the goal of the State Stud was to offer good stallions at low fees to individual breeders. This goal remains, although the horses are no longer used for war.

Those unfamiliar with the Hanoverian tend to think that the State Stud at Celle and the Hanoverian Society are one entity, but they are not. Both are separate organizations that co-operate to the benefit of the Hanoverian breed. The Hanoverian Society e.V. is a private co-operation financed by members’ dues, whereas the State Stud Celle is a wholly state-owned institution. Currently, 130 stallions are stationed there and during the breeding season, between February and July, from two to ten stallions are stabled at each of the 42 breeding stations that are spread out over the region. Out of 12,060 services registered with the Verband in 1997, about 7,444 were carried out by state-owned stallions. Currently the Hanoverian stud book has approximately 19,000 mares and 540 stallions registered.

Sometime after 1870, breeders consolidated, taking into account the indigenous tribes, in which the coach and military suitability of the Hanoverian stood in the foreground; and the Hanover Chen Stutbuches (Hanoverian Studbook) was officially begun in 1888 and in 1899 the Chamber of Agriculture took over the stud-book as keeper. Verband hannoverscher Warmblutzuchter, e.V. (VhW), (The Society of Hanoverian Warmblood Breeders) was later founded in 1922 in Germany through a merger of breeders and abolished the requirement for a centrally controlled, uniform breeding and evaluation of all recorded breeding operations.

During the time between the two World Wars special emphasis was on use in agriculture.Since the end of World War II, the breeding goal has been a redevelopment of Hanoverian breeding to exclusively produce a more versatile performance horse.

The Hanoverian is a rideable, noble, big framed and correct warmblood horse, which, on the basis of its natural abilities, its temperament and character is suitable as a performance horse as well as a pleasure horse. Breeding stock is very carefully inspected and selected for correct conformation, athletic ability and inner qualities such as disposition and trainability.

Hanoverians are large but refined, with long necks, sloping shoulders and pronounced withers. The Hanoverian is characterized by a strong build, muscular hidquarters, and hard hooves. The head should be medium sized, and the eyes should be large and expressive. The horses can be 15.3-17.2 hands high, but most are in the range of 15.3-16.2 hands. The colors of Chestnut, bay, brown, black, and gray are the most common. Regulations prohibit buckskin, palomino and cremello horses, as well as horses with too much white, from being registered. The Hanoverian is a well proportioned warmblood horse with natural balance, impulsion and three elegant, light, elastic gaits described only as a ground-covering walk; a floating trot; and a soft, round, rhythmic canter. No further information is available.

The Hanoverian is calm and level headed, even in difficult situations. The horse has an honest and trusting disposition, and gives in willingly to the rider's commands. They have been bred to be willing and trainable.

A large number of top competition horses have been branded with a special "H" brand of the Hanoverian trade mark on their back left side. Its inspiration came from the crossed horse heads that still decorate the gables of the breeding farm house in Lower Saxony and is a relic from prehistoric times.

In the United States, the American Hanoverian Society (AHS) was incorporated in 1978 in Kentucky with only 40 members, for the purpose of gathering the Hanoverians in North America into a registry to preserve and promote the breed. While the AHS is an independent organization, it maintains a close relationship with the German VhW, regarding inspection, registration and licensing procedures and educational activities.

But not only top riders who engage in Olympic calibur dressage, eventing, hunting, jumping and driving benefit from Hanoverian Horses. The Horses with the "H"-Brand also delight pleasure riders in many countries throughout the world. Hanoverians, elegant, strong, and robust, excel in dressage, show jumping and cross country.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The Haflinger Horse - Tyrolean Charm in a Chestnut Colored Package

The origin of the Haflinger can be traced back to medieval times when writings told of an indigenous Oriental breed of horse that was found in the Southern Tyrolean Mountains on the border of present day Austria and northern Italy. Many villages and farms of the Tyrol were accessible only by narrow paths requiring small, agile, rugged and surefooted mountain horses for daily transportation and packing supplies. So, for centuries, a line of these native horses was bred in southern Tyrol. They were general riding horses, light draft and harness horses as well as pack animals. Regional artwork in the early 1800's shows a noble chestnut horse with riders and packs traversing steep mountain trails.

In 1874, in the village of Hafling, Austria, (which after WWI is now in Italy), "249 Folie", the first registered Haflinger was born. He was sired by a royal half-Arabian stallion named "133 El' Bedavi XXII" and out of a refined native Tyrolean mare.

All modern purebred Haflingers must trace their ancestry directly to Folie through seven different stallion lines: A, B, M, N, S, ST, and W. Folie inherited his mother's strength, disposition and stamina and the refined, elegant grace and bone structure of his father. A year later, an influential count persuaded officials from the Austrian Imperial Ministry of Agriculture to establish an objective Haflinger breeding program. After the stallion Folie, crossing with a horse from another breed is not permitted on either side of the stallion or the mare. Pure breeding is the primary guideline of the American Haflinger Registry(AHR) in Rootstown, Ohio, which is the official breed association and studbook registry in the United States.

The Haflinger came to North America in 1958 when Tempel Smith of Illinois, imported them from Austria to begin a breeding program. Soon others began importing Haflingers and today there several importers and breeders throughout the United States and Canada. While Haflingers can be imported from Germany, Holland, England, and Italy, most continue to come from Austria.

The modern Haflinger is now found all over the world, active in such varied disciplines as dressage, jumping, vaulting, packing, pleasure driving, CDE, western trail riding, CTE, endurance riding, draft work and therapeutic riding programs. Haflingers hold their own in competition with other breeds, often showing surprising athletics and strength for their size.

A desirable appearance of the horse is one of elegance and harmony. A harmonious balance should be strived for that is suitable for an all-around pleasure horse. The Haflinger should have a lean and expressive head with large forward pointing eyes and wide nostrils, well formed neck and supple mid-section, a good croup not too divided and not too short, a distinct musculature as well as correct, defined limbs with good joints. The tail should not be set too low. Stallions and mares for breeding should have clearly defined masculine or feminine features.

Haflingers are generally pony-sized standing about 14 hands on the average, although the "modern" variation can reach 15 hands. The desired range however is from 54 in. to 60 in, or 13.5 to 15 hands. Failure to attain the minimum height at 3 years means the animal will be strongly discouraged from breeding. The maximum size may be exceeded if the horse has an excellent or outstanding exterior evaluation.

The most notable characteristic of the Haflinger is its striking coat color; it is always chestnut with a white, or "flaxen," main and tail. Color may range from pale chestnut to dark liver chestnut, but always with pale flaxen mane and tail. The paler, golden versions are often identified as palomino. Color impurities in the base color such as roan, or black spots are undesirable, as are color impurities in the mane and tail, and any excessive color deviations will be considered very negatively and breeding will be strongly discouraged.

Head markings are desirable, but not a prerequisite, although too many markings are undesirable and can end up becoming strongly discouraged for breeding. Leg markings are not desirable and are penalized in the breed standard of the AHR as follows: "One white leg will not be penalized, two white legs will result in a one point deduction, three white legs will result in a two point deduction, and horses with four white legs or white above the knees or hocks will be strongly discouraged from breeding. A white leg is a white sock that extends above the fetlock joint. White markings are signified by a change in skin pigment."

The basic gaits of the Haflinger are distinctive and energetic but smooth. They are rhythmic and swinging, and consist of a 4-beat Walk, a 2-beat trot, and a 3-beat canter. The movements at a walk should be relaxed energetic and elevated. The movements at the trot and gallop should be supple, swinging, light on the feet with a noticeable swinging phase and with a natural suspension. Some knee action is desirable. In particular, the canter should demonstrate a clear forward and upward springing sequence. The horse should have a good long-reaching swinging stride with an elastic gait, showing good impulsion from behind. The stride should be correct, supple and of a pure rhythm without serious faults.

The Haflinger has a Willing, Docile and Uncomplicated temperament. In particular, it has an excellent character without vices or bad habits and an even temperament.

Currently, there are two different types of Haflinger -- a short draft style good for driving or farm work, and a taller, more refined version bred for riding and jumping.
Basically, a Haflinger is a horse with strong character and good-natured. He should be strong all-round and both eager and able to perform, as well as easy to acclimatize to being useful for all purposes. In particular this is true for riding, driving and jumping in the sport sector, but also as a working horse for pulling and carrying.

The Haflinger continues to capture hearts and enrich lives in North America as it has for over two centuries in Austria.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

From Feral to Friendly, Meet the Mustang

Mustang horses are probably the most well known wild horse in the United States. The name "Mustang" is derived from the Spanish words "mesteño" or "monstenco" which is synonymous for "stray", "ownerless" or "wild." Mustangs come from domestic horses which reverted to a wild state after becoming separated from their human caretakers. They currently roam primarily on public land in the southwestern United States of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico, but mostly in Nevada, where the majority of the country's remaining feral horse population resides. The Mustang is often called "The Symbol of the American West" and is known for their rugged endurance. Other names you may hear are: American feral horse, Range horse Indian Pony, Cayuse Pony, American Mustang, Spanish Mustang, meste’os and BLM horse, which refers to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that oversees their protection and adoption.

In 1492, Columbus discovered there were no horses in the New World, so today’s Mustang horses descended from the domesticated warmbloods brought to the New World by Spanish explorers, and by Columbus himself on his 2nd voyage. Some of these horses ran off; or swam to shore from wrecked ships; or were left behind as the Spanish came and went over the years. When European settlers came farther west they brought their horses with them, including draft horses. French horses were introduced to the gene pool from French settlers in the region around New Orleans. German horses may also be among the genes of the Mustang. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, the U.S. Government purchased 150 old-style East Friesian Warmblood stallions from Germany each year, over a 10 period, to pull artillery or heavy wagons for the U.S. Cavalry. A few of those may also have escaped to join the wild herds where survival of the fittest and natural selection over 4 centuries has built the breed.

Some horses were lost to Indian raids. Others were freed by feral stallions tearing down fences to steal the tame mares away to their own harems. Tame horses escaped from the owners, or were left behind as owners died on the trail, or in battle, just as the original horses in North America had escaped from the Spanish. It is possible that some horses The Indians often bartered horses between tribes as well as captured horses from other tribes, making the distribution of the various bloodlines more diverse.

While their Spanish genes have been diluted, many of the Mustangs have Spanish and Andalusian characteristics. For decades, people believed that there were no pure Spanish-type horses remaining in the wild on the ranges. But a few small isolated herds were found by the BLM in 1977, and blood and DNA tests show them to be strongly related to the Spanish horses of the 16th century. The BLM has separated these "Spanish Mustang" herds out to preserve their purity. Among these are the Kiger and Cerat Mustangs. Kiger mustangs carry the breed color traits, which include dun and gruel, among others, along with markings such as a dorsal stripe, zebra stripes or a facial mask. Horses of draft conformation are also kept on separate ranges by the BLM.

In other words, the Spanish mustang is a descendant of the horses brought to the Americas by the early Spaniards; while the American mustang is the descendant of escaped light riding horses and draft horses, mixed with the Spanish-bred and others. In general, American mustangs are thought to have little-to-no remaining Spanish blood.

From an estimated 2.3 million horse at the turn of the century, the population of Mustangs has dropped rapidly. As settlers started ranches in the arid west, they started to kill the wild horses because they were competing with cattle for grazing land. Horror tales about the cruelty of their removal abounds. From missionaries' journals in 1807 is a report of two herds of 7,000 mustangs each that were driven into the ocean at Mission Santa Barbara to drown. And at the San Diego Mission, Mustangs by the hundreds were shut in corals to starve. Another tells of horses being shot from moving trains for sport, and left to die.

By 1926 there were only about 1 million Mustangs remaining, and by the 1950's their numbers were reduced to an estimated 25,000. The population continued to decrease until 1971 when the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro act was passed to protect these animals. Unfortunately, this caused the population to rise to dangerous levels; livestock could not get enough to eat again, and the horses were a nuisance - again. The BLM's Adopt-A-Horse program began 1973 as a humane way to distribute these excess animals to concerned citizens.

Currently, less than 33,000 Mustangs remain, with many herds already below the minimum population levels necessary to sustain healthy populations and preservation of the species, according Dr. Gus Cothran, the equine geneticist at the University of Kentucky. The minimum number of horses in each herd management area (HMA) needs to be at least 150 animals, says Cothran. But under BLM plans, about 70 percent of the HMAs will have fewer than 100 animals.

Mustangs come in all sizes and body types, and also in the full range of colors. Their average size is 14.2 hands but it is not uncommon to see one as short as 13 hands or as tall as 16 hands. They are very hardy, healthy horses, rarely suffering from any kinds of leg or hoof injuries; or ailments that so often affect other domestic breeds, and they tend to live a bit longer than the domestics, too. Their lifespan is 25 to 30 years.

Mustangs that have been removed from the wild require experienced handlers, but they usually become as tractable as any horse that was raised from birth on a farm. But properly gentled Mustang can be a willing partner and a great family horse. If an American Mustang bonds with its owner, it will bond quite strongly, as that is a survival trait in the wild -- to bond with the herd. They are very intelligent and will do as they please, but if treated well they will quite often comply. Mustangs can be trained, if they want to be trained, and they learn quickly. With patience, they can be trained by experienced handlers to excel in many disciplines including English, Western Pleasure, Dressage, Driving, and rodeo, among others. It is not unusual for Mustangs to win in equine shows and competitions, and, in fact, many have.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The State Horse of Alabama is the Racking Horse

The Racking Horse was proclaimed to be Alabama's State horse in 1975 and is a naturally gaited horse known for its beauty, stamina, and calm disposition that originated on the great southern plantations before the Civil War. Plantation owners cherished the breed for its smooth, easy, natural-born gait. It was a horse that could be ridden comfortably for hours, allowing the great distances between and on the great plantations to be covered painlessly. The name "Racking" comes from the term "rack" which was the rural country word for the single-foot gait.

The Racking Horse has its origins rooted deeply from within the ranks of the Tennessee Walking Horse, and this explains much about the breed. Some people have debated whether or not the Racking Horse is a stand-alone breed, but the designation of "breed" was given to the Racking Horse by the USDA in 1978. So what is the difference between a walking horse and a racking horse? Well, the major difference is the gait. Racking Horses only allow one foot to strike the ground at a time. The Tennessee Walking Horse, on the other hand, generally performs three distinct gaits – the flat-foot walk, the running walk, or the canter. They can also rack, but this is not a desirable gait. So, simply put, the Racking Horse breed began from Tennessee Walking Horses that rack naturally.

The movement to form the breed known as the Racking Horse was started when a group of Alabama horsemen, who were involved with the Tennessee Walking Horse, split off from the parent club. The primary reasons were economical and political so a carefully studied program for getting the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to legally designate the Racking Horse as a distinct breed began in the late 1960's.

When the USDA Horse Protection Act went into effect in 1971, which targets the practice of soring within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, many people in the Tennessee Walking Horse breed opted to get away from the problems that were plaguing the Tennessee Walker breed. On May 23, 1971, the USDA recognized the Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America, thereby allowing a registry to be established to perpetuate the Racking Horse breed. Prior to the formation of the RHBAA, the Racking Horse had been the only horse in the show rings of the nation that was not protected by a registry or a uniform set of rules, even though the Racking Horse breeders could have formed an association at any time prior to 1971 for the purpose of registering horses and creating that set of rules, just like all other U.S. horse breeding associations before them.

The primary function of the Racking Horse Breeders' Association was to establish a registry to protect, preserve, and perpetuate the breed in a natural state with little or no artificial devices to enhance its natural-born gait and to ensure that the horse's tail is naturally raised without nicking. But some show classes, such as open shod divisions, still allow special shoes that enhance action and a new class allows the use of chains, 6 ounces and under as action devices. Horses entered in these classes wear either flat pads or wedge pads made of leather, plastic or other pliant material on their front feet. Weighted shoes are also allowed, the purpose of which is to provide an artificial extension to the hoof and to encourage the horse to lift its feet higher in the show ring. The RHBAA has laid out strict edicts covering the size and thickness of the pads and also addresses the issue of soring, stating "Abusive treatment and/or training techniques designed to produce an alteration of the gaits shall not be condoned." Racking Horses are also subject to the DQP (Designated Qualified Person) inspections as outlined in the Horse Protection Act, as are Tennessee Walking Horses and Saddlebreds.

One banned practice is the application of caustic chemicals just above the hoof, in a process known as "soring," which gets its name from the fact that a horse alters its gait due to discomfort or sore feet. Soring, however is also seen within the Racking horse world even though it is illegal under the Horse Protection Act, and is a federal offense within the United States.

The Racking Horse is attractive and gracefully built with a long sloping neck, full flanks, well boned, smooth legs, and finely textured hair. The breed is considered to be a light horse, averages 15.2 hands high and weighs 1,000 pounds. It comes in many colors such as black, bay, sorrel, chestnut, brown, gray, yellow, cremello, buckskin, dun, palomino, roan, champagne, and even spotted. Spotted Racking Horses are often dual-registered with the National Spotted Saddle Horse Association NSSHA as well as with the RHBAA. Some Racking Horse events are now offering classes specifically for spotted horses, although the coloration is also permitted in regular classes and is commonly seen.

The gaits performed by the Racking Horse are the same on the trail ride and in the show ring. The breed is shown under saddle, in hand or in harness, either flat shod or with pads. The rack is a fast, evenly timed, bi-lateral four-beat gait in which each foot strikes the ground separately at equal intervals which is neither a pace nor a trot. It is often called single foot because only one foot strikes the ground at a time. There is no head nod, but the shoulders and hindquarters are very active. The horse appears to jump from one foot to the other and there is some overstride in the gait, but not as much as in the running walk. It is similar to the running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse, but with more collection in the Racking Horse's movement. The ride is so smooth that the rider appears to remain motionless as the horse racks. It is not the same as the show gait of other breeds in which the "rack" is an artificially achieved gait resulting from special training, though soring does illegally occur within the Racking Horse breed.

Eligibility for registration is determined upon the performance of the gaits natural to the breed, and in the beginning horses of all ages could be registered by gait performances. Horses are registered by inspection by a qualified licensed RHBAA commissioner to determine if the horse is capable of performing the rack, but all horses born in 1994 and after must be blood-typed to be registered.

The Racking Horse has an unusual friendliness and affectionate nature toward humans. It is intelligent with a willingness to learn, an eagerness to work and an ability to perform in more than one function. Beginning riders cherish the smooth gait and the calm temperament while veteran horsemen admire its beauty and versatility from the work field to the show ring.

There are 80,000 Racking Horses registered by the RHBAA throughout the United States and several foreign countries, but Tennessee and Alabama have the largest number of Racking Horses in the United States. At this rate, it won't be long before the Racking Horse is a common sight in show rings throughout the equine world.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

Aye, Laddie, The Largest Pony is the Irish Connemara

The Connemara Pony is considered to be Ireland's only native breed and is part of a group of equines known as mountain and moorland ponies. It originated in Connemara, county Galway on the rugged mountain coast of western Ireland, although the exact origins are obscure. It is known that the Connemara lived in Ireland for thousands of years but that they were brought there by the Ancient Celts, who were skilled horsemen.

One belief is that the Connemara Pony descended from the Spanish horses that swam to shore after the Spanish Armada sank off the rocky coast of western Ireland in 1568 and bred with the native ponies that were running wild in the mountains. However, it is certain that Thoroughbred and Arabian blood were introduced in the 1700's to refine the breed. The Connemara, in turn, was also used to influence the fine Irish Hunter.

In their native Ireland over the centuries, the Connemara was popularly used as a pack pony carrying loads of seaweed, peat, corn and potatoes to market and was also used for farm work. Local racing was also popular and the Connemara competed equally with the larger Irish Hunters and the English Thoroughbreds. But in such a poor area, families could only afford one good pony, and that had to be a mare that could foal each year so that there was something to sell so the family could survive through the long, dark winter.

But by the beginning of the 1900's, the purity of the indigenous Connemara breed was being threatened by the random cross-breeding with other breeds of horses. By the 1920's the Connemara Pony, as a viable breed, was very much endangered, so the local breeders formed the Connemara Pony Breeders Society in 1923 for the purpose of preserving and developing the breed. The first volume of the Connemara Pony studbook was published in 1926.

A clue to the excellence of the Connemara Pony is the extreme environment in which it lives. When turned out to survive in the harsh weather on rough pasture, only the strong of the breed survives. However, many Connemaras were being kept in stables and thus inferior examples existed, so in the 1920's, a group of owners chose a dozen quality ponies and turned them out into the wilds to live and reproduce. Those that survived had retained the excellent qualities, and it is believed that were the ones that preserved the great stamina, sure-footedness, hardiness, adaptability, and purity of the breed. Therefore Connemara as we know it today is still a product of its original environment; centuries of natural selection with a bit of human interference, followed by 72 years of selective breeding.

The Connemara has since been exported to all European countries, New Zealand, and Australia. In the United States, the largest market for the Connemara Pony is middle-aged women.

The body of the Connemara is compact and deep, yet not bulky with a fine sloping, rounded shoulder, strong back and well developed quarters. Its legs are short, clean, and have ample boning. The Connemara Pony has a handsome, well-shaped head with a fairly lean, medium-length neck, and an abundant mane and tail. Connemara Pony was originally dun in coloring, but this color is now rare. It is most frequently found gray, but also in black, bay, brown and occasionally seen in roan, chestnut and palomino. Black points are often seen, but piebald and skewbald are not considered acceptable for registration. Full maturity is not until five years of age, and can sometimes be a bit later, but they can live well into their 30's.

The Connemara is the largest of the pony breeds and stands from 12.2 hands to over 15 hands high, with 14 to 14.2 hands being the average. Yet in spite of its relatively small size, the Connemara Pony is known as an excellent hunter and jumper and it regularly competes in such varying events as distance riding, driving and dressage, also. Connemaras should move underneath themselves without reach yet covering a lot of ground. The over all impression is of an animal that is hardy, strong, free and actively moving.

The Connemara pony is renowned for its versatility as well as its gentle, tractable, sensible and willing disposition. The Connemara has an ability to bond with their human handler that is unique to this breed. The breed is mannerly and manageable, kind, responsive and possesses good sense along with basic intelligence; all characteristics that make it ideal for show or as an excellent child's or adult's pony.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The Most Popular of the Mountain Horses - The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse

For over 200 years, the saddle horse has lived in the hills and valleys of many parts of Kentucky. Originally bred by the Appalachian mountain people in Eastern Kentucky for the demanding needs of farm life, the horses had to be tough to survive the rugged mountain lifestyle, and versatile enough to work the land, be ridden in style and comfort and perform multiple tasks with a stable, and willing nature. These were the roots of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse.

When roads improved As the United States entered the motorized transportation age and new means of travel were created, gaited horse populations in the United States started to decline as the horse lost its position as a necessity of daily existence. One exception was the less-developed area of the Appalachian Mountains where gaited horses were still necessary for travel where there were no roads, and so breeding continued and several early breeders were determined to maintain records on the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse because the unique, surefooted, four-beat gait was still essential for getting around the rugged mountain terrain where no other vehicles could traverse.

The exact origins of the Mountain horses are sheer speculation, but the Narragansett Pacer, Spanish Jennet, Mountain Pleasure Horse, and ambling Galloways are all ancestors of the modern Kentucky Mountain Saddle horse. Old Saddlebred stock and Tennessee Walking Horse bloodlines were also used. These breeds were well known for their comfortable gaits and willing attitudes which were essential for spending long hours in the saddle when the horse was the primary mode of transportation.

The traditional belief is that around 1890, a family on their way back to Virginia brought a young, gaited colt with them that was the foundation to a line of horses that has been treasured in the area ever since. He was called "the Rocky Mountain Horse" by the local Appalachian people because of the area he had come from. Little is known about this foundation stallion, but the oral history indicates that he was chocolate-colored with a flaxen mane and tail, and that he possessed a superior gait. That stallion was instrumental in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse breed, and sired two influential sons that settled in Estill and Clark Counties in Kentucky.

In Spout Springs, Kentucky, Sam Tuttle purchased a mare in 1918, Lucy, and bred her to one of the descendants of the original chocolate stallion. The mare was eventually bred to the Hinz Stud, located at Hinz Farm, and the resulting foal was Tobe. Mr. Tuttle tapped into the Mountain Horse Heritage by crossing the native Mountain Pleasure Horse stock with Tobe. Tobe was the sire of Old Tobe, his favorite stallion, and was also his primary breeding stallion and sired foals until the age of 34, and lived to age 37. He had the perfect sure-footed gait and a calm, gentle temperament and was the one that carried the young, the old, or the unsure over the mountain trails in Natural Bridge State Park for 10 years without faltering, even though he was a breeding stallion. Everyone who rode the stallion fell in love with him and his offspring were always in demand. He passed on his gait, disposition, and other great qualities to his offspring but one outstanding trait passed on was longevity, and many of his offspring are still breeding in their late twenties and early thirties. It has also been said that his offspring followed in his perfectly-timed footsteps.

Even through the hard times of the Depression and World War II years, Sam Tuttle kept a sizable herd of thirty to forty horses on his farm. In the 1950s, when the horse populations in general were rapidly declining due to tractors and farm machinery available, breeders still bought their mares to Old Tobe from several different states and he was always in demand for stud service. Old Tobe was a virile and prepotent stallion who became a "breed shaper" for several Mountain horse breeds. Many of the present Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses and Rocky Mountain Horses can trace back to Old Tobe. One of his sons, also named Tobe, became an influential foundation sire of the modern type.

Tobe became well known for producing various hues of chocolate with a flaxen mane and tail in his offspring and his outstanding sons include Sewell’s Sam, Maple's Squirrel, and Yankee, the last stallion that Tuttle stood at stud. All offspring sired by these stallions were consistent in type, gait, temperament, and quality and it became obvious that there was a need for a registry to showcase the breed. So, in 1989, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association (KMSHA) was formed to document and preserve the ancestry of the breed and in 2002 the Spotted Mountain Horse Association (SMHA), a subsidiary of the KMSHA, was formed to register those Mountain Horses that had large areas or spots of white that were considered to be too much coverage for any of the existing Mountain Horse registries that followed solid color standards.

But there are several breeds of Mountain Horses that have been developed in the Appalachians of Kentucky around the same time and sorting them out can get confusing when all the breed association sites say much of the same thing, but in different ways. For example, in writing this article, I came across this comment from the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association (MPHA) website: "Horses registered in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association are often referred to as Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses. Several gaited breeds of horses are included in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association's registry, the Mountain Pleasure Horse being one of them. Whereas, the Mountain Pleasure Horse and the Rocky Mountain Horse are "breeds" of horses, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse normally refers to the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association registry. [...] many horses registered with the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association are also doubled registered with the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association." However, on the website of the KMSHA, it states that "the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Spotted Mountain Horse breeds, each with their own distinctive characteristics and genetic DNA markers, are recognized by the University of Kentucky, Equine Parentage Testing and Genetic Research Center as their own unique breed of Horse."

Both the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Spotted Mountain Horse have the same conformation standards. They must be of medium bone and substance and stand no less than 11 hands high. There is no upper height limit but there are two size categories. Class A horses stand 14.2 hands and above and Class B is for horses that are between 11 and 14.1 hands at maturity.

The head of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse is attractive and cob sized, not too long or wide, with a broad flat forehead. The profile is neither severely Roman nor dished. The neck is of medium length and thickness, with the top line being longer than the underline. Traditionally, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse has a compact, well-muscled and close-coupled frame. The tail set should be natural.

The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse may be any solid body color with minimal white markings that should be limited to the face, the lower legs, or on the belly not to exceed an area larger than the size of a hand. Any horse that does not meet the limited amount of white requirement, or that carries tobiano, overo or sabino, may be registered as a Spotted Mountain Horse with the SMHA if other criteria are met.

The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse should be able to demonstrate a smooth, comfortable and natural four beat gait, with four distinct hoof beats, when under saddle. The breed should present an overall appearance of athleticism and the ability to perform useful work as well as have a gentle temperament with a willing disposition.

In Kentucky alone, there are at least 9,700 Kentucky-owned Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses with several hundred Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and Spotted Mountain Horse stallions, mares and geldings being boarded and trained in Kentucky that are owned by residents of other states. The breed can be found in all 50 states, Canada, and is rapidly growing in Europe.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

Missouri Fox Trotter - The Versatile Gaited Horse from The Ozarks

The Missouri Fox Trotter is a breed of naturally gaited horse from the Ozarks that is most famous for its fox trotting gait of walking with its front feet while trotting with its back feet in a broken, yet gliding motion. Trail riders are rapidly discovering what U.S. Forest Rangers have known for years -- Missouri Fox Trotters have no equal when it comes to an easy, sure-footed ride on hazardous or mountainous terrain. They are especially common in their native Missouri, but have world-wide appeal. Missouri Fox Trotters are very versatile horses found in a wide variety of disciplines, including jumping, pleasure and equitation. These horses are historically tied to the grazing cattle industry of the Ozarks and continue to be used on working ranches and farms. In 2002, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse became the Official State Horse of Missouri.

The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse was developed in the rugged Ozark hills during the 19th century out of a desire to have a sure-footed, smooth-gaited horse that could travel long distances through this mountainous region quickly. They also needed the ability to do whatever was needed such as plowing, hauling logs and working cattle; yet be able to double as a stylish buggy horse or riding horse.

Their pedigrees can be traced to the horses of early settlers coming to the Ozarks from neighboring states of Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee and Arkansas. Bloodlines from several other gaited horses, such as the American Saddle Horses and the Tennessee Walkers along with the American Quarter Horse are in their ancestry. It soon became apparent that horses with the, broken, sliding gait were the most useful in the rocky hills, and selective breeding for the fox trot gait began. Later the horses became known as Missouri Fox Trotters, though other names have been used such as Missouri Fox Trotting Horse or simply, Fox Trotter.

A breed association was formed in 1948 by fifteen men who were concerned with preserving this unique breed before it was irretrievably lost and maintaining an accurate stud book. Much progress was made, but in 1955 the Secretary's home burned and with it the stud book and all the records they had. In 1958, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA) was reorganized and reincorporated as a stockholder company. In 1973 the corporation was changed from a stockholding company to a membership organization. It became a "closed book" registry in 1983 and foals have to have both parents registered in the MFTHBA. This is designed to preserve the breed standard and history of this American horse. Currently, over 90,000 horses have been placed in the Official Record with more than 42,283 registered Missouri Fox Trotters living in the United States and Canada.

In May of 2004, MFTHBA Board of Directors recognized the need to specifically register and record Fox Trotting horses that were between 44" and 56", and The Missouri Fox Trotting Pony Registry (MFTPR) was created as a part of the MFTHBA. No further information is available at this time on what the ancestry of these smaller Fox Trotters may have been.

The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse comes in a wide range of colors; and. generally stands between 14 and 16 hands in height, with a pony version between 11 and 14 hands. Individuals may average 900 to 1200 pounds. The neck should be graceful with a neat, clean, symmetrically shaped head of medium length; pointed ears; large, bright, wide-set eyes; and a tapered muzzle with large nostrils. The back should be reasonably short and strong, the body deep and the ribs well-sprung. The foot should be well made, strong and in proper proportion to the size of the horse. Good conformation permits their special gaits to be performed in the proper manner.

Unlike a lot of gaited horses, the Missouri Fox Trotter is not a showy horse with high-stepping flashy gaits, but rather a steady, dependable, sure-footed animal which often nods its head in time with the pleasant gait. The head and tail are slightly elevated and the rhythmic beat of the hooves along with the nodding action of the head give the appearance of relaxation and poise. The movement is smooth and consistent with no noticeable up and down motion. No special shoeing or training is required for these 3 natural born gaits.

The breed's signature Fox Trot is a broken diagonal gait performed by walking in front and trotting behind, with reach in each stride. The rhythm begins at the tip of the nose with a characteristic headshake and continues back through the ripple of the tail. There is no excessive animation, nor exaggerated knee motion but the back feet have a sliding action resulting from the horse breaking at the hocks. The front hoof of the diagonal pair strikes the ground just before the rear hoof, and one front hoof is on the ground at all times in the correct fox trot. The head is slightly elevated with a rhythmic motion matching the rear foot movement. The raised tail emphasizes the rhythm naturally. The gait is extremely comfortable and surefooted, and the horse can maintain it for long periods of time with little fatigue.

The Flat Foot Walk is a rapid flat, four beat gait performed in a square, stylish manner. It is distinctly different from the fox trot which has a broken rhythm. A correctly performed flat foot walk has the sound of an equal four beat cadence produced by the hooves. The head shake is more animated than in the fox trot and it gives a smooth ride.

The Canter is a three beat gait and is performed in a straight, collected manner with head and tail slightly raised. The three-beat gait is has a rocking, or rolling, motion, starting from the outside rear foot, to the inside rear-outside front landing together, and then to the inside front foot. The head is at its lowest point when the inside front foot is on the ground. It is not fast moving gait, and the horse should appear relaxed.

Missouri Fox Trotters make excellent mounts for children and beginning riders because of their friendly, quiet, gentle dispositions and willingness to please. A person who is inexperienced with horses can ride a Missouri Fox Trotter with confidence since these horses are quite attuned to their riders and the smooth gait makes them easier to ride than the hard-trotting gait of a standard horse.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The Rare Canadian Horse is the National Horse of Canada

The Canadian Horse or Cheval Canadien was developed in Canada and has been relatively unknown in recent times due to its scarcity, but it has influenced many other North American breeds, including the Morgan, Tennessee Walking Horse, American Saddlebred, and Standardbred, and the Canadian Pacer, which had a profound impact on several gaited breeds of today. It is a recognized horse breed, indigenous only to Canada. It is so rare that several times the breed almost went extinct, but now the Canadian Horse has many supporters both inside and outside of Canada and is Canada's National Horse.

The Canadian Horse originated from the Norman and Breton horses sent by King Louis XIV of France in the late 1600’s to the New World. These French horses are believed to have been of Arab, Andalusian and Barb ancestry since many traits of those breeds can still be recognized in the Canadian Horse today. Over several hundred years, the French horses were bred amongst themselves with little influence from outside breeds and eventually developed in the distinct breed known as the Canadian Horse or Cheval Canadien.

Since the breed was developed under the adverse conditions of harsh inclement weather, scarce food, and hard work, they became tough, strong, tolerant horses that are extremely easy keepers. The Canadian Horse is considered to be the sturdiest and most acclimatized horse in Canada and their strength was legendary. It has been rumored that the Canadian Horse was capable of generating more power per 100 pounds of body weight than any other breed and is often referred to as “The Little Iron Horse”.

In the mid-1800’s, there were about 150,000 Canadian Horses and the breed could be found throughout Canada and the United States. The Canadian Horse was used to improve the strength and hardiness of other breeds and as founding stock for several North American breeds. Canadian Horses were exported out of Canada for many purposes and the number of horses began to drop rapidly. When mechanized farm machinery came to the country, the Canadian Horse almost became extinct and during the 1860-1870’s there were fewer than 400 horses left with 20 or less being registered per year. By the late 1870’s the danger to the breed was finally recognized and efforts were made by diligent breeders to try to bring the Canadian Horse back from the dead.

Their efforts resulted in the first stud book in 1886 but progress was slow and it was not until 1895 that the Canadian Horse Breeders Association (CHBA) or, Société des Éleveurs de Chevaux Canadiens, was formed in the province of Quebec. The Canadian Livestock Records Corporation has been the administrators of the breed registry since 1904. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture set up a breeding program at Cap Rouge in 1913 where one of the foundation studs for the recovery effort, Albert De Cap Rouge, was foaled. Other breeding programs were set up in Quebec at St. Joachim and La Gorgendiere. After World War II, the Canadian Horse was on the verge of dying out again the 1950's with the breed having disappeared from every Canadian province except Quebec, and this time the breed was resurrected by opening the stud books to previously unregistered, but known to be purebred Canadian horses.

Despite these efforts, the Canadian Horse once again nearly disappeared during the 1970's when the numbers dropped to 400 horses again with fewer than 5 registrations per year and by 1979 all horse training programs were dropped since few foals were being produced. In 1981, the administration closed its Canadian Horse breeding program and auctioned off the remaining stock to private breeders.

The number of living registered Canadian Horses in existence in 2006 was estimated to be 5746, down from the 6374 that were surveyed in 2005, but if you combine the number of stallions and geldings registered the total comes to considerably less than the number of existing mares. Since males vs. females traditionally have a roughly equal registration ratio, it may mean that a significant number of male horses have never been registered or reported. This could be due to geldings not being registered because of the cost of registering a non-breeding horse, and because gelding-only owners often do not become breed association members so there would be no way to report their horses. It is hoped that the total number of existing Canadian Horses has been under-reported.

Some breeders feel that it is a disservice to the breed when horses are not registered because there is no way of accurately tracking the population, nor of being able to track specific individuals to see if which ones are producing exceptional animals that may be particularly suited to one discipline or another. In spite of this, the breed is continuing to gain in numbers and popularity, but the Canadian Horse is still classified as “rare” on the American Livestock Conservancy list which has only recently been upgraded from "critical".

The Canadian Horse stands 14 to 16 hands high, weighs between 1000 and 1400 pounds and black is often seen although chestnut, bay, and dark brown are also available. The overall impression is of power and agility from a well-balanced and proportioned conformation and graceful carriage. The finely chiseled head of the Canadian Horse is rather short and thin with straight lines, carried high and slanting on a medium length arched neck that is fairly arched. Eyes are large, moderately convex, bright, kind, and active. Ears are set well apart and are rather short. Both mane and tail have an abundance of fine wavy hair with tail being large at the root and attached rather high and carried well. Their short cannon bones often exceed 9” in circumference and the gait of the Canadian Horse has a free and vigorous movement with, hocks, knees, fetlocks, and pasterns bending well in higher harmonious movements. The hooves are exceptionally tough and rarely require little more than routine trimming.

The breed has an energetic and spirited temperament without nervousness and is very calm and docile. It has been renowned for their sensible, sociable natures, high intelligence and willingness to please, but they have also been described as having a tendency to be "in your face" and quite "opinionated" to the point of encroaching on your own physical space which can be an issue for someone who feels intimidated by horses. The Canadian Horse is considered to be a general utility horse and from the very beginning, it was valuable not only for plowing, but also as a carriage horse. The breed is long-lived and still useful even at an advanced age. The mares are extraordinarily fertile and able to reproduce regularly until the age of 20 or older.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

Stock Up on FREE Stock Video Footage of People

Well, friends, the Footage Firm (see link in title) has outdone itself with its latest FREE offering of talent released video clips of people in a variety of different settngs. These video clips are high quality, both in clarity, and in shot angles. There are 10 DVD's available in this special free promotional collection, and the clips are provided in high definition (HD) format (1920x1080p resolution), as well as standard definition (SD) format (720x480 widescreen resolution) at 29.97fps.

But best of all... they are giving these royalty-free, licensed stock video clips away FREE! AND they are including the model release info for the clips so that you can use them in any production, anywhere in the world, with no additional fees, forever. That's right...the actors and actresses featured in these clips have all signed model/talent releases which are provided on the DVD along with the footage. You have the right to use their images and likenesses in all types of video or print productions.

All you pay in order to get this fantastic value is shipping and handling! Just $8.41 per disk. No, it's not a scam! I own the entire collection of 84 DVDs, and I have used quite a lot of the video clips and free sound effects in my productions. I was skeptical at first, but there is no catch! They just want you to keep them in mind for future stock footage needs as they try to get themselves established in the marketplace and known to video editors everywhere, both professional and amateur, and what better way to do it than offer these collections free?

But hurry! They only have a limited number that they are going to give away...after that, they will be charging their regular price of $349 for them, so don't miss out getting them for the price of shipping! I certainly wasted no time after watching the previews. Those of you who know me, know that I know a good value when I see it.

In fact, the Footage Firm also has a variety of full-priced collections that are easy to browse, along with previews of what is on each disk. And many of those used to be free, so even I missed the boat on those. Keep in mind, that you also get a money-back guarantee whether you purchase full-priced collections, or the free collections.

So, what is in the talent released video people collection? Well, these are the titles on the disks, and they are all fantastic, but I personally just LOVE the People Montages. You have to see that one!

Business Concepts
Career Professionals
Corporate Settings
Everyday People
Health and Beauty
Kids and Families
People Montages
Couples & Relationships
Social Life
Travel and Leisure

You know, I just re-read this article, and it sounds so much like a sales pitch, I was about to discard it and start over. But you know, there really is no way to write about something you really have a passion for without it sounding like a sales pitch anyway, and I just LOVE these Footage Firm People video clips!

And even at just the price of shipping, they are a real bargain when you consider individual clip prices off the usual stock footage sites.

Ok, so it still sounds like a sales pitch...so shoot me.
And I hope you can shoot me in the same quality and intriguing angles and locations as these shots were done in.

Cheers!

About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. The Footage Firm is an online provider of royalty-free licensed stock video footage, sound effects and royalty-free music.

The Big, Bold and Beautiful Belgian Draft Horse

The Belgian horse is a large, heavy, powerful draft horse that is native to the fertile pastures of Belgium. Called the Great Horse in the Middle Ages, these horses carried knights into battle in medieval Europe. They have provided the genetic background from which nearly all the modern draft breeds originate today.

The familiar Belgian draft horse that we see in the United States has its ancestral genetic roots in the Brabant, which is also known as the Belgian Heavy Draft. The name has been shortened to Belgian for general usage, but it is also referred to as the European Belgian when comparing the breed with the American Belgian. During the Middle Ages the Brabant was known as the Flanders Horse, after the region of Europe in which it originated, it has had great influence on the development of other draft horse breeds, such as the Suffolk Punch, the Clydesdale and the Shire.

The European Brabant draft horse is the foundation horse for the American Belgian and until around 1940, the Brabant and the American Belgian were pretty much the same horse. After World War II, the breeds diverged into two different types. The Brabant was bred in Europe to have a thicker body and a more draft-type style, with heavy feathering on the legs; while in the United States, the American Belgian was being bred to have a taller, lighter looking body and clean, featherless legs.

Stallions from Belgium were exported to many other parts of Europe as the need to produce larger animals of draft type for industrial and farm use was recognized. The government of Belgium played a very energetic role in helping this need to be recognized by utilizing a system of district horse shows that finished off with the great National Show in Brussels. This event served as an international showcase for the breed and the prizes were quite generous. It was here that the inspection committees for stallions standing for public stud service were established.

The result was a rapid improvement of the breed into a fixed type. Soon the draft horses of Belgium came to be regarded as both a national heritage and a national treasure with all the money their export brought to Belgium. In 1891, Belgium exported stallions for use in the government stables of Russia, Italy, Germany, France, and the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the export of horses out of Belgium for breeding purposes was so large in scope that it was very financially rewarding for the breeders for years to come.

In 1903 the government of Belgium sent an exhibit of horses to both the St. Louis World's Fair in Missouri and the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. While this exhibit generated a lot of controversy over which type of horse was best suited for Americans, it also generated a lot of interest in the Belgian Draft horse breed. But many of the breed's first imports to the United States were strongly criticized for being too thick, too low headed, straight shouldered, and round boned. There was even an expression for it; they called it "the Dutchman's Type." This kept the breed from becoming very popular in America, but now American Belgians outnumber all other draft breeds combined in the United States.

So what have the American breeders done to change the Belgian?

In 1914, World War I brought all importations to a complete halt and American Belgian breeders were on their own with no new horses from Europe to breed to. Fortunately, they had plenty of horses already in the U.S. with which to develop their own style of Belgian horse, which they did. The post war depression in agriculture slowed the purebred Belgian business for a few years but by 1925, annual registrations rose to over 1,000 horses. On the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America (BDHCA), a pre-World War II high of 3,196 Belgians was recorded in 1937. But with World War II, importation again stopped.

Today's American Belgian is a big, powerful horse that stands 16.2 - 17 hands high, and retains the draft style, with a deep, strong foot, a lot of heavy bone and muscling. They have developed a horse with far more style, particularly in the head and neck, with the head being comparatively small and refined with an intelligent facial expression.

The Belgian Draft seen in the United States these days is not as "massive" as the Brabant, but still retains the proportions of the Brabant. The body is compact with a short, wide back and powerful loins. There is more slope to both shoulder and pastern, and the good clean, flat bone that goes hand in hand with such qualities. The quarters are massive, with a characteristic "double muscling" over the croup. The gaskins are heavily muscled and the legs are short and strong. The hooves are medium sized, for a draft horse, with only limited "feathering".

And along with the changes in conformation, a color change also occurred. The original imports to America were available in many colors. About half of the first U.S. imports were bay and bay-brown, followed by roan, chestnut sorrel, black, and even a few grays. There was no particular color to the Belgian in the beginning, but by the 1920's and 1930's, the breed had pretty well become just sorrels and roans. Now, however, the American Belgian horse has become a one-color breed, and it is the chestnut-sorrel color that is preferred by Americans. A chestnut or sorrel team with snow-white manes and tails, with a white blaze in the face and four white stockings is the ultimate in draft horse style to the American Belgian owners.

The modern American Belgian draft horse is still a great worker, and a willing one, and they have become great wagon horses. They are equally effective in pulling competitions as in hitch competitions. The qualities as an easy keeper and a good shipper, as well as having a kind temperament and amiable disposition make the American Belgian easy to handle, in spite of the size.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

Los Caballos de Paso Fino – The Horses with the Fine Walk

The Paso Fino horse has a proud past and is one of the oldest native breeds in the Western Hemisphere. During the 500 years that they have been selectively bred in the Western Hemisphere, the Paso Fino has participated in the conquest of the Americas, and then in the exploration and development of both North and South American continents. Today they are show horses, pleasure trail horses, and have a host of versatile uses in all equine disciplines. But it is the lateral four-beat gait that distinguishes the Paso Fino. This exceptionally smooth motion makes it an excellent choice for people with spinal injuries or arthritis, as well as for therapeutic riding programs for the handicapped.

The origins of the Paso Fino began in Spain where a chance mix of breeds created offspring that would one day become one of the world's finest riding horses. When the Moors occupied the Spanish countryside they brought with them the Berber horse, also known as the Barb. Interbreeding with native Spanish stock produced the delicately gaited Spanish Jennet (which is now extinct, but being re-created). These were subsequently bred with the Andalusian. The resulting offspring had the hardiness of the Barb; the natural pride and presence of the Andalusian; and the extremely comfortable saddle gait of the Spanish Jennet.

In 1492, Columbus discovered that the New World had no horses, so with his second voyage, he brought the first horses to Santo Domingo, a select group of mares and stallions from Andalusia and Cordela of the above mixed bloodlines. The result of the blending of these horses and the isolation of them to such a small area assured that these bloodlines would eventually evolve into the Paso Fino horse.

The offspring of these isolated horses were dispersed through the various lands that the conquistadores invaded. Centuries of selective breeding by colonists in Latin America and the Caribbean produced variations of the "Caballo de Criollo," (native horse). Among them was the small, extremely muscular, very refined Paso Fino that flourished initially in Puerto Rico and Colombia, and later, in many other Latin American countries (primarily Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Venezuela) that were suitable for ranch work throughout Central and South America. But most treasured was the incredibly smooth gait of the Jennet which was quickly recognized as a desirable trait and actively perpetuated. This gait became the genetic stamp of the Paso Fino.

Awareness of the Paso Fino didn’t spread outside Latin America until after WWII. It was after American servicemen came into contact with the stunning horse while stationed in Puerto Rico that Americans began importing them in the mid-1940s. In the 1960's, Paso Finos started to be imported from Colombia. But which country produces the "true" Paso Fino? There are "purists" who advocate for one or the other country, but the American Paso Fino is often a blend of the best of the Puerto Rican and Colombian bloodlines.

The Paso Fino ranges in size from 13.0 hands to 15.2 hands. Weight ranges from 700 to 1100 lbs but full size may not be attained until the fifth year. Every equine color, from solid to pinto, can be found in the Paso Fino, with or without white markings.

The head should be refined and in good proportion to the body, neither extremely small nor large with a preferred straight profile. Eyes are large, well spaced, expressive and alert. Ears are short, set close, and curved inward at the tips. The impression should be of an intelligent face. The neck should be gracefully arched, medium in length and set on at an angle to allow high carriage. Mane, tail and forelock should be as long, full and luxurious as possible and no artificial additions or surgical alterations are allowed. The tail is carried gracefully when horse is in motion. Standing slightly under in the rear is a typical pose.

One cannot talk about a Paso Fino without focusing on their extremely smooth gait, even their name, Paso Fino, means "Fine Step". The basic gaits of the Paso Fino in order of speed are the paso fino, paso corto, and paso largo and they are capable of executing other gaits that are natural to horses, including a relaxed walk and lope or canter. These are not trained gaits, but are natural to the horse and are displayed at birth. Newborn foals struggle to their feet and take their first faltering steps in the gait. Owners pride themselves in the naturalness of their horses since artificial training aids are not necessary to bring out this genetically instinctual gait.

The Paso Fino gait is performed at three forward speeds with varying degrees of collection. At all speeds of the gait, the rider should appear motionless in the saddle, and there should be no perceptible up and down motion of the horse's croup. Demonstrations show the rider holding a full glass of water, not spilling a drop, and barely moving the water in the glass at all.

The Classic Fino, also known as the Fino Fino, Paso, or Paso Fino gait, exhibits full collection with a very slow forward speed. It is an evenly-spaced four-beat lateral gait with each foot contacting the ground independently in a regular sequence at precise intervals creating a rapid, unbroken and extremely regular 1-2-3-4 rhythm. Executed perfectly, the four hoof beats are absolutely even in both cadence and impact, resulting in unequaled smoothness and comfort for the rider. The footfall is extremely rapid with the steps and extension exceedingly short. Although the horse steps extremely rapidly, it takes only small strides; so the speed is somewhere between a walk and a canter. This gait is usually only used in show because it strains the horse, although they can sustain the Paso for an extended period of time without resting. It is quite a remarkable sight since the horse appears to be dancing.

The Paso Corto has a forward speed that is moderate with full to moderate collection. The footfalls are ground-covering but unhurried and are executed with medium extension and stride. It is a comfortable medium-speed gait similar to the trot in speed. The corto is the average trail gait and a well conditioned Paso Fino can travel at the corto for hours. Since it is very energy efficient, it is ideal for long days of riding.

The Paso Largo is the fastest speed of the gait, almost like a canter, and is an even more extended version of the same footfall. It is executed with a longer extension and stride with moderate to minimal collection. The forward speed varies with the individual horse since their top speed should be in harmony with its own natural stride and cadence. A horse at the largo can cover ground at a breathtaking speed, extending its legs much more to cover more ground, while still providing a secure and balanced seat for the rider.

Some Pasos develop the Trocha, which is a diagonal variant on the Paso. This is often discouraged except in parts of Colombia. Although it is a natural gait, it is not as desirable as the Paso. Some horses develop this diagonal version when they are stressed or tired, so it can be a signal that a horse is overworked or simply picking up bad habits.

The Paso Fino has a lively yet controlled spirit and is a gentle horse that is intelligent, sensible and tractable. It is an extremely willing horse that truly seems to enjoy human companionship and strives to please with its very responsive attitude when under tack. They are often trained in both English and Western style and many owners choose stylish tack from one of the countries of the horse's origin. They are lightly shod or go unshod when away from rocky or paved surfaces.

In 1972, the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) was founded. It is a member governed, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and improving the breed. It is unclear from their website if they are a breed registering body as there is no reference to the official or historic studbook or any other registration information that you would expect from a registry. Its 8,500 members are represented by 24 regional groups in the United States, Canada, Europe and South America who all sponsor shows and other events, but do not register Paso Finos.

Another website called Paso Registry (PFR) likewise is "not THE registry" as one blogger has written, but it does have a pedigree lookup for the foundation stallions. A link on their site to "register your horse" leads nowhere, and there is no registration information that one would expect on a registry site. A glance at the pedigrees listed shows that Paso Fino names are usually Spanish or Spanish "flavored" but whether this is an official registration requirement (as in some breeds), or just traditional preference is unclear when registration rules are unavailable.

The Paso Fino horse is versatile, able to adapt to a variety of climates and purposes and demonstrates its remarkable versatility not just in the show ring, but on competitive trail and endurance rides, in dressage, rodeo, and working cattle. They continue to grow in popularity, as one-by-one, converts are won over through the experience of the ride.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on http://www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. http://www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

A Horse of Their Own - The Pony of the Americas - For Young Riders Only

The Pony of the Americas, more commonly referred to as the POA, is a popular and growing breed that was designed as a mount especially for young riders who were too big for a small pony but not ready for a full-sized horse. The small size of the POA makes it easy for parents to match a child to the proper pony. The Pony of the Americas is a distinctive pony breed that looks more like a small horse and possessing the attractive coloration of the Appaloosa. Their quiet disposition and gentle nature make them highly competitive in all equine disciplines. It is a rugged, athletic pony with the speed for games and jumping; strength for driving small carts; and the intelligence and patience for showmanship and equitation.

Les Boomhower, of Mason City, Iowa, was a Shetland pony breeder and an attorney with his own practice and in 1954 one of his neighbors offered him an Arabian/Appaloosa mare who had been bred to a Shetland stallion that was due to foal in the spring. Les waited until the foal was born before he bought the mare. The resulting colt born was white with what looked like black paint smears all over his little body. What intrigued the lawyer the most were the spots on the colt's flank that formed a definite black hand, which was the basis for the colt's name, Black Hand.

Mr. Boomhower had an idea to provide a pony breed between 44" and 52" tall that would be good for children to ride and show and that had the beautiful head of an Arab; a body muscled for speed like the Quarter Horse; and coloring distinguishable as an Appaloosa from a distance of 40 feet along with good stamina. He invited his Shetland breeder friends to his Memory Lane Ranch to discuss the idea and that was when the Pony of the Americas Club (POAC) was born. Mr. Boomhower's expertise in the law set up a solid foundation for the new breed registry of this distinguished pony's off-spring. As the foundation stallion for the Pony of the Americas breed, his colt was given the first registration number and is now known as Black Hand #1.

Among the breeds influencing the original POA were the Arab, Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Welsh Pony, and Shetland Pony. In 1963, the height limit of the breed increased to between 46 inches and 54 inches and the Shetland started being phased out of the POA breeding program. Larger ponies such as the Welsh and small horses such as the wild Mustang and the Arabian were combined with Indian ponies, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas to achieve a "little horse" look rather than the pony look of the Shetland. In 1986 the upper height limit of the breed was again increased, this time to 56". Today, the Pony of the Americas is created by crossing registered POAS; by crossing a registered POA with a registered horse or pony of an approved breed (see POAC for list); or, by crossing a registered POA with a grade horse or pony that has been identified with the POAC as being acceptable for breeding purposes. By 1996, the POAC had over 45,000 registered ponies.

The Pony of the Americas Club, Inc is now an international organization that it is the only equine breed organization devoted to youth riders. From the original Club came more than 40 POA state clubs and chapters throughout the United States and Canada that offer, state shows, regional shows and sales, a world class international show and sale and a world championship show in addition to Play Days and other events year round. The age limit of a child showing a POA changed from age 16 in 1954 to age 18 in 1973 and in 1987, age19 and over riding classes were added with a limitation that the POA under saddle is to be only 2, 3, and 4 year olds in training. Since the shows are designed around youths, adults are limited to showing the animals only in halter or pleasure driving classes. However, this makes the breed a pony for the whole family.

The Pony of the Americas should show style and substance, beauty and symmetry, being a balanced individual regardless of size and correct in all aspects of conformation, exhibiting approved color patterns and characteristics. At maturity, the POA is between 12 and 15 hands inches in height at the withers and typically weighs 750 to 950 pounds.

In addition to the refined head with dished, Arab-like nose showing mottled skin about the nostrils and lips, the Pony of the Americas has expressive eyes and fine ears. The chest is deep and broad, the back is short and the shoulders are sloping. The quarters are substantial, and the legs should have ample bone. The POA is a strong, fast, and durable pony capable of performing a wide variety of tasks.

The POA is most commonly recognized by their variety of colorful coat patterns that are similar to Appaloosas, from blankets to leopard spots; mostly white over their loins and hips with dark, egg-shaped spots, although the spots may vary in size from specks to spots four inches in diameter. Spots may be dark in the middle with a lighter ring surrounding it, called a halo. White over the hips without dark spots is known as snow-capped. Ponies that have white hairs mixed in with the base coat color are said to be roan. Ponies with Paint, pinto or albino parentage or markings cannot be registered.

The POA also has other distinctive characteristics such as mottled skin; white sclera around the eyes; and vertical black-and-white striped hooves in the absence of white leg markings. It is possible a POA will not have any striping on its hooves, so for this reason, the other characteristics of mottled skin and white sclera are the primary ones to look for in identifying the POA. The mottled or parti-colored skin is a unique trait found in the Appaloosa and POA and therefore it is a basic decisive indicator of a POA and it should show good contrast between the dark and light areas. All horses and ponies can show white around the eye if it is rolled back, up and down, or if the eyelid is lifted. The POA sclera is white and usually readily visible when the eye is in a normal, relaxed position.

POA has 4 gaits. The walk is straight with a long, easy stride that is true and flat footed. The Western Jog Trot is soft, relaxed, and quiet with a definite two beat gait. The English Trot is a free-moving stride, executed in a long, low frame with no excessive knee or hock action. The Lope or Canter is rolling and comfortable with a natural three beat pattern.

Since Appaloosa and Quarter Horse have been used in the development of the POA, Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP) is a possible genetic defect that could occur. HYPP is inherited as a dominant trait and is characterized by intermittent seizures of uncontrolled muscle tremors (shaking, trembling or twitching) or profound muscle weakness, and in severe cases, may lead to collapse and/or death. To date, HYPP has been traced only to descendants of a Quarter horse named IMPRESSIVE, #0767246. Additionally, with the POA having Appaloosa in their ancestry, it is important to be aware that Appaloosas have a highest risk of any breed of developing spontaneous Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) or "moon blindness", which can lead to blindness if not treated.

The POA is easy to train, senses what is required and readily obeys the demands of its handler and shows good manners in the ability to stand quietly, and back readily. Kids and POAs develop special bonds and these gentle child-size equines can give a child the confidence and the responsibility that will serve them well later on in life. Children cheer for each other even though they are competing against each other. . The gentle disposition, durability and intelligence of the Pony of the Americas serve it well.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The 1 Tricky Weird Old Scam of a Tiny Belly

Hey, friends!

Ever wonder what is behind those "1 weird old tip to a tiny belly" ads that seem to be on every webpage you have hit in the last year?

Well, here's the skinny:

It's yet another weight loss scam that preys on those who are overweight, desperate and gullible and who refuse to believe that proper diet and exercise are the ONLY way to get out of that situation.

Surprised?

You shouldn't be by now if you've been paying attention to the true experts in the weight-loss business. Those are the ones who have NO weight-loss business at all! Yes, you read that correctly. The experts in weight-loss have nothing to sell you. They have your best interests at heart and are not after your money at all. Listen to the real experts, not the sham artists who are only in the weight-loss business for their own monetary gain, and your monetary weight-loss, which is only from your bank account. Yes, people with thinner wallets weigh less than those carrying fatter wallets, but it doesn't make them any healthier.

Anyway, check out this other blog that I stumbled upon today that exposes the true story in detail of that one weird old trick of advertising that traps you into an ongoing subscription for shipments of useless acai berry drinks that they apparently won't let you cancel without a hassle.

But to confuse matters further, some of those ads lead to training and nutrition programs, so there are some who think that the scammers have hijacked legitimate ads. So which weird old trick is the correct ad?

And remember that when you want to make an informed decision about anything, pay attention to this one old weird tip: FOLLOW THE MONEY!

If an "expert" has something to sell you, then s/he will say anything to get you to buy the most useless product, tape, book, food, concept, etc, possibly based on twisted statistics of "proven" studies at prestigious institutions that either don't exist at all or were paid for by the industry trying to sell it to you. So, put your money on the REAL expert, who will be helping you to keep your money in YOUR pocket, not theirs.

In a nutshell...use common sense, folks! If it's too good to be true...it probably isn't true at all and someone just wants your money.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. Her personal webpage is a popular website filled with wonderful, wickless warmer gifts whether you like common scents, or uncommon fragrances, and has nothing to do with weight-loss products whatsoever.

Oldenburg Warmblood - The Small Town Horse with the Big Time Success

Of all the horses that were registered in 1987 with the German Equestrian Federation, approximately 8 percent were Oldenburg horses but that 8 percent represents one of the top lines in Germany. The percentage is small because the Oldenburg Warmblood is bred in a small area near the modern region of Lower Saxony surrounding the city of Oldenburg and few horses are available. This breeding area is historically confined to approximately 5,400 square kilometers in the center of the Hanoverian region. However, even though it represents the smallest breeding area in Germany, the Oldenburg horse is nevertheless one of the most important.

The early Oldenburg horses were developed as carriage horses and were well-known for consistency in conformation, great power, and coal black color. They were also famed for their gentle character and extreme willingness to work under saddle, in front of a carriage or in the fields. But breeders wanted a bit more from this horse, and so they combined the best of the best bloodlines from many elegant breeds, with the result being the production of a magnificent all-purpose saddle horse. Today, due to natural athletic abilities, the Oldenburg Warmblood is used for show-jumping, dressage, and three-day-event as well as occasional driving.

Unlike many other Warmblood breeds, the modern Oldenburg horse is the result of utilizing the best of all European bloodstock; and starting with Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg (1573-1603), nearly every successive ruler has added at least one additional breed of horse to the Oldenburg Horse pedigree which was originally based on the German Friesian Warmblood horse. Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg started the breeding farms in the Oldenburg region for the purpose of producing war horses. They were given as gifts to important rulers and war heroes. He used Turkish, Neapolitan, Andalusian, and elegant Danish stallions to improve his stable of Friesian horses, which were described as being large and strong.

When Graf Anton Gunther von Oldenburg (1603-1667) came into power, he became even more famous than his predecessor and traveled extensively throughout Europe. He brought back many elegant stallions from Naples, Spain, Poland, England, Tartary, and Barbary, but the breeds of these stallions are not on record. Unlike Graf Johann XVI, Graf Anton Gunther permitted commoners to use his stallions for breeding, and soon the 17th Century Oldenburg Warmbloods were in great demand throughout Europe. They served as elegant riding horses and tall, attractive carriage horses. King Leopold I, of the Holy Roman Empire, rode a black Oldenburg stallion through Vienna on his wedding day. His wife followed in a splendid carriage drawn by eight white Oldenburg horses. Graf Anton Gunther himself was famous for traditional dressage riding, most notably on his famous Oldenburg stallion, Kranich.

Along with the additions to the bloodlines from the Oldenburg rulers, the modern Oldenburg horses also owe some of their refinement to the introduction of the English Thoroughbred, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The German-bred Hanoverian King, George I of England (1714-1727), together with his German successors to the British throne, took an interest in the horses that were bred in their country of origin and sent a large number of Thoroughbreds to Oldenburg to improve the local stock.

During the year 1820, a law was enacted that stated that only government-approved stallions could be used in a breeding program, and all stallions were forbidden. The first of the stallion testings was held that year, and as part of the performance tests, they were to pull a heavy sledge at the walk; trot before a light carriage; and work at least 1,000 meters under saddle. In current performance tests, the stallion demonstrates his endurance, speed, jumping ability, general courage, manner of going and rideability. A horse that may be handsome enough to be initially approved for breeding but that does not pass the performance test can not receive final breeding stock status. Therefore, those stallions who do qualify are truly the finest representatives of the breed.

The year 1861 brought about the founding of the Oldenburg studbook; and the requirement of hip and neck branding with a "Crowned O" for the identification of approved, registered horses. The foundation of two horse breeding societies by the Horse Breeding Act of April 9, 1897 was another major milestone. These two societies merged in 1923 to form today's Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes e.V (literally: Society of the Breeders of Oldenburg Horses or Oldenburger Horse Breeders Society). By 1922, the Oldenburg registry contained 3,250 stallions and 34,000 mares.

By the 1930s, the aim of the Oldenburg breeder was to produce an all-purpose saddle horse. In 1950, the French Anglo-Norman stallion, Condor, (who was 62.5% Thoroughbred), was added to make Oldenburg horses even more elegant and refined and founded a new stallion line. This line produced a very consistent type of heavy, well-moving, mostly black in color, well-tempered Oldenburg mares. No other breeding area was able to achieve the success that Oldenburg reached with stallions of French origin; and the results of these cross-breedings were then combined with even more elegant and famous sport-horse-type stallions from France, along with Trakehners and Hanoverians.

Most of the breeding of Oldenburg horses today is in the hands of private individuals, but closely controlled by the Oldenburg Breeding Society. Private breeders are able to travel throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, while state-controlled breeding societies are limited by funding and other restrictions to their local stock. Many mare owners from the surrounding Hanoverian breeding area bring their horses to Oldenburg stallions despite the fact that breeding fees are often twice as much as those offered by government-owned Hanoverians.

Currently there are around 409 actively breeding stallions in the breeding area in 122 breeding stations with approximately 7,300 registered broodmares producing 4,100 foals per year, which makes Oldenburg one of the largest German Verbands.

As a result of using the finest bloodlines of France, England, Ireland, and Germany, the modern Oldenburg is slightly taller and extremely elegant in contrast to many other German Warmblood horses. But despite its size, the modern Oldenburg is a compact horse with relatively short legs; yet a long, strong neck inherited from its days as a carriage horse; and large hooves that are able to bear the weight of such a large animal. Oldenburg horses are accepted in a variety of colors, but usually black, brown or gray are seen. The Oldenburg has kind eyes that mirror the horse's calm tractable nature. With so many different bloodlines and breeds that make up the Oldenburg Warmblood, precise confirmation takes a backseat to overall performance quality.

The secret of the horses with the "Crowned O Brand" lies in knowing that in Oldenburg, quality is the only breed standard that counts.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

The Foundation of All American Gaited Breeds - The Mountain Pleasure Horse

The Mountain Pleasure Horse is the gaited breed that existed in Kentucky over 160 years ago and from which breeders developed Tennessee Walking Horses, American Saddlebred Horses and Rocky Mountain Horses. Long before these other gaited breeds, the Mountain Pleasure Horses quietly existed and were being bred on the steep hillsides in Eastern Kentucky, where they were being selected for gait and disposition with an eye towards working in the fields and for riding. They were known as Mountain Horses or Kentucky Saddlers or Country Saddle horses and were the pride of the region for their hardiness, smooth gait and sweet, willing dispositions. But just as importantly, these rugged, reliable, smooth-gaited horses came to be the foundation of other breeds in the United States.

There are several breeds of Mountain Horses that have been developed in the Appalachians of Kentucky and sorting them out can get confusing when all the breed association sites say much of the same thing, but in different ways. For example, in writing this article, I came across this comment from the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association (MPHA) website: "Horses registered in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association are often referred to as Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses. Several gaited breeds of horses are included in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association's registry, the Mountain Pleasure Horse being one of them. Whereas, the Mountain Pleasure Horse and the Rocky Mountain Horse are "breeds" of horses, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse normally refers to the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association registry. [...] many horses registered with the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association are also doubled registered with the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association." However, on the website of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association (KMSHA), it states that "the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Spotted Mountain Horse breeds, each with their own distinctive characteristics and genetic DNA markers, are recognized by the University of Kentucky, Equine Parentage Testing and Genetic Research Center as their own unique breed of Horse."

The Mountain Pleasure Horse breed existed 100 years before the existence of the Rocky Mountain Horse, even though neither registry existed until 1989. Blood typing research by the University of Kentucky has shown that the Mountain Pleasure Horse is the parent stock of all other American gaited horse breeds, including the Rocky Mountain Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, and American Saddlebred. In 1994, Brereton C. Jones, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, recognized the Mountain Pleasure Horse to be the oldest gaited American breed of horse through a Commonwealth of Kentucky Proclamation based on this blood typing information.

There are 17 different genetic markers which, along with their variations, total 125 specific items that indicate EXACTLY the type of horse that the blood sample came from and the parents it had. A chart has been developed by Dr. E. Gus Cothran, geneticist in charge of blood typing - parentage verification at the University of Kentucky's Pathology Department, that clearly shows the linkage between all the gaited horse breeds and the full chart traces all the way back to the Przewalski horse. Additional information, generated by worldwide testing, has outdated this particular chart for some breeds, but the Caspian is shown to be the ancestor to all modern horses, with the exception of the Przewalski.

Sam Tuttle tapped into the Mountain Horse Heritage by crossing native Mountain Pleasure Horse stock with Tobe, a stallion carrying an unusual chocolate color, and his descendants eventually spawned the Rocky Mountain Horse Association breed registry, and the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse.

But the key difference between the Mountain Horse registries is the genetic foundation. Fewer than 17 percent of the foundation horses of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association carry any trace of the Tobe bloodline, which is also present in the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse. Aside from the chocolate color, there are also various physical characteristics and slight variations in gait among the horses descended from Tobe bloodlines that generally are not present in the Mountain Pleasure Horses.

But in spite of the Mountain Pleasure Horse being behind so many other breeds, it is a rare breed in itself. There are approximately 3,000 Mountain Pleasure Horses registered in the United States and it is considered rare enough that the American Livestock Breed Conservancy has listed its status as "Watch", along with the Rocky Mountain Horse.
The Mountain Pleasure Horse ranges from 14.2 to 16 hands and weighs 900 to 1100 pounds. The head should be medium sized with a broad face which is neither dished nor protruding. The breed has bold eyes and well shaped, medium-sized ears. The neck is gracefully arched and medium in length with a naturally proud carriage. The horse should have a wide and deep chest and an ample mane and tail to round out the appearance.

Any coat color is acceptable, including bay, black, chestnut/sorrel, roan, gray cremello, buckskin, palomino, and chocolate and in some lines, golden-coated horses predominate. While there is no restriction on white markings, spotted coats are not encouraged by the MPHA for either breeding or showing, but color is not considered a criterion of quality either.

In showing the Mountain Pleasure Horse, two gaits are used in the ring. The Mountain Walk is a flat walk, such as a trail walk and is used for entering and exiting the show ring. The Mountain Pleasure Gait is a lightly collected, low, moderate rack, evenly spaced four-beat, square, lateral gait with moderate speed and extension and without exaggerated knee or hock action. The gait can be heard as the horse moves such that one can count four distinct hoof beats that produce a cadence of near equal rhythm, and the gait is initiated by the hind leg. It is a natural pleasure gait such as a single-foot or mountain running walk, though neither is more desirable than the other as long as it is performed naturally and consistently. The gait is smooth and easy to ride, and from the saddle it feels relatively action-free with only a slight front to back motion. It is a surefooted gait because each foot moves independently and separately -- the horse always has one foot on the ground and three in motion.

Unlike some gaited horses, no action devices, aids or harsh training methods are necessary or allowed. The gait is natural and is bred into the horses through many generations of selective breeding.

Today, the MPHA registration books are closed. Any offspring resulting registered Mountain Pleasure Horse parents is eligible for permanent registration provided that parentage is confirmed by blood typing. In addition, all horses submitted for registration must demonstrate that they possess gait by sending a videotape to the MPHA.

The Mountain Pleasure Horse has a superb memory and once trained, remembers their lessons well. Veteran trainers are amazed at how fast this breed can learn. But then, the Mountain Pleasure Horse is a very intelligent horse with a willing disposition that also loves attention.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.