by Rena Sherwood

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 18, 2009

In 1986, about thirty horse breeders got together in Winchester, Kentucky and formed the Rocky Mountain Horse Association (RMHA). Not only did they want to be sure the Rocky Mountain Horse breed didn't die out, but also wanted to be sure future breeders would stick to the same goals they had in order to breed what they considered to be the ideal saddle horse.

The RMHA compared what horse breed registries were doing wrong and what they were doing right. They decided that parentage of a horse would not be enough to gain the coveted registry status. They took a nod from the European sport horse breed agencies and decided that a horse would have to undergo inspections of confirmation, temperament and gaits. This would produce a lot of work for them, especially in training RMHA examiners, but in the end, the horses bred have been of exceptionally high quality.

Registry Requirements

According to the RHMA, a horse cannot get registration papers until it is at least 23 months old and has undergone an inspection by a RHMA representative. The horse already needs to be trained under saddle in order to test for obedience and the all-important single-foot gait. A single-foot or Indian shuffle is a smooth, sped up version of the walk that is actually as fast as or faster than the trot. Each of the horse's hooves hits the ground at a different time.

The RMHA allows all solid horse colors and white markings, but not any white markings above the knees or hocks or any indication that the horse could be considered a pinto. Stallions need to have both testicles descended. All horses need to be sound and strong enough to carry a rider. They also need to be calm around strange RHMA examiners.

Other Services

The RHMA has been surprisingly flexible over the years as breeding needs have changed. They allow registration of foals conceived by embryo transfer or artificial insemination and even have separate registration forms for stallions that have their semen frozen and shipped. This is light years ahead of the Jockey Club, which will only allow foals bred the old fashioned (but dangerous) way.

The RMHA also publishes a magazine, has the final ruling over any quarrels within regional or state RMHA clubs and has the power to terminate the registry of any breeder or horse. They also send show judge evaluation forms to their members in order to find the best judges for national final Rocky Mountain events.

Growth has been slow but steady in the Rocky Mountain Horse breed. In this way, the RHMA is able to keep a hand over breeding and showing practices. Since 1986, over 13,000 horses have been registered, with an estimated 1,000 more added each year. Let's hope the RHMA never gives in to showing or conformation fads and sticks to its guns in the years ahead.

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