About Rockies

For many years, Mountain Horses, originally from the United States, have been bred and selected for their calm temperament, surefootedness, and versatility. Indeed, these horses were originally used as "all-purpose horses" on farms, whether in harness, for cattle work, long mountain treks, or urban travel; they were therefore ridden by adults and children alike. Very robust and hardy, they are built for outdoor living, even during very harsh winters, without the need for very rich feed. Their metabolism is highly efficient, and they do not waste energy during spirited and energetic movements. Widely known and popular in the United States as a leisure and trail horse, the Mountain Horse is still relatively uncommon in Europe and is eager to become more widely known. Its main asset is, of course, its fifth gait, similar to that of the Icelandic horse, which makes it particularly comfortable and suitable for riders suffering from back, hip, or knee problems. With his height between 147cm and 162cm and his rather robust conformation, the Rocky is suitable for all riders, in particular those who practice TREC, endurance, Mountain Trail or hiking, but he also manages on a small obstacle course, in pony games or any other discipline at an amateur level.

To date, there is no Rocky Mountain Horse studbook in Europe. Several attempts have been made to open such a studbook, but the stumbling block is obtaining approval from the Rocky Mountain Horse Association (RMHA). As a result, Rockys imported or born in Europe have Uncertified Origin (ONC) passports. In some countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, this doesn't matter much since there are no restrictions on participation in equestrian competitions. However, in France, many competitions are only open to horses of Certified Origin (OC). Fortunately, the National Stud Farms (Haras Nationaux) still provide a (fee-based) procedure to have the origins of Rockys recognized by providing the pedigree produced by the RMHA.

Discussions are currently underway with the RMHA to open a studbook in Europe, hopefully this umpteenth attempt will be successful! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the breeders who initiated this initiative for the time and energy they devote to it!

There are two important steps in a Rocky's life before it can be accepted for breeding by the RMHA.

Step 1 - Registration: For a Rocky to be registered, both parents must be certified. Initially, registration was only possible if the parents were certified at the time of breeding, but it is now possible to have the parents certified later, and then register the offspring.
Step 2 - Certification: For a Rocky to be certified, it must demonstrate its ability to be ridden (it must therefore be broken in), as well as meet the breed standard (size, temperament, morphology, color, absence of malformations/defects, etc.). To be certified, a horse must obviously be registered first.

All registered Rocky Mountain Horses are visible in the RMHA database. This database also indicates whether a horse is certified, its size at the time of certification, its pedigree, its color, etc.

There are many rather unusual color genes in this breed! It's worth noting that anything "spotted" (piebald of any kind) is excluded, since it's a Spotted Mountain Horse (very similar to the Rocky but with spots, with a dedicated studbook).

Based on the "classic" black, chestnut, and bay coats, the following genes are found in the breed:

Silver (also called chocolate) - discoloration of the black mane --> invisible on chestnut
Cream (from which the Cremello, Perlino, Palomino, buckskin, etc.) - discoloration of the mane and hair
Dun - primitive markings (mule stripe and zebra stripes on the legs) and slight discoloration of the body
Champagne - discoloration of the mane and hair, as well as the skin and eyes
Roan - white hairs mixed with the base coat, except on the head and legs
Gray (rather rare) - progressive graying of the entire horse, until white

Combining all of this sometimes produces very surprising and unusual coats! If you want to delve deeper into coat genetics, I suggest this website, which is linked to a very interesting Facebook group that I recommend to help you sort it all out.

Much has been said online about silver, the Rocky Mountain Horse's signature color. The silver gene is always paired with the MCOA (Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies) gene, regardless of breed. Depending on whether it's present in one or two copies (heterozygous or homozygous), it will affect the horse to a greater or lesser extent.

Quickly, what does it mean MCOA?

Some horses carrying the silver gene and therefore MCOA have cysts located around the eye, outside the horse's field of vision, and therefore not affecting its sight. This doesn't cause pain either; it simply indicates that the horse is a carrier of the gene. Some heterozygous horses may be silent carriers, showing no cysts. On the other hand, homozygotes, in the vast majority of cases, have cysts.

Another important aspect is that the horse is born this way, and the cysts change very little with age.

For a more in-depth explanation, I'm sharing this document created by breeder Emilie Lacourt, from the Lubières breeding farm in France. It is the French translation of a current situation. and explanations relating to MCOA (mainly from the USA, which has been studying this for a long time).

For the same article in English, please refer to this Canada rocky breeder