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Why Rusty Heart Rockies?

In 2002 we decided to build a small horse barn.  At that time we owned 2 Arabian mares, Tess and Dolly and a 5 year old Quarter/Arab named Rusty. We did not know one of the mares was pregnant when we bought them. They were both very thin and we were happy to see them start to gain weight.  Rusty arrived the week of Easter 1992.  Tess, his mother had been on fescue grass and had no milk. We kept Rusty in our back yard. We would open the back door and feed him.  I believe Rusty thought he was human. He never really fit in with his mom or Dolly, but that was o.k. because we loved taking care of him.

As the barn was nearing completion, Rusty became ill. The vet gave him a tranquilizer shot and he suffered an allergic reaction.  Rusty was alive but due to brain damage he could not move. Later that same day we made the heart wrenching decision to have him put down.
 
Our family was devastated and would have given up horses all together had our loving God not shown us how blessed we were. There will never be another Rusty, but there are a lot of good horses out there. Our farm is named for Rusty, so he remains a part of everything we do here. Rusty was not a Rocky Mountain horse, but he had the Rocky personality. That puppy dog disposition is what drew me to the Rocky Mountain breed.  In 2003 we purchased our first Rocky Mountain mares. That next spring came the first babies and our "Rusty" hearts began to heal.   After a "rocky" start we have been blessed with beautiful, healthy Rocky Mountain Horses. God is good!

About The Rocky Mountain Horse Breed

The basic characteristics of the breed are a medium-sized horse of gentle temperament with an easy ambling four-beat gait. This gait made it the horse of choice on the farms and the rugged foothills of the Appalachians. It was a horse for all seasons. It could pull the plows in the small fields, work cattle, be ridden bareback by four children to the fishing hole, or to town comfortably on Saturday. They even performed well hitched to the buggy Sunday morning to go to church. Fancy barns and stalls were not necessary. Because of its cold-blooded nature, it tolerated the winters in Kentucky with a minimum of shelter. Naturally, out crossing with local horses did occur but the basic characteristics of a strong genetic line has continued.

The breed is best known for gentleness. It is an easy keeper and a wonderful riding horse with a strong heart and endurance. Today the Rocky Mountain Horse® is being used as a pleasure horse, for trail riding and competitive or endurance riding. As show horses, the breed is rapidly gaining in popularity because of its beauty and unique way of moving in the ring. These horses have a lot of natural endurance, they are sure-footed on rough ground and, because of their gait, require a minimum of effort by both horse and rider so together they can cover a greater distance with less tiring. When it comes right down to it, the Rocky is well suited for almost any discipline.

For a complete history of the breed visit:

http://www.rmhorse.com/history.html