THE MARSH TACKY – SOUTH CAROLINA’S HORSE

Spanish ships landed in the Carolinas as early as 1500 bringing with them colonists and small fine-boned horses. One of the earliest Spanish captains to arrive was Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, who had stopped in Santo Domingo, then sailed on to the Carolina Coast landing in the area now known as Myrtle Beach. He brought with him 600 colonists and 89 horses. The colony, however, failed and the few surviving colonists returned to Santa Domingo. They left the horses behind to fend for themselves. In 1566 Pedro Menendez de Aviles came back to the Carolina coast to build a fort at Port Royal (today’s Beaufort). He brought colonists and horses also. Later the Spanish returned to Spain, loading their ships with foods and returning colonists and once again the horses were left to fend for themselves.

To accurately describe the horse brought over to the New World by the Spaniards, one must first think back to those times and the size of the ships. The ships were small and allowed for very little storage. Sailors slept in hammocks. Therefore when a ship’s log describes the horse as “of little value”, “nasty gray mare”, or “small black filly”, this must suggest that the horses were horses that Spain could afford to lose and that were small and able to withstand a long ocean voyage on a low-ration diet.

When the English arrived in the 1600’s to settle these areas, they were surprised to find the Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians riding these fine Spanish horses!
The campaign of Colonel Thomas Moore brought him to Beaufort in 1704; he was returning from Florida with captured Spanish cattle and horses. His mission had been to remove all Spanish settlements from Florida. Seventy five years later, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and his minions rode Marsh Tackies during the American Revolution.

Recent DNA testing show the Marsh Tacky is a descendant of Spanish colonial horses. By the late 1800’s Tackies were reported to have been found in the area as far north as Myrtle Beach and as far south as St. Simons Island, Ga. Up until the 1950’s, Marsh Tackies were found all over St.Helena, Daufuskie and Hilton Head Islands. Due to loss of farm lands and development of resorts, the Marsh Tacky is being pushed to extinction. There are probably less than 150 left in South Carolina. The Equus Trust Fund and the American Livestock Breeders Conservancy are two of the organizations working to save this special breed.

They are popular today for hunters for their natural “woods” sense in hunting wild boar; they are great in endurance, competitive trail riding, as well as pleasure riding and they are not afraid of water. They are easy keepers, and very loving horses.

The Marsh Tacky is a part of South Carolina history brought to life! You can see the Marsh Tacky at the Colonial Times event. Find out more by visiting www.marshtacky.org.