Little Rosie isn't one of a kind, but there aren't many like her around.
The pretty roan mare is a Marsh Tacky horse. There are only about 300 others of her breed in existence.
A recent arrival to Aiken from the Lowcountry, Little Rosie belongs to Jane Gunnell and is boarded at Freddie Gilligan's Foxchase Stable on Huntsman Drive.
"She's 8 years old, and she's already had two beautiful foals," Gunnell said. "I'll ride her in Hitchcock Woods, and I plan to take her out fox hunting. I also want to breed her, eventually."
Marsh Tackies, which generally are 13.2 to 15 hands tall at the withers, are the descendants of horses brought to this country by Spanish explorers as early as the 1500s. The animals were used as packhorses on Native American trade routes.
During the Revolutionary War, some of the men who served under American officer Francis Marion rode Marsh Tackies, and the horses also served as mounts for Civil War soldiers. Members of beach patrols in World War II rode the sure-footed horses while looking for signs of German boats and enemy troop or spy landings.
"They're strong, gentle and as smart as whips," Gunnell said. "They look at things, but don't shy at them. They're very hardy, and they've pulled plows and wagons. They can get themselves out of any kind of trouble in the marshes that larger horses can't deal with."
The Marsh Tacky used to be the most common horse along the coast of the Palmetto State and Georgia. The animals lived in feral herds, and people rounded them up when they needed horses to ride.
The breed's numbers dwindled, however, as the automobile became more popular as a form of transportation during the 20th century. At one point, Marsh Tackies were thought to be extinct, but a DNA testing effort, spearheaded by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the Equus Survival Trust, showed that the horses hadn't died out completely.
The two organizations consider Marsh Tackies to be critically endangered. In 2010, the South Carolina legislature passed a bill that made the Marsh Tacky the State Heritage Horse.
Real estate broker Billy Benton bought Little Rosie for Gunnell in April from Marsh Tacky breeder Ricky Warren, who lives in Ravenel. The mare's registered name is Ms. Dan.
Both Benton and Gunnell, who have been together for more than 20 years, are now lifetime members of the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association.
"I have an affinity for species that are on their way out," Gunnell said. "They are especially interesting to me."
Gunnell and Benton are known for their efforts to breed, preserve and promote Carolina dogs, which also are called Dixie dingoes.
"We have worked so hard to save the dogs, and now maybe we can help out with saving these horses," Gunnell said. "We have a beautiful place, Banbury Cross Farm, where we could breed them. That would be really cool."
Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013. A native of Concord, N.C., she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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