Horse Breeds: Marsh Tacky

South Carolina can be boggy and hot and humid and generally unpleasant for people and horses alike. But there is one horse that is uniquely suited to the climate, and that is the Marsh Tacky. Descended from Spanish horses brought to the region in the 1500s, the Marsh Tacky's environment kept it isolated during the breed's formative years. This isolation resulted in a hardy horse well suited to traversing the marshes, swamps, and bogs while withstanding the ever-present heat and humidity.

Its versatility meant it could be used for plowing fields or hunting, ranching or transportation, or anything in between. Later it became a choice mount for soldiers in the area, especially during the American Revolution and the American Civil War. It was even used to patrol the beaches of South Carolina during World War II (WWII). Then, as happened to several other breeds of horse, numbers declined as the automobile and mechanized farm equipment became more popular. By the 1980s, the Marsh Tacky was feared extinct.

Luckily, they weren't, and with the help of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association (CMTA) the breed has slowly come back from the brink if extinction. But with less than 300 horses left in the world, it is still considered critically endangered.

There are a lot of wonderful things that can be said about the Marsh Tacky. It is gentle, sweet, and calm. It has great stamina, is incredibly strong, and is highly trainable. It's also a lovely companion horse. But probably its most distinctive trait is the Swamp Fox Trot. This is a unique gait that makes traveling over rough terrain a comfortable ride. It's also a gait no other breed has mastered.

The Marsh Tacky has a distinct appearance. With a wide forehead and a flat or slightly convex profile, the Marsh Tacky has a distinguished face. Its ears have a notch or inward point at the tips, the neck is wide, and the withers are pronounced. Not a tall horse, it stands between 13.5 and 15 hands high. Typical colors include bay, black, blue roan, chestnut, dun, grullo, red roan, and sorrel.

Used today for trail and pleasure riding, the Marsh Tacky is also suitable for endurance and competitive trail riding. If you want to get a good look at this breed, consider attending the annual Marsh Tacky races held at Hilton Head in South Carolina.