Equestrian Vacations And The Horses At Marble Mountain Ranch

Since most of our horses are foaled at Marble Mountain Ranch, then  imprinted, raised and trained by us, we consider them extensions of  our family and we know their personalities intimately.   In planning for your riding holiday, we look for  horses that are people friendly, have a safe and stable demeanor, and  a good work ethic.  We have our preferred breeds, but we consider the  abilities of the horse to be more important than it’s genealogy.   Because of this you will find mixes of Paint, Morgan, Arabian,  Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walker, Thoroughbred and some Mustang blood  in our herd.  Some of the gang is high energy and in need of  intermediate to advanced riding partners, while others of the herd  are calm enough for the first timers and timid riders.   Before your  horse is allowed to take you on a trail ride, it is ridden by our  family and staff on the trail for at least one year, and has founded  it’s skills in past pack string work,  round pen training and trail  testing by our staff.   Your safety and our horse’s future are more  important to us than a pre-mature start to a horse’s career in the  public arena.

Meet Some Of The Horses Of Your Equestrian Riding Holiday

This is “Thunder’s Eve.”   She was foaled on the ranch in 2001 with a  registered Tennessee Walker Dam and a Nevada Mustang Sire.   You can  obviously see the Mustang in her “mountain bred” conformation.   She  imparts a sense of concern for the rider yet exudes an energy level  that makes her easy to move and the ride a pleasure.   She packs and  rides with the best of the string and is the favorite of Cierra Cole.

 

“Sugar” is a pure bred Quarter Horse and is one of our most  productive in the pack string and on the trail.  She can carry a  large rider and still breeze up the steepest slopes.   Doug prefers  to lead the string with Sugar, since she keeps the younger horses in  line with an “all business” attitude while on the job. Yes, she is a sweet ride.

 

 

 

“Max” is a Morgan/Arab mix.  His “soft mouth” smaller size, and  attentive ride make him a perfect horse for a small to medium sized  rider that want a responsive ride on a well behaved horse.   Max is  the “Porsche” equivalent in our trail horse string.  Many riders  leave the ranch and want to know if Max is for sale.    No, Not for  sale!

 

 

“Misty” is a looker!   She was sired by a registered paint, foaled at  Marble Mountain Ranch in 1999, and is a half sister to “Thunder’s  Eve”.   Misty is one of our favorite pack horses and is a perfect  trail horse for intermediate level riders.

 

 

 

 

This is “Silk”.  He is a remarkable horse with 100% perfect  production in the pack string.   The amazing thing about Silk is that  he will simply stop and wait on the trail if his pack rolls under his  belly, if his foot gets tangled, or if any spooky looking new object  is brought to his attention.  He is a “short coupled” horse and  cannot carry large riders, so many of the ladies choose to ride  Silk.  Silk is also a half brother to “Misty” as well as guardian and  protector of the mares.  Such a Gentleman!

 

 

“Chigger” is Heidi’s horse and he is still the alpha horse in the  string at  25 years old (in 2007).  He is a gaited horse and trots  smoother than many horses can canter.   We love this horse and have  decided to keep him close to home with ranch-only duty from now on.    He is an extremely easy keeper and looks better than many horses at  half Chigger’s age.

 

 

Meet “Isolde.”   She is a 9 year old papered paint brought to the  ranch from an arena background.  She reins beautifully and loves  people, enjoys romantic walks on the beach, good novels and a chance  to splash all the water out of the trough with that special equine  “Mr. Right.”   Doug has been riding her through the 2007 summer to make  sure she is “guest ready.”

“Navaho” (with an “H” not a “J”) is a leopard Appaloosa.  He’s proud of  his spots and trots with his tail cocked half to the side, he wears his  shirt collar un-buttoned and likes colored chap stick to protect his lips from the sun.  However, the other horses have a somewhat  lesser opinion of him.  Navaho is a great beginner’s horse and is  happy to serve trail riders of any skill level.  Just don’t embarrass  him by telling him his wardrobe is “out of fashion.”

 

"Scarlet" is looking for "Rett" who is in his "personal space" at the adjacent pasture. "Rett" left Scarlet saying something like "Frankly Scarlet, I just don't give a damn." Scarlet has been confused in life as to what her true colors are. Is she White? Is she Black? As an intermediate rider's horse with a smooth Southern Belle's Tennessee Walker's gate, she is a great ride, but will continue in lost love until she realizes that in fact, she is both Black...and ....White.

"Rett" has forsaken career security and relationship dramas to find equine peace-of-mind in greener pastures. He has let his hair down, and taken a day job horsing around with the boys in the dude string. Reserve your ride with Rett now, before he finishes writing his memoirs and leaves for his up-coming Southern States Book signing tour.

 

Teancum, or the General, or "MR.T" is the man around town. He is a 6 year old (2009) just coming to his prime. The ladies think he is HOT. You might think it is the pretty coat he wears, but his secret is the single blue eye and the single brown eye. He just melts the mares when he winks alternating blue and brown eyes with a soft, gentle winney....yes, he too is an equine lady-slayer.