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The distinctive, easy riding gait is difficult to describe, but once you've experienced it, you won't settle for anything else. The horse does not trot; but instead moves each foot independently and laterally - left hind, left front, right hind, right front absorbing the bounce of the gait in its ankles, rather than passing that bounce along to the rider.
The Rocky Mountain Horse Association�s definition of this gait is �an evenly spaced, four beat lateral gait with moderate forward speed and extension, without exaggerated knee and hock action.�

Rocky's have to be between 14.2 and 16 HH
Kentucky's can be taller than 16 HH

Most of ours are about 15-15.2 HH There are a few ( some good ones too ) that are 15.3-16.1 (ish) HH

I've not done a lot of cow work on them. They arn't really a "cutter" but there are some that do take to it.

Headset? (this can mean a bunch of things. what are you looking for?)

Most are even tempered and "cold blooded". Smart and gentle. Many have described this breed as the "Golden Retriever" of horses. If you are looking for a "swing your leg over and hold on" type pony.. probably not going to have what you want. Now I can surly make one like that for you.. ;-)

There are some that we have out of one of our studs that do have the "go get em" type mindset. Like on the previous page (Rocket) is one that I really think you'd be hard pressed to wear out.

Ahhh the old Mexican Vaquero myth... not always true.

We do have one with 3 swirls... one of the smartest, gentlest horses we've known.

What you don't like a wall eyed horse? hehe...



Kind of surprises us at time how much and many of the trainers these days skip the ground work. So many are so eager to sweat leather and turn a dollar that they have many good horses that tend to have to "go back" to school once purchased.

IF people knew the amount of time we invest in ground work they'd think we were crazy. Many don't realize what it take to make a good desensitized trail horse.

It is also pretty impressive as to how much "saddle time" you can gain from just doing good foundation and ground work.

We have a vet here that did his thesis on swirls.Really interesting to talk to him about it.He stopped one time and looked over all my stock and did a comment on all of them based on thier swirl. He was probably about 95% accurate.

Pat. That #2 shoe is a pretty big piece of iron.I think I only put 2's on one horse in my life and it was a big one.
Around here I'd say average is 1's on front and maybe 0's on back.I think that is one of the bad things that has happened to 1/4 horses. They have bred then down to having too small feet for that big fat body you see most of them having.

Course mules tend to go smaller.My 15 Hd mule takes 0's on front and 00's on back, and I usually have to take a little off the 0's. I still shoe my own.

Unless it is a short heavy boned cannon, most mules have a better gait than a horse of the same size. There are exceptions,but usualy if you put a horse person on a good mule,they remark how smooth they are compared to thier horse.
I have a 13.5 hd fox trotter mule. Kinda light framed,but a lot of heart and a real nice gait.He is pushing 30 though.

The other mule is a halflinger and stocky but does real well.

Speaking of a lot of white in the eye.This fox trotter has more so than most,but is one of the best dispositioned animals I have ever had. Howver,I sure have run into some crazies that had a lot of white and rolled thier eye around.

Golly, if that swirl thing was only foolproof... we wouldn't need horse whisperers any more. We could get by with horse beauticians. By the way, what's the difference between a horse clinician, a mortician, a beautician, and a politician?
Answer: nothing. Okay, that was weak but it had decent rhyme.

As to shoes, I have a Hancock gelding that wears a #4 and my friend Wally, creator of the "Earl" cartoon, has a Clydesdale/TB cross that wears a #7. He special orders the shoes from the Amish.

Cocadori (what's a cocadori?) as to headset, I mean how the horse packs its head when you're on him.
Don't like a lot of white in a horse's eye.

I've heard a bit about the swirl - as the number of swirls increase the horse's personality becomes more "complex".

I think there are too many variables to rely on a swirl pattern.

Probably so,as I remember this vet concentrated on the location of the swirl, high vs low. I ain't saying it's right,just passin on what I have heard.

You guys must have big feet on your horses further north. Which is good if they match the horse. I have always heard that mountain horses should have big feet.Don't know why. My fox trotter mule takes 000 on the front and #1 pony on the back and he sure gets around good.

Most places here that carry shoes only ever go up to 1's .F arrier supply places does have a few bigger ones. though

Phrenology was once an accepted science, too.

Most horses up here are oughts and ones, quite a few double-oughts anymore.

Cripes,now you are using words I don't know.

I'm over my excitement period. It is unbelievable what some people do to em, or don't do with them. I made my way for awhile rebuilding older horses, plenty of them had come from "top" trainers. I figure it was usually from trying to cover to much ground all at once. They got in such a hurry they were late.

I start my training at weaning. From there on they're in the program. By the time i throw my leg over a baby, they're pretty much broke and know everything thats expected of them.

How about dark vs white hooves? The farrier down the road from swears it makes a difference. Haven't done enough myself to draw a conclusion yet.

We are still about a month from being able to ride anywhere but on a road up here on the Kenai peninsula. Lots of snow still on the ground.

These threads are both a blessing and a curse.... I'm learning new stuff, but want to get out for a ride. The pics of horses and spaces to ride are wonderful. Thanks to all who have taken the time to indulge and share wisdom!

White hooves versus dark hooves. My, my, here's to poppin' a can of worms wide open. Personally, I like black hooves. Was told as a little kid that they were best. Spent years breeding for them. My aforementioned (on another thread) friend Merlin runs a horseshoeing school and his sons are top farriers, too. One shoes for a sheik in Saudi Arabia. Merlin is adamant. There is no difference between a white hoof and a dark one. But personally, I like pigment. Not just on the hooves, but everywhere else, on cattle as well as horses.

Kinda like the dark ones myself. Seem to be a bit harder.

old cowboy told me watch for the curl on the forehead as already stated by ironbender. Also, if you can grab their tail and pull them around by it, probably pretty well experienced.

If you're going to find thin hoof walls its almost always in a horse with white hooves; i've never seen a dark hoof have thin walls. That said just because the hoof is white doesn't mean it's thin, but best to check.

My late friend and mentor, Danny Mendes, had told me about the whorl's on a horse's forehead or neck, and how it was an indication as to it's personality. Danny grew up with the Vaquero's in the San Joquin Valley of California, so I guess that is where he got that idea. However, I haven't found it to make much difference with my horse's what kind of whorl's they have. As to training, I too am a BIG beleiver in lot's of groundwork. Had to sift through a lot of BS over the year's, but nothing IMHO take's it's place.

Oh and Sedona Mare, I haven't seen mention of it avywhere for a while, but Bill Smith has always had a big Ranch Horse sale in Thermopolis, Wy once or twice a year.

Dan, we've had both colors of feet down here in these sky islands that can be as rough as any where. Usually black seem a little better but the best footed horse I ever had , had 3 white feet and 1 black and white stripped. The worst I had was black footed and was raised in the rocks but was thin soled. I could pad him with skirting leather and get buy. Always and never just isn't absolute.

Fred