Marsh Tacky survived as a breed on isolated coastal islands in . Marion Broach (wearing hat) and David Grant have been involved in breeding and preserving them. Myriam Moran copyright 2015

While Columbus thought he

was swindled by traders, MILITARY HISTORY privations of the long sea journey to the New World, the lack of fresh water and food for crew and passengers let alone livestock, left the horses in dire condition. They were not let loose on deck, rather slung off their feet in rigging. Andalusians would not have survived the journey nor in the tropical climate and rough sur­ roundings of the islands. Every subsequent voyage of dis­ covery brought more horses to Spanish colonies in the Americas. They established breeding farms CAROLINA and raised horses to ride, work and conquer. Only 27 years after Columbus and his men set foot in MARSH TACKY the New World and claimed it for Spain, Hernan Cortez set out from Cuba for Mexico. Cortez HORSES brought 16 horses with him. From diarists’ notes, most horses were described as steadfast little steeds Saving A Special Breed from the primitive Iberian breed of or Marismenos. They JOHN CHRISTOPHER FINE LOOKS were relatively small horses about 14.3 hands high. A hand measures AT THE HISTORY OF A DISTINCT AND four inches, thus the horses stood PURE EQUINE BREED THAT CAME TO about five feet from the top of the withers to the ground. THE AMERICAS WITH 16TH CENTURY In those days, Spaniards were SPANISH EXPLORERS not very tall. If a conquistador measured 5’6” then he would be All photos courtesy of Myriam Moran, copyright 2015 considered relatively tall for the day. Thus the height of the horses cc rr i hese are common nags,” Christopher Columbus pro­ was in proportion to the riders. claimed when he arrived at his ships ready to embark Spanish brass stirrups recovered on his second voyage of discovery in 1493. What he from sunken galleons are also purchased were Andalusians, a Spanish breed that was telling about the size of riders of •A - reserved for nobility. What was delivered and slung the period. Measured with a size aboard his ships were Marismenos, horses of the swamps. To the eleven foot belonging to a six foot Spaniards of the day, these common horses sold for a tenth of what tall man, the stirrup is too small. Andalusians cost. They were solid, little horses used to foraging for A five foot tall person’s size seven themselves in the swamps and woodlands. foot fits easily into the stirrup.

April/May 2015 History Magazine 1J st y Magazi e in z a g a M ry to is H 8 f MILITARY HISTORY e lne i Mxc, h in­ the that believed the people digenous Mexico, in landed men his and life.Cortez colonial When of World. part New important an were Horses the in established etn wa i nw lsa to Alaska Mongolia. now is what necting ln big ta eitd con­ existed that bridge land a Americaacross North from grated u tee rmtv clr pre­ colors primitive these but other than end the at vertebra during well and deeply breathe lc bree er ad bi­ a and ears bordered haveblack Marismeno or The bi-colored. is mane The breeds. way the all runs their stripe The backs. down stripe dorsal a have ‘A’ narrow a had They breed. no bigger than a dog, livedhere. dog, a than bigger no Equus, of forebears horses, small revealsthat record The 1493.archaeological in them brought first Columbus until in America horses no North were there that is feature. prominent a also is nose convex A shoulders. their on some stripes have legs, their on stripes have somewhat, varied Colors color. in blue or dun dominantly pre­ are horses The tail. colored less one with slung low is croup The croup. the to neck the from circulation. supporting require­ for was and suited perfectly ments endurance and speed to endure, to horse the ity enabled accommo­ capac­ large This lung The lungs. dated chest. framed the to peculiar characteristics dominated. The horses generally generally horses The dominated. pns bedn frs were farms breeding Spanish Horses are thought to have mi­ have to thought are Horses What few understand of history of history few understand What Marismenos or Sorraia The These horses of conquest had had conquest of horses These North American continent American North 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. years 10,000 to 8,000 ossde u n the on out died Horses April/May 2015 April/May

wrecked, their cargoes were lost. lost. were cargoes their wrecked, isolated on many outer banks banks in wild ran outer horses These islands. many on isolated remaining steeds and ashore Spanish swimming legend. of are tells History Carolinas the and Virginia of islands outer the off ships of shipsSpanish wreckingReports When pirates. and war­ fare hurricanes, of vagaries the cannons, iron, goods, tured manufac­ of cargoes carry would ued for some 350 years, despite despite years, 350 some for ued contin­ highway golden This els. jew­ and silver gold, dyes, spices, bring would convoys Returning horses.refine goldand to mercury ships bound Outward Spain. to then Cuba to first Mexico, in colonies their from highway King Spainof the to a letter wrote South and Central America and and America Central and South been have possible. not would conquest the for horses”, the “But the and God of grace part, in read Aztecs that the of conquest his after Cortez gods. as them They revered one. were rider and horse e x c e lle n t rid in g h orses. orses. h g in rid t n lle e c x e sh ss ort e gai. ereven sti makes hem e th s e k a m e trid s n e v e heir T it. a g le b ta r fo m o c a e v a h rses o h y k c a T h rs a M Spain organized a maritime maritime a organized Spain M yria m M o ra n c o p y rig h t 2015 t h rig y p o c n ra o M m yria M were ‘common’ and ‘cheap’. and ‘common’were Their expeditions trading to traced been colonists American by used was breed with brackish water and and water brackish with breed fiiy o uas n their and humans to affinity horses sincethe says by definition English by the calledwere swamp and marshland of the horses these the in traded of Charleston. and sold Many were horses Charleston. to settle­ their from Spaniards by of has Carolina in Tacky’s swampland presence marshy the American the during and before folklore rich a is There traders. and explorers by Spanish brought Carolina Marsh Tacky the Marsh to back Carolina forage. limited a as succeeded and bands their ae tcy. t en wa it what means It ‘tacky’. name Augustine, St. in ment Marsh areas. coastal The Carolina to adapted perfectly work were hard horses and hardships, little endured The Revolution. Tackythat Marsh horse the about 6h etr we te were they when century 16th While not a glorious name, name, glorious a not While Historians trace the South South the trace Historians sturdy constitution and mental Regiment. They were posted in independently as guerrillas, using attitude made them ideal for Charleston to build a works for tactics he learned fighting the Revolutionary horse soldiers after Fort Sullivan. Marion distin­ Cherokees. They would ambush America declared independence guished himself on 28 June 1776, British forces and ride away into from Britain in 1776. when the British fleet was pre­ the swamps to escape pursuit. Brigadier General Francis vented from taking Fort Sullivan. In one attack Marion and his Marion was born on his parents’ Marion remained at the fort, men attacked a British encamp­ plantation in 1732 at Berkeley training Continental troops for ment and freed a large number of County, South Carolina. He was three more years. Continental prisoners of war. educated in Georgetown and went Bored during a dinner party in Mounted on their Marsh Tacky to sea when he was fifteen. Young Charleston, Marion jumped out a horses, Marion and his small band Francis Marion’s seafaring career second floor window to escape. of men harassed the British by didn’t last long. His ship wrecked He broke his ankle. This was in attacking their supply lines and in the Caribbean after hitting a March 1780. He was treated and camps. The continued success of whale. Adrift in a launch for a returned to his plantation to Marion and his men provoked week, the young man returned recuperate. The broken ankle British commander Lieutenant home to South Carolina after they proved good luck since he was not General Lord Charles Cornwallis were rescued. This was about the captured when Charleston was to order loyalists to seize these time of the French and Indian attacked and taken by British outlaw rebels. When all attempts War. Marion joined up with the troops. to capture the Colonials failed, South Carolina Militia and fought Marion organized a small force Cornwallis sent his best cavalry Cherokee Indians until about of militiamen. They were irregu­ officer, Lieutenant Colonel Banastre 1761, when he returned to the lars and mounted themselves on Tarleton, to seek and destroy Eutaw Spring region along the Carolina Marsh Tacky horses. Marion and his men. Santee River. Francis Marion These were the only sturdy steeds Pee Dee Indians joined the bought a plantation he named perfectly suited for the marshes colonists to fight against the Pond Bluff, was elected to the and vast cedar swamps. Ordered British. These South Appalachian- provincial legislature and settled to scout the Pee Dee River area by Mississippian people spoke into the life of a planter. Major General Horatio Gates, Iroquois language and became The South Carolina Provincial Marion and his men evaded cap­ part of Marion’s forces known Congress formed three military ture when Gates and his forces as the Raccoon Company led by regiments to fight the British. were defeated at the Battle of Captain John Alston. Francis Marion was commis­ Camden on 16 August 1780. Colonel Tarleton received infor­ sioned a Captain in the Second Marion and his men operated mation from spies as to Marion’s

left: Marsh Tacky owner and breeder David Grant with one of his stallions. He asserts that Marsh Tackies are easy keepers.

Stallions m ake fine riding horses. Myriam Moran copyright 2015 r ig h t : Marsh Tacky horses have that Spanish colonial horse look. They are intelligent, sturdy horses well suited for the marshes and swamps of South Carolina. Myriam Moran copyright 2015

April/May 2015 History Magazine 19 2 0 History M ag azin e e azin ag M History 0 2 MILITARY HISTORY just outside Florence, South South Florence, outside just qie ert f hs century,” this of secret equine small herds of Tackyof Marsh small herds horses Carolina. “They are the best kept kept best the are “They Carolina. friend Marion Broach maintain maintain Broach Marion friend north. the from headquarters camp in the the his in with attacked He camp swamps. headquarters rts ta i de top away troops drew it that the British irregular harass so to forces enabled Colonial that horses Tacky Marsh for respect enduring the is legacy His 1795. 27 February on died and Senate Carolina he Marion, Francis Brigadier Asfor dependability. and pendence inde­ of symbol the became They horses. for colonial Spanish esteem little the public raised lution Brigadier to promoted was aar mutd n ie large horses. bred fine, European on mounted cavalry Bluff, was elected to the South South the to elected was Pond Bluff, at plantation his to retired Revo­ American of the hero cated ‘SwampFox’. Carolina the as known became and South Militia the in General Marion Francis stuck. moniker devil him”. the catch The not fox,could himself old for damned “As this said, Tarleton Colonel catch Lieutenant men, to his and Marion trying swamps the in The large European horses were horses European large The ainadhsmn mounted men, his and Marion n hi tryMrh Tackies, Marsh sturdy their on e etrdn wyo their on away riding kept men rode off into the deep swamps deep the into off rode swampy marshland and gave and marshland swampy oa, ai Gat n his and Grant David Today, hs aar ofcr n dedi­ and officer cavalry This Relating his seven hour ordeal ordeal hour seven his Relating u ftereeeti the in element their of out out while Marion and his and Marion while out and escaped pursuit. escaped and cmo nags.’ ‘common April/M ay 2015 ay April/M

well-formed hooves of his Marsh his of hooves well-formed breed and find that the horses horses the that find and breed two predominant colors, dun and and dun colors, predominant two wild. the Marsh the breeds related closely enabled and Tacky that traits hooves. sturdy less with breeds strong so are Tackies.hooves The isit necessary.” hooveswhen their to Atlantic beaches and ride in the in ride and beaches to Atlantic ago. years thirty about horses - ored t l St ng t i hor s d Grantand hsfi i n rio a M d n frie his d n a t n a r G id v a D is e rs o h his ith w g in d n ta S il. ta d e r lo o i-c b d n a grullo. “I’m breeding for that that are “They for said. he type,” Spanish breeding “I’m grullo. in survive to horses Spanish of legsand hoovesStrong aregenetic other do as shoeing require not do useand improve with they that sturdy, the out pointed Grant never tire nor quit. nor tire never sport. and primitive pleasure the on pack out Hunters for surf swamplands areas. They marshy take them and Carolina South in hogs and wild boar hunt to horses breeding ago.”years began ten about them I and Marion sal ti , ti s egs, - ored mane, ack bordered ear l oup u ro c w lo , rs a e d e r e d r o b k c la b , e n a m d e r lo o i-c b a , s g le n o es strip e, strip l a rs o d rah s ter as Tacky Marsh their use Broach these “We discovered said. Grant sh se t t erstc Spani oni f ur ncl ng a g in d lu c in s re tu a fe l t). ia a n h lo o g c in r h a is e n a p (w S h c tic a ro ris B te c a r a h c its ith w e rs o h y k c a T h rs a M n ai Gats ed h sees he herd, Grant’s David In trim I’ll them. shoe don’t “I Marion and Grant David Myriam Moran copyright 2015 copyright Moran Myriam wild on where where Island Daufuskie ran on Tackies wild Marsh of herds the banks outer the on bands little that horses in - lived environments they which harsh the to horses these enabled that teristics aos o ot Crln. They Carolina. South to gators Livestock American In the Horse. 2005, Heritage South Carolina’s Tacky named been Marsh recently has The nuts”. pine the as of “tough be to swamps horses Carolina these described summertime. in beach Tacky the Marsh along race fun a hold friends his and Grant of One owners. plantation ersand farm­ local for them train and up them round called Gullahs, would Local islands. people, banks outer the and Head Hilton from came marshes. for the suited well were and islands their in wild ran and survived unsuited were that horses inated elim­ selection survive.to Natural charac­ genetic the describing of wayisGrant’seasy keepers.” That resCnevnysn investi­ sent Conservancy Breeds John James Audubon’s journal journal Audubon’s James John horses stud Grant’s of One

took DNA samples from horses raised the subject with his friend the Marsh Tacky horse will and found that more than a hun­ and wanted to buy a horse to remain a distinct, genetically pure dred were confirmed to test back begin his own breeding program, breed for generations to come - to original Spanish horses of he explained that “It took David a steadfast symbols of American conquest. In 2007, the Carolina week or two to decide to sell me a heritage. A5»* Marsh Tacky Association was horse. After I went hog hunting created and their registry lists 309 with him, I had to have them.” DR. JOHN CHRISTOPHER horses. Laughing, David Grant averred began riding horses as “Our horses have a job. We hunt the reaction when horse people FINE deer and hogs off them. They are hear the name Marsh Tacky. a kid on the farm and never sensible. They see a tree stump or “They say, what is that, a disease?” stopped. He is President of the hole. These horses don’t panic,” It is certainly contagious, as American Heritage Iberian David Grant said. Born in Mon­ Marsh Tacky lovers continue to Foundation and has roe, North Carolina, Grant grew preserve this special breed of been involved with conservan­ up in the Pee Dee River area of Spanish colonial horse that has cies frying to save the last of the South Carolina. He loved horses evolved through the centuries to Spanish in America. growing up, but as he tells it, “I’m become perfectly adapted to the He is also a marine biologist and 58 years old. I didn’t get back into cedar swamps, marshlands and expert in marine and maritime horses until I was 45. We started a maritime coastal areas of South affairs. He is a Master Scuba foundation to preserve the Marsh Carolina. Instructor and Instructor Trainer. Tacky breed in 2009.” With the continued interest The author of 25 books, his Marion Broach went riding of dedicated people like David articles appear in magazines with Grant and determined he Grant, Marion Broach, D. P. and newspapers in the US would start his own herd of Lowder, a breeder from Ridge- and Europe. Marsh Tacky horses. When he land, South Carolina, and others,

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