About the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association

KMSHA Foundations:  Richard Palmer and His Golden Palominos by Mary Marshall - The golden palomino coloration of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse has been preserved for generations by the horsemen of yesteryear and today who admired the coveted "golden horse" not only for it’s spectacular color but smooth gaits and inherent ability to perform any task in the show ring, farm, field, and on the trail.  more >>

KMSHA Foundations:  The Breed Shapers by Mary Marshall - The humble beginnings of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Spotted Mountain Saddle Horse evolved alongside the rich Appalachian heritage of the people who settled in the area.  more >>

KMSHA Foundatons:  Emmett "Bud" Davis by Mary Marshall - The face of Emmett "Bud" Davis lights up when he talks about his horses. Animated and lively at the age of 81, Emmett smiles broadly as he talks about the "great ones" that he has bred and shown with success.  more >>

An Authentic Kentucky Tradition - For over 200 years, the saddle horse has lived in the hills and valleys of many parts of Kentucky. Originally bred by the mountain people for the demanding needs of farm life, the horse which had been secluded for many years became noticed and domesticated in the late 1980’s.  more >>

 

 

For over 200 years, the saddle horse has lived in the hills and valleys of many parts of Kentucky. Originally bred by the mountain people for the demanding needs of farm life, the horse which had been secluded for many years became noticed and domesticated in the late 1980’s. Over the last 20 some years these horses have become a highly sought after “pleasure horse” in all of Kentucky as well as around the world, for their easy going temperament, intelligence, versatility, willingness, and most notably, a smooth, natural 4-beat gait. Many members of long-time Kentucky families remember well the stories of the many extraordinary feats that were told about these horses by their grandfathers and great grandfathers around the dinner table.

In 1989, Robert Robinson, Jr., a native of Irvine, Kentucky formed the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association® (KMSHA) to document and preserve the ancestry and rich heritage of the mountain saddle horse. In 2002 the Spotted Mountain Horse Association® was formed, (a subsidiary of the KMSHA) to register mountain horses that had “spots” of white that were considered to much coverage for any of the existing mountain horse breeds, in order to meet their solid color standards.

This Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the Spotted Mountain Horse breeds, each with their own distinctive characteristics and genetic DNA markers, are recognized by the University of Kentucky, Equine Parentage Testing and Genetic Research Center as their own unique breed of Horse.

From its humble beginnings, and through its unwavering commitment to promote the breeds, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association® and the Spotted Mountain Horse Association® (collectively KMSHA) have grown at a compounded annual rate of 25% for the last five years. There are now over 18,000 registered Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses and 2,900 individuals and families are members of the Association. The KMSHA is indisputably the largest and fastest growing Mountain Horse breed in existence today.

In Kentucky alone, there are at least 9,700 Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses owned by residents of Kentucky. Additionally, there are several hundred of Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and Spotted Mountain Horse stallions, mares and geldings boarded and trained in Kentucky which are owned by residents of other states. We now have horses in every state, Canada, and rapidly growing numbers in Europe.