Postell Comes of Age
-- Posted on Tuesday, May 13 2008
Postell Comes of Age!

This story is about Postell, a three year old Marsh Tacky gelding owned by Carolina Marsh Tacky Outfitters of Florence S.C. Postell was one of the first horses bought by CMTO. Postell was bred by the late Arnold Postell of Ravenel S.C. from the sire Dapper Dan, a grulla Marsh Tacky stud and out of Sandy a dun Marsh Tacky mare, reportedly one of Mr. Postell’s favorite mares. Arnold had passed away leaving a good sized herd behind. Through a family friend, Mr. Ed Ravenel, another Marsh Tacky breeder, we learned of the sale of the Postell herd. We went down and purchased 5 horses from both Beth and Ed’s herds. Little did we know what that infamous trip to Ravenel in the fall of 2006 would begin!

Postell was always undersized but full of himself. If there was trouble to be got into, he would usually be at the root of it by opening gates, jumping fences, and anything a yearling can to do to cause problems. He was curious about everything and loved people. We just let him grow up.

We had thoughts of keeping Postell a stud, as recommended by Jeanette Beranger of American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, because he represented a different line of Marsh Tackies from the rest of our herd. But ultimately Postell’s “ full of himself” nature as a yearling carried over to more than full himself” young stud. We had to make the very, very tough decision to geld him.

When we started training Postell as a 2 year old, he was different in a good sort of way. He was easy to start with no buck but his way of resisting moving forward was a “odd’ move…a lift and spin in the opposite direction reminiscent of the behavior bred into his Spanish ancestors a war maneuver hundreds of years ago. In this move a horse would lift up and spin in a opposite direction without hardly taking up any space. (Very handy when you were hand to hand with the enemy.) It also served to help the rider throw a spear or lance with more velocity.

As we rode Postell he was very gentle but it took a good rider to appreciate and get the most out of him. We were encouraged because each time out he taught us something about what makes a Marsh Tacky so special – namely heart. He could take anything we put him through and still after 6 hours of hard riding he could still keep going. On an average hog hunt we will ride 6 to 8 hours at a pretty steady walk with at times some breath taking all out runs to get the dogs when they bay up a hog. (which is most always in the biggest roughest place around!!!) Once we caught a nice boar in the river and jumped off the horse into the water onto the hog…. that will be another story…let’s finish the Postell saga.

Postell has learned to run to the dogs almost all on his own. He will navigate rough terrain like a open highway and can drag half his weight along for the ride. He will follow his rider without leading and has learned to rise up and come down on briars to keep them out of his face. But to top it off just the other day he showed me the Marsh Tacky move of legend! We were crossing a creek we shouldn’t have been, but the dogs were bayed up on the other side with a particularly bad hog. The water was deep and cold, but here we went. We got almost through and then oh man!...What all horses hate…Bog!
Postell went totally submerged and came up stuck. I had to come off him. He laid there a minute and then he did it. He lay back down pulled his feet up and rolled out of the bog! It was hell on the saddle but an awesome move. It goes to prove the old hog hunting proverb – it’s not how you start, its how you finish.

Postel is coming of age.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE HUTNING WITH CARLOLINA MARSH TACKY OUTFITTERS ANR OUR RARE COLONIAL SPANISH MARSH TACKIES.
LIVING LOWCOUNTRY LEGENDS!

CMTO'S GRULLA MARE 2008 FOAL
-- Posted on Wednesday, March 26 2008

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CMTO'S BLACK MARE 2008 FOAL
-- Posted on Wednesday, March 26 2008

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SILKY'S FIRST FOAL
-- Posted on Wednesday, March 26 2008

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BRAVO
-- Posted on Wednesday, March 26 2008

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Horse Training
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008

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2008 South Carolina Horse Council Expo.
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008
Look for a Marsh Tacky demonstration at the 2008 SCHC expo at Circle M Ranch February 9, 2008 in Pelzer, SC. Visit www.schorsecouncil.org for further information.

First Annual Meeting
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008
The first annual Carolina Marsh Tacky Association meeting will be held April 5, 2008. For further info go to marshtacky.org.

Why a Marsh Tacky?
-- Posted on Wednesday, October 24 2007
By: David Grant


The chance to get involved in a noble cause and for the effort to be recorded in history rarely occurs for most people. That Marsh Tackies have endured for over 400 Years with very little outside breeding influence is quite amazing.

I am passionate about the Marsh Tacky for many reasons. First is the fascinating documented history that surrounds these horses. Ask DP Lowther, Ed Ravenel, or Lee McKenzie about these horses and they will take you back 50 years or more and tell you some intriguing stories of people and horses. We simply cannot allow these great memories of horses and people to pass form our generation undocumented. I offer a challenge to each person that reads this to find out why there is a movement going on to preserve not only the horse but also the priceless heritage surrounding them, and get involved.

I cannot speak as an authority on the history of these amazing horses but I can speak first hand about their many attributes. You can have the prettiest horse in the world but if it doesn't have enough sense or hardiness to survive what do you have? The Tacky has an innate sense of self-preservation. I have ridden my grulla stud, DP, for one year now and he has pulled me out of some pretty tough situations and he is only 3 yeas old. On one hunt we fell into a hole large enough for him to roll down into. He just rolled out form under me and literally crawled out. The most amazing thing is that he came back to get me. He has already developed an ear for the dogs baying and will pick his own way to them. Tackies are very easy keepers. I have 15 and have had very few problems. They stay fat on grass and hay, their feet require very little if any trimming, their resistance to insects is astounding, and the list goes on and on.

We are at a crossroads in the effort to save these horses. We need newcomers to get involved in our effort. Even if a person cannot own a horse, there are numerous ways to help preserve the breed. All of us have been given different strengths by the good Lord and if we blend those strengths into grassroots conservation effort we can look back on our life and tell people, "I helped save the marsh Tacky from extinction."

At times I get discouraged in our effort. Then I stop and think about what our forefathers did on the backs of some of these same types of horses to ensure our freedom. We cannot let the breed disappear. Won't you join us in the effort?

The best thing for the inside of a person is the backside of a horse! More so if that horse is a living legend, a Marsh Tacky!

Upcoming Marsh Tacky Events
-- Posted on Monday, July 16 2007
October 19-20, 2007: 5th Francis Marion Symposium, Manning, SC. There will be a lecture on Marsh Tacky horses and their involvement in the American Revolution as well as horses on display. For more information contact Francis Marion Symposium, PO Box 667, Manning, SC 29102, George Summers, 803-478-2645, or gcsummers@ftc-i.net, http://web.ftc-i.net/~gcsummers/fmarionsymposium.html .



November 2-4, 2007: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy National Conference, Pittsboro, NC. There will be lectures and live demonstrations involving endangered poultry and livestock breeds including Marsh Tacky horses. For more information contact ALBC, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, 919-542-5704, albc@albc-usa.org, www.albc-usa.org.

TAKING A BREAK
-- Posted on Wednesday, June 6 2007

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AFTER A LONG DAY
-- Posted on Thursday, May 31 2007

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TACKIES BEFORE THE HUNT
-- Posted on Saturday, May 26 2007

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