History of the Mountain Pleasure Horse
Proclamation
On September 29, 1994, the Honorable Brereton C. Jones, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky issued the following proclamation.
Proclamation by
Brereton C. Jones
Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
To All To Whom These Presents Shall Come:
Whereas, the Horsemen of Eastern Kentucky developed a type of horse -- known as the Mountain Pleasure Horse -- to be smooth of gait, gentle of disposition, willing to work and sure-footed as necessary for mountain terrain; and
Whereas, this Mountain Pleasure Horse has been carefully and closely bred for over 160 traceable years along the original Kentucky mountain blood lines; and
Whereas, blood-typing research by the University of Kentucky has shown the Mountain Pleasure Horse to be the parent stock of all the American gaited horse breeds; and
Now, therefore, I, Brereton C. Jones, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, do hereby recognize the Mountain Pleasure Horse in Kentucky for 160 traceable years and registered by the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association to be the oldest gaited American breed of horse and to be the parent stock of all other American gaited horse breeds.
Done at the Capitol in the City of
Frankfort, this the 29th day of
September, in the year of Our Lord
One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-four
and in the 203rd year of the Commonwealth.
For more than 160 years, Eastern Kentuckians have enjoyed their homegrown product, the Mountain Pleasure Horse. For years called "Mountain Horses" or "Kentucky Saddler" horses, the Mountain Pleasure Horse is the old-time gaited breed of horse that existed in Kentucky 160 years ago and from which selective breeders have developed all other American gaited horse breeds.
The Mountain Pleasure Horse is an old breed of gaited horse that was developed in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy describes them as a landrace which has been relatively unchanged for a century or more. This breed reflects the primitive Appalachian gaited horse type and genetic testing shows them to be ancestral to modern breeds developed in the region, including the American Saddlebred, the Tennessee Walking Horse and the Rocky Mountain Horse. Some Mountain Pleasure Horse bloodlines are traceable for over 160 years.
These were the all-purpose “using horses” of the region, able to work the fields and carry their riders over the steep and rugged mountains. They were ridden by the doctor, the mailman and the traveling preacher. They carried children to the one-room school and the midwife to a baby's birth.
Until recently, few people from outside the Eastern Kentucky region were aware of this breed, however, today owners and breeders of the Mountain Pleasure Horse can be found throughout the United States and Canada.
The Mountain Pleasure Horse is an average sized horse of good bone and feet, having a loose, laid back shoulder and ample breadth of chest. The head is set on a gracefully arched neck of medium length at an angle which allows natural carriage with a break at the poll. Mountain Pleasure Horses come in all solid colors. The stunning palomino is a favorite and many owners take pride in their golden horses.
Mountain Pleasure Horses are intelligent, sweet natured and very easy to train. An “aims to please” attitude is characteristic of a Mountain Pleasure Horse.
The beauty-in-motion of the Mountain Pleasure Horse is best seen and experienced when the horse is under saddle. With tail waving jauntily, they step out in a smooth 4-beat gait that’s wonderfully smooth and easy to ride. The preferred gait of the Mountain Pleasure Horse is a saddle rack. The footfalls sound a rhythmic four-beat cadence as each foot hits the ground individually. Lacking the moment of suspension that produces the bounce of a trot, the easy gait of a Mountain Pleasure Horse is pure pleasure to ride. In fact, people who have given up riding due to back or joint problems are often able to ride a Mountain Pleasure Horse in comfort.
No action devices, special shoeing or harsh training methods are necessary or allowed by the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association to produce this delightful ambling gait. The natural gait of the Mountain Pleasure Horse is the product of generations of careful breeding. Mountain Pleasure Horse foals are known to demonstrate their innate ability to perform this gait by “hitting a lick” within hours of birth.
The Mountain Pleasure Horse Association was formed in 1989, with goals to preserve the bloodlines and encourage the breeding of Mountain Pleasure Horses. Owners of Mountain Pleasure Horses are often asked, “Are these the same as Rocky Mountain or Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses?” To answer this simply, horses now known as Mountain Pleasure Horses were used in the development of the Rocky Mountain Horse. Around 40 years ago, a man named Sam Tuttle began breeding the native mountain horse mares with Tobe, a stallion carrying an unusual chocolate color, and his descendants. Horses of this lineage became the foundation of the Rocky Mountain Horse Association. While the Rocky Mountain and Mountain Pleasure Horses are recognized as breeds, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association is as a registry that encompasses gaited horses of any breed.
Because they are an old, but rare breed, Mountain
Pleasure Horses have been placed on the “critical list” of both The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the Equus Survival Trust. DNA studies are currently being conducted on Mountain Pleasure Horses as part of the Equine Genome Research Project.
