REVIVING THE Marsh Tacky
If you’re not from the low country of South Carolina, odds are you aren’t familiar with the Marsh Tacky. For starters, if you’re wondering why a horse would have the word “tacky” in its name, you have to look back into history to learn that the name is derived from the English word for “cheap” or “common.” For most of their history, Marsh Tackies were the most common horse in the swampy and marshy regions of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. They were used for riding, pulling, and anything else horsepower was needed for. The breed could be found from as far north as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to as far south as St. Simons Island, Georgia, until the advent of the automobile. As the car replaced the horse, the Marsh Tacky began to disappear. Until recently, the ancient breed was thought to have gone extinct; but through the dedicated work of those committed to preserving the Marsh Tacky, the population remained intact, and continues to grow today.
Although the exact origin of
