"Dixie" Triple Registered mare. Click for larger view.

The Mountain Horse has long been an all-around farm and family horse in Eastern Kentucky. It is thought that the sturdy Mountain Horse stock which was raised in this area for generations preserves the genetic base form which the various American gaited horse breeds were derived in this century. Many of the horses were called "Rocky Mountain Horses" based on a story of a young stallion which had returned to the area from out west.

The first breed registry to protect and preserve the last of these horses, the Rocky Mountain Horse Association, was formed in 1986, with the Mountain Pleasure and Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse registries organizing shortly thereafter. Although there are some differences in the horses accepted into these registries, the origins of the stock are basically the same, and many of the horses are double and triple registered.

Due to their gentle and calm temperament, smooth gait and pleasing appearance of these horses, they have experienced rapid growth in popularity and numbers, from approximately 60 horses initially registered by the RMHA as foundation stock to over 7,500 registered with the RMHA and the KMSHA just registered its 10,000th horse in June 2002. The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association closed their books to mares in November 2005, the Stallion books closed the end of 1997. The horses possess a natural, four-beat gait executed without exaggerated action, and a characteristic temperament that is very curious and people-oriented, calm, willing and easy to train.

However, along with popularity comes a tendancy to breed poor quality horses. We are proud to say that both the Rocky Mountain and Kentucky Mountain Horse Associations requires that all breeding stock must be Certified to breed by a board of impartial Judges. What this means is that all breeding stock must perform gait either barefoot or with plain keg shoes, must display a calm temperament and not be under or over the breed height standards, and have the correct conformation of the Mountain horse.

Without this certification seal on the registration papers of the breeding stock, the offspring of those horses will not be registerable. This Certification requirement insures the purity and preservation of the Rocky Mountain and Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse indefinitly.