Rocky Mountain Horse: Difference between revisions
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==Breed characteristics== |
==Breed characteristics== |
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Rocky Mountain Horses stand between {{hands|14.2|and|16}} high. Any solid [[equine coat color|color]] is accepted by the registry, but a dark brown color called "chocolate" with a pale or [[flaxen]] [[mane (horse)|mane]] and tail is preferred.<ref name=Dutson214/> Chocolate is the result of the relatively rare [[silver dapple gene]] working on a [[black (horse)|black]] coat. Although rare, this gene |
Rocky Mountain Horses stand between {{hands|14.2|and|16}} high. Any solid [[equine coat color|color]] is accepted by the registry, but a dark brown color called "chocolate" with a pale or [[flaxen]] [[mane (horse)|mane]] and tail is preferred.<ref name=Dutson214/> Chocolate is the result of the relatively rare [[silver dapple gene]] working on a [[black (horse)|black]] coat. Although rare, this gene has been found in over a dozen breeds, including the Rocky Mountain Horse.<ref name=brunberg>{{cite journal |author=Brunberg E, Andersson L, Cothran G, Sandberg K, Mikko S, Lindgren G |title=A missense mutation in PMEL17 is associated with the Silver coat color in the horse |journal=BMC Genetics |volume=7 |pages=46 |year=2006 |pmid=17029645 |pmc=1617113 |doi=10.1186/1471-2156-7-46 |url=http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2156/7/46}}</ref> Minimal [[horse markings|white markings]] are accepted by the registry, although leg markings may not extend above the knee. The physical characteristics are somewhat variable, due to the disparate breeds that created the Rocky Mountain Horse. The breed exhibits a natural four-beat [[ambling]] gait, called a single-foot, which replaces the [[trot (horse gait)|trot]] of most horse breeds.<ref name=Dutson214>{{cite book|title=Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America|author=Dutson, Judith|publisher=Storey Publishing|year=2005|isbn=1580176135|pages=214–216}}</ref> The gait allows members of the breed, with rider, to cover rough ground at around {{convert|7|mph|km/h}} and short lengths of smooth ground at up to {{convert|16|mph|km/h}}. The Rocky Mountain Horse is known by enthusiasts for its hardiness and ability to withstand winters in the mountains.<ref name=Edwards>{{cite book |author= Edwards, Elwyn Hartley |title= The Encyclopedia of the Horse |publisher= Dorling Kindersley |edition=1st American|location=New York, NY |year=1994|isbn=1564586146|pages=358–359}}</ref> Rocky Mountain Horses are at increased risk for the genetic [[Eye|ocular]] disorder [[anterior segment dysgenesis]] (ASD). ASD is characterized by the abnormal development of some ocular tissues, which causes compromised vision, although generally of a mild form; the disease is non-progressive. Scientists believe that the disorder is tied to the silver dapple gene, as most horses diagnosed with ASD carry the gene.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/prod/groups/cvm/@pub/@cvm/@equine/documents/asset/cvm_asset_121874.pdf|author=Trumble, Nicole Scotty|title=Equine Anterior Segment Dysgenesis|publisher=University of Minnesota|accessdate=2012-04-20}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 00:42, 1 May 2012
 Silver dapple-colored Rocky Mountain Horse | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Traits | |
| Distinguishing features | "Chocolate" coloration, singlefoot ambling gait |
| Breed standards | |
The Rocky Mountain Horse is a horse breed developed in the state of Kentucky in the United States. Despite its name, it originated not in the Rocky Mountains, but instead in the Appalachian Mountains. A foundation stallion, brought from the western United States to eastern Kentucky around 1890, began the Rocky Mountain type in the late 19th century. In the mid-20th century, a stallion named Old Tobe, owned by a prominent breeder, was used to develop the modern type; today most Rocky Mountain Horses trace back to this stallion. In 1986, the Rocky Mountain Horse Association was formed and by 2005 has registered over 12,000 horses. The breed is known for its classic "chocolate" coat, the result of the relatively rare silver dapple gene on a black coat, and flaxen mane and tail, seen in much of the population. It also exhibits a four-beat ambling gait known as the "single-foot". Originally developed as a multi-purpose riding, driving and light draft horse, today it is used mainly for trail riding and working cattle.
Breed characteristics
Rocky Mountain Horses stand between 14.2 and 16 hands (58 and 64 inches, 147 and 163 cm) high. Any solid color is accepted by the registry, but a dark brown color called "chocolate" with a pale or flaxen mane and tail is preferred.[1] Chocolate is the result of the relatively rare silver dapple gene working on a black coat. Although rare, this gene has been found in over a dozen breeds, including the Rocky Mountain Horse.[2] Minimal white markings are accepted by the registry, although leg markings may not extend above the knee. The physical characteristics are somewhat variable, due to the disparate breeds that created the Rocky Mountain Horse. The breed exhibits a natural four-beat ambling gait, called a single-foot, which replaces the trot of most horse breeds.[1] The gait allows members of the breed, with rider, to cover rough ground at around 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) and short lengths of smooth ground at up to 16 miles per hour (26 km/h). The Rocky Mountain Horse is known by enthusiasts for its hardiness and ability to withstand winters in the mountains.[3] Rocky Mountain Horses are at increased risk for the genetic ocular disorder anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD). ASD is characterized by the abnormal development of some ocular tissues, which causes compromised vision, although generally of a mild form; the disease is non-progressive. Scientists believe that the disorder is tied to the silver dapple gene, as most horses diagnosed with ASD carry the gene.[4]
History
Eastern Kentucky is known for its gaited breeds, created through a mixture of Spanish horses from the southern United States and English horses from the North. American Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses and Missouri Fox Trotters also originated in the same general geographic area, from the same mixing of Spanish and English blood.[1] Rocky Mountain Horses have a similar history to the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, and together are sometimes called "Mountain Pleasure Horses".[5] The Rocky Mountain Horse originated in eastern Kentucky from a foundation stallion brought to the Appalachian Mountains from the Rocky Mountains around 1890. Brought to the area as a colt, oral histories state that the "Rocky Mountain Horse", as he was known, possessed the preferred chocolate color and flaxen mane and tail found in the breed today, as well as the single-foot gait. He was used to breed local saddle mares, and due to the small area in which he was bred, a local strain of horse originated.[6]
This foundation stallion produced a descendent, named Old Tobe, who became the more modern father of the Rocky Mountain Horse breed. Old Tobe was owned by a resident of Spout Springs, Kentucky named Sam Tuttle. For most of the 20th century, Tuttle was a prominent breeder of Rocky Mountain Horses, and helped to keep the strain alive during the Great Depression and World War II. After World War II, despite declining horse populations in the US, Tuttle kept his herd, and continued to use Old Tobe as a breeding stallion.[1][6] Tuttle held the Natural Bridge State Park concession for horseback riding, and used Old Tobe for trail rides in the park and for siring additional trail horses; the latter until the stallion was 37 years old.[1] The presence of the single-foot gait makes it possible that the breed is in part descended from the Narragansett Pacer, a breed known for passing its gaited ability on to other American breeds.[3]
In 1986, the Rocky Mountain Horse Association was created to increase population numbers and promote the breed. Since then, the association has registered over 12,000 horses as of 2005, and accepts registrations from an additional 1,000 new horses annually.[1] The Rocky Mountain Horse is listed at "Watch" status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, meaning that the estimated global population of the breed is less than 10,000 and there are less than 2,500 registrations annually in the US.[7] The breed was originally developed for general use on the farms of the Appalachian foothills, where it was found pulling plows and buggies, working cattle and being ridden by both adults and children. Today it is still used for working cattle, as well as endurance riding and pleasure riding.[8] Each September, the Kentucky Horse Park hosts the International Rocky Mountain Horse Show.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Dutson, Judith (2005). Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America. Storey Publishing. pp. 214–216. ISBN 1580176135.
- ^ Brunberg E, Andersson L, Cothran G, Sandberg K, Mikko S, Lindgren G (2006). "A missense mutation in PMEL17 is associated with the Silver coat color in the horse". BMC Genetics. 7: 46. doi:10.1186/1471-2156-7-46. PMC 1617113. PMID 17029645.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b Edwards, Elwyn Hartley (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Horse (1st American ed.). New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 358–359. ISBN 1564586146.
- ^ Trumble, Nicole Scotty. "Equine Anterior Segment Dysgenesis" (PDF). University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ Dutson, Judith (2005). Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America. Storey Publishing. pp. 144, 214. ISBN 1580176135.
- ^ a b "History of the breed". Rocky Mountain Horse Association. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ "Conservation Priority Equine Breeds 2012" (PDF). American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ^ Hendricks, Bonnie (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 353–354. ISBN 9780806138848.
- ^ "Rocky Mountain Horse". International Museum of the Horse. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
External links
| Equine science and management | |
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| Equestrianism and sport | |
| History | |
| Warfare | |
| Horse breeds and types | |
| Culture | |
