|
The Rocky Mountain Horse is one of the most popular up-and-coming horse breeds in the U.S. today, and there's good reason for that. They are unusually safe, comfortable and people-oriented. They rarely spook and when they do they do it by freezing in place. These horses want to be with you as much as you want to be with them - they will leave their buddies and their food to follow you around the pasture all day while you fix fences. And they have the ability to move with a smooth fifth gait which allow their rider to fly down the trail at speed, without having to deal with the discomfort of a trot.
|
Personality (Temperament)
Hands down, what we love the most about the Rockies is their temperament. A typical Rocky is calm, levelheaded and unafraid of new things. (We regularly take our weanlings into Petsmart to wander the isles during their learn-to-expect-anything training and we rarely have any trouble.) They are curious and interested in learning new things and they want to spend time with you as much as you want to spend time with them.
Rockies have often been said to be "born broke" because they are so easy to train to carry a rider. It is common for Rockies to be so unconcerned about having a saddle and/or rider on their back for the first time that it is possible (and common) to saddle them carrying a rider on the trail the first day they ever see a saddle. Some people find it so easy to teach them to be riding horses that they skip training them all together (though I strongly recommend against this practice - I think the formal training process is important for helping develop not only the riding skills the horse needs but its maturity level as well.)
Typically, when a Rocky spooks at something - which doesn't happen very often - he does it by freezing in place and standing still until a trusted person tells him what to do. More than once over the decades I have raised Rockies, I have discovered at feeding time that one of the horses was missing and gone out searching the pasture for it, only to find it standing calmly on the far end of the property, caught in a wire fence. Each time this has happened to my Rockies, the horse (even, once, a relatively high strung two year old) stood quietly the minute it knew it was in trouble, waiting for a person to find it and fix the problem. Even when all its buddies left it, even when it had been there for hours and was clearly missing supper, still it didn't struggle or fight - just stood calmly until I found it. This is typical of the Rocky Mountian Horse in these kinds of situations.
When we first moved to our ranch, it took us a while to replace all the old fencing with better quality fences and during that time, our horses would occasionally get out of their pastures. Inevitably, we would learn about this by being woken up to the horses all gathered on our porch, craning to see in the bedroom window, waiting for us to come out and spend time with them. My horses will leave food, leave their buddies, leave anything to follow me around the pasture watching and "helping" while I fix fence all day. They love their people - there is simply no where they would rather be then spending time with you.
As with any breed, not all Rockies live up to the promise of the breed. Not all breeders are as concerned about quality and consistency in passing on the most important Rocky traits. If you are looking to buy a Rocky, don't just assume that its registration papers guarantee you this amazing temperament. Make sure it is what its papers say it should be. A Rocky should be easy to catch, usually coming right up to you the minute it sees you approach its pasture. It should be interested in everything you are doing and love every chance to spend time with you. It should be smart, with a love of learning and the ability to remember something it was taught only once, even after years of not returning to the lesson. It should be curious and trusting when new or unexpected things happen, with very little tendency to spook. And those few times it is unsure of something, it should look to its person for instructions on how to respond to the situation.
Luckily, the temperament comes through in most well-bred Rocky Mountain Horses. I can tell you from experience that when you get one of those, it will change your life.
Hands down, what we love the most about the Rockies is their temperament. A typical Rocky is calm, levelheaded and unafraid of new things. (We regularly take our weanlings into Petsmart to wander the isles during their learn-to-expect-anything training and we rarely have any trouble.) They are curious and interested in learning new things and they want to spend time with you as much as you want to spend time with them.
Rockies have often been said to be "born broke" because they are so easy to train to carry a rider. It is common for Rockies to be so unconcerned about having a saddle and/or rider on their back for the first time that it is possible (and common) to saddle them carrying a rider on the trail the first day they ever see a saddle. Some people find it so easy to teach them to be riding horses that they skip training them all together (though I strongly recommend against this practice - I think the formal training process is important for helping develop not only the riding skills the horse needs but its maturity level as well.)
Typically, when a Rocky spooks at something - which doesn't happen very often - he does it by freezing in place and standing still until a trusted person tells him what to do. More than once over the decades I have raised Rockies, I have discovered at feeding time that one of the horses was missing and gone out searching the pasture for it, only to find it standing calmly on the far end of the property, caught in a wire fence. Each time this has happened to my Rockies, the horse (even, once, a relatively high strung two year old) stood quietly the minute it knew it was in trouble, waiting for a person to find it and fix the problem. Even when all its buddies left it, even when it had been there for hours and was clearly missing supper, still it didn't struggle or fight - just stood calmly until I found it. This is typical of the Rocky Mountian Horse in these kinds of situations.
When we first moved to our ranch, it took us a while to replace all the old fencing with better quality fences and during that time, our horses would occasionally get out of their pastures. Inevitably, we would learn about this by being woken up to the horses all gathered on our porch, craning to see in the bedroom window, waiting for us to come out and spend time with them. My horses will leave food, leave their buddies, leave anything to follow me around the pasture watching and "helping" while I fix fence all day. They love their people - there is simply no where they would rather be then spending time with you.
As with any breed, not all Rockies live up to the promise of the breed. Not all breeders are as concerned about quality and consistency in passing on the most important Rocky traits. If you are looking to buy a Rocky, don't just assume that its registration papers guarantee you this amazing temperament. Make sure it is what its papers say it should be. A Rocky should be easy to catch, usually coming right up to you the minute it sees you approach its pasture. It should be interested in everything you are doing and love every chance to spend time with you. It should be smart, with a love of learning and the ability to remember something it was taught only once, even after years of not returning to the lesson. It should be curious and trusting when new or unexpected things happen, with very little tendency to spook. And those few times it is unsure of something, it should look to its person for instructions on how to respond to the situation.
Luckily, the temperament comes through in most well-bred Rocky Mountain Horses. I can tell you from experience that when you get one of those, it will change your life.