Why should I buy a
Mountain Saddle Horse
Over the past few years we have introduced
these horses to many new owners with remarkable
success, so much so that many of them are repeat
customers. A while ago I posed the question
"Why Should I Buy a Mountain Saddle
Horse" on the Rocky Mountain Horse forum on
the internet asking for responses. Now read what
other owners think of these wonderful horses.
Al Prestrude writes:
I'll try not to be long-winded. I'm 64 and
haven't ridden since my boyhood in Montana (and
that was minimal). A young friend, who trains and
shows Paso Finos, got me to go to a Paso show. I
was struck by the smooth gaits and beauty and
decided I wanted to have a horse. I didn't want a
horse that was going to be spooky and dump me
off. I don't usually jump into things and I try
to do my homework. So I continued to look for
information about gaited horses and to go to
horse shows. My search led me to Peruvian Pasos
and Icelandics. The horses were beautiful, their
gaits impressive, and the people very helpful. I
ran across the Rocky Mountain breed while surfing
the internet. I got a copy of Natural Gait News
and found Ron Cvetican not too far from me. The
first time I visited I was taken with the
friendliness and calm disposition of the horses.
The ride was smoother than the Pasos or
Icelandics that I had ridden. On the second visit
I got acquainted with a 16 month old colt that I
hadn't noticed in all the excitement of the first
visit and we just seemed to click. For me it was
love at first sight and after some dickering
Checkers became mine. He is still pastured at
Ron's while I finish my fences (should be done
tomorrow) and then he comes home. I go to see him
at least once a week and he comes to the fence to
see me, follows me around the pasture (he heels
better than my dog), leads extremely well and
exhibits a lovely gait. In my limited experience
these horses have the best temperament and they
are beautiful! I have been going to the Rocky
Mountain show(I'll be in Lexington) and the Rocky
people are some of the greatest people I have
ever met. Well I was long winded wasn't I? Oh
yes, they are addictive. I'm already looking for
more/
Kathy Trela writes:
HI ,
I HAD APPYS AND TWH ABOUT 16 YEARS AGO AND HAD
BEEN OUT OF HORSES SINCE DUE TO ALLERGY TO THEM.
WELL LAST YEAR I FOUND OUT I WAS NO LONGER
ALLERGIC AND SO THE SEARCH STARTED FOR A CALM,
QUIET, FRIENDLY,SOUND AND DEPENDABLE HORSE. I
FIRST LOOKED AGAIN AT TWH SINCE THEY HAD BEEN THE
ONLY GAITED HORSE I HAD OWNED. WELL THE ONES I
LOOKED AT WERE ALL TO HIGH SPIRITED FOR ME AS NOW
I WAS 50 Y.O AND STARTED TO DO FIELD TRIALS WITH
MY POINTERS AND NEEDED AN EASIER WAY OF GOING. I
HADN`T HEARD OF THESE HORSES AND SAW AD SO WENT
TO LOOK. THE FIRST THING THEY SAID WAS I HAD TO
GO IN STALLS TO MEET THEIR STALLIONS TO SHOW HOW
GENTLE THESE GUYS ARE. WELL I WAS HOOKED FROM THE
GET GO AFTER SEEING JUST THESE FINE HORSES. NEXT
I WAS SHOWN ALL 30 SOMETHING OF THEIR HORSES.
EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM CAME RIGHT OVER TO BE
PETTED OR JUST TO GREET YOU. iT WAS VERY HARD TO
DECIDE ON JUST ONE. I BOUGHT THE SWEETEST
,KINDEST MARE I`VE EVER SEEN. SHE IS AN ABSOLUTE
PEOPLE HORSE, EASY KEEPER, GREAT FEET THAT STAY
SOUND AND HOLD SHOES GREAT. SHE IS THE SMARTEST
HORSE I'VE EVER OWNED AND LEARNED TO RUN THE DOGS
AND HAVE A GUN FIRED NEAR HER IN LESS THAN ONE
WEEK. THEY ARE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU BUT
ARE NOT DEAD HEADS EITHER. SHE WILL RIDE A TRAIL
ALL DAY IF I WANT OR JUST HANG OUT IN THE YARD
WITH ME.I WAS SO HOOKED THAT I BOUGHT A MARE IN
FOAL AND NOW HAVE A GREAT COLT FROM HER TOO. IF
ANYONE IS LOOKING FOR A SMOOTH RIDING, BOMB
PROOF, EASY KEEPING FRIEND FOR LIFE, THEY SHOULD
BUY A MT. HORSE.
Karen, from Rosebud River Ranch writes:
I have been thinking back to when we got our
first gaited mountain horse. She is now 6 1/2
years old and has had 3 foals. The first colt we
sold. And have kept the next two She is black
(dark chocolate) and 14 hh. The reason we got
started is because I am a "disabled"
rider. I had polio and consequently have poor
muscle control. I have ridden quarter horses
& arabs in the past. But got to where I
couldn't stand the trot and some of the attitudes
they displayed. So we went looking for "the
gait". My husband really liked the chocolate
with flax horse of the old time westerns. So when
we saw a picture in the Western horseman of such
as colour along with the gait--we were done for.
I can ride the mountain horses for hours at a
time. I can lead my mare with my wheelchair. I
can sit on the ground and hold here while she
grazes. She stands perfectly still while I mount
and she gently walks along, adjusting for my poor
balance and then floats along in gait. She can
gently give me support while walking. And she
gives me lots of hugs!! The attitude of these
horses is unbelievable. She led us to purchasing
more and now my husband manages and trains one of
the largest mountain horse ranches in the
Northwest. They are simply the best!!
Lingle, from Paris, Kentucky writes:
In response to your request, my husband and I
have owned mountain horses for about ten years
now. We stumbled into the business accidentally
when we traded a milk cow to two horses. We were
pleasantly surprised when we discovered that
Pepper could be registered as a RMH grade mare.
She was wonderful for my children. She was so
gentle that once my 6 year old daughter, Erin,
managed to climb the gate to our pasture and
scramble over onto Pepper's back without us
knowing what she was up to. We were in the barn
when my brother came in to tell us we might want
to check on Erin to see what she was up to. Well
there she was, sitting on Pepper's back without a
halter or anything. I don't know who was most
pleased, Erin or the horse.
These horses have been a wonderful asset to
our family. Sometimes it seems that we don't just
buy a horse, we adopt another member into our
family. I would hate to have missed out on all
the good times we've had with our horses and the
wonderful people we have met through them. Now
that our girls are just about grown, Bob and I
continue to trail ride, show, and ride on the
Drill Team. It is really good, clean fun.
Laura Culver, writes:
After spending a week on the couch (off from
work) and then 6 weeks of light duty work and
still to this day after 10 years, I know why I
ride a Rocky: 5 busted ribs from another breed
causes me problems. I cuss at Bud every time I
need help getting out of bed. Mountain Saddle
horses are easy going, friendly, child proof,
super rocking chair on 4 legs, easy keepers. If
there is another horse breed that measures up to
the mountain horse, I would sure like to meet
one. No, I won't buy, just want to meet.
Leroy Reed writes:
We first learned about Rockies when we just
happened to make our first visit to the Kentucky
Horse Park the very day they were having the
first Rocky Mountain Horse Show. After seeing the
parade of breeds, riding the horse drawn wagon,
visiting the paddocks and barns, we stopped to
rest on the bleachers by the outdoor arena and
saw these beautiful gaited horses being shown. I
had not seen a horse ride that smoothly since I
had ridden Rex, my Dad's single footing horse we
had when I was a kid. A man on a stallion rode up
to us and let our kids pet him and we found out
from him what kind of horse we had stumbled onto.
We have since attended every show at the horse
park and finally were able to get two mares. We
had these mares taken to be bred to Buddy Roe and
Dock before we brought them home. This was the
start of many nice visits with the Graham's and
the Vivians and many other wonderful owners of
Rocky Mountain Horses.
We now have ten Rocky Mountain Horses and have
introduced many others to these wonderful horses
with our babies. Among those were my brother and
his family and they now have as many as we do. As
of this spring, he and I now have spread horses
as far as the state of Washington and his gelding
that I took out there has replaced an Arabian as
the personal trail horse of the Ranger in charge
of the Sawtooth Mountain Wilderness.
Doris Riggs writes:
Mountain Horses have been in our barn since we
finally found one someone was willing to part
with in 1991. It wasn't easy then and we thought
we might be a little crazy to buy (2) 4 month old
babies. That is where we started. I am not an
experienced rider but in this breed, I can ride a
two year old. Mostly I ride because I don't want
to be left behind -- I've been trail riding in
some pretty steep country and haven't had any
problem with my horse. It is usually me that is
the problem - maybe guide him too close to a tree
and he scrapes my leg on the trunk. I'm 65 so you
know, you have to learn how to do stuff. It is
fun learning about the gait and how to hold the
reins to get a smooth ride. Of course, shoeing
and getting the right bit is important.. As I
understand it one size doesn't fit all so gotta
learn about that. At Horse shows in Kentucky, the
ring master calls for three gaits: WALK (with
relax reins) ,then more collected, SHOW WALK
(just a little faster) and MOUNTAIN SADDLE GAIT
(faster but not rack). The ground clearance of
the feet is not very high. They have their own
*look*
Judy Griffiths of Ontario writes:
When you have had enough of schooling in an
arena
Your ready for a Mountain Saddle Horse
If you are tired of the endless weekend
competitions
Your ready for a Mountain Saddle Horse
If you're questioning the 100's you spend each
year on trainers, coaches andtack
You're ready for Mountain Saddle Horse
If you are tired of feeling guilty because you
didn't ride today
You're ready for a Mountain Saddle Horse
If you have "rider's block" from a fall
or a near fall....
If you're tired of giving endless dietary
supplements to get optimum condition
If you are tired of not getting that natural
partnership that you so wish for
When you start to question why you have a horse
When you wish to go out on a trail and take in
nature as you remember it to be
If you would love your horse to greet you every
time you go out to the pasture
If you would love to ride as smooth as silk in
every gait
Then you're ready for a Mountain Saddle Horse
After "Rider"'s Block" from a bad
fall I came across this wonderful breed just in
time. There are very few of them here in Canada
at this time and I was lucky to have someone
share them with me. I fell in love and then I
rode one. They have rekindled my love again for
riding and I spend endless hours just watching
them in the pasture.
Redefine your love for horses....own a Mountain
Saddle Horse
Shiela Smith of Fox Hall Stables writes:
We have a field full of wonderful, beautiful
and gentle mares (and babies too at this time of
year) but, what I think impresses me the most is
the stallions.
For the most part, the Rocky stallion is a
"puppy dog". One of ours is still
breeding mares and, even so, willingly leaves for
a trail ride, to be shown to visitors, or
anything else we ask. He is only 5 years old. His
2 year old son is the same--maybe even better. He
was certified to breed after only 3 weeks of
training! We were just amazed. We have had
stallions take up to 3 months to get to the same
place and we didn't think that was unreasonable.
The five year old is ridden by many people who
are having their very first ride on a Rocky. He
carries them around whether they know what
they're doing or not. At home, he is often ridden
bareback for short distances in nothing but a
halter. He is often led by his mane.
Both of these stallions run with their mares
and babies. The 2 year old doesn't have any
babies yet but runs with 3 mares( and 3 colts
sired by his father). Neither stallion has EVER
even attempted to harm a foal. In fact, they both
put up with a lot of "foolish" antics
with a great deal of grace and patience.
Can you tell that I love them?
D. Smith writes:
You can certainly quote me if you'd like.
There's just one more very important
characteristic I'd like to add about these
horses. It's easy to convince people who are new
to horses, or people like me who are middle aged
and just getting back into horses after being
away for many years. It's different when you're
dealing with other horse people who already have
a so called "favorite" breed. When I
show them my RMH, the response is often something
like, "Hmmm, yeah, he's beautiful alright
and really gentle and all but I like something
with a little more spirit." That's when my
horse and I can show off a little. I can pick up
the reins, squeeze a little and "voila"
instant show horse. He collects himself up, sets
his head and off we go, usually leaving the
observers standing there with their mouths open.
That long flowing mane and tail really does take
your breath away sometimes. There is absolutely
no lack of spirit there. To look at him when he's
in his "show horse" mode, you'd think
he'd be a somewhat "hot"
The other day my typical, 14 year old, totally
self absorbed daughter was talking with one of
her friends. The friend asked her "So, who's
your best friend?" My daughter was quiet for
a couple of seconds and then said with all
sincerity, "Well, if I think about it, I'd
have to say my horse." That's what these
RMH's are - everybody's best friend. Whether you
want the fire and spirit or the mane to cry on,
they are always there for you, giving whatever
you ask, whenever you ask.
They are truly good for your soul.
Gaila Noel writes:
I must say that the "heart" of these
wonderful horses is amazing. I had a 3 year old
stallion that when he was breeding his first
mare, he got a little confused and was at the
wrong end of the mare. She took a swing at him
and clipped his front leg with her front hoof and
took off a little hair (or so I thought). It was
about a week and a half later a friend of mine
who had never been on a trail ride, he had only
ridden in arenas, stopped by and I talked him
into trying one of these wonderful mountain
horses. I had him go get the black stallion and I
took a spirited gelding. While we were tacking up
I noticed a lump on the stallions leg where that
mare had hit him. I looked at it and thought
"Darn, I wish I had noticed that and put
some Panalog on it before it grew that proud
flesh". We took off and rode mostly in gait
through the canyons and hills near my home for 3
1/2 hours. The next day when I went down to the
barn I noticed that Shock was not bearing weight
on that foot and I immediately took him in for
X-rays and he had a fractured splint bone from
when that mare had hit him. Talk about feeling
like hell. This wonderful horse had never balked
at anything that was asked of him and he had a
pretty inexperianced rider onboard. We
immediately put him into surgery and when he came
out, I had to change % tight wraps on that leg
and i never even had to tie him to do it. When he
would start to pull back, I would just hold his
foot(I was on my knees in front of him) and he
would just stand for all of that. These wonderful
animals, our mountain horses have a willingness
to please like i have seen nowhere else.
I don't know what anyone could add to those
terrific tributes except to say that from our own
experiences, everything they say is true. Did I
say they were addictive?
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