The Carolina Marsh Tacky

History:
 The Carolina Marshy Tacky came to North America with the Spaniards, who were hoping to colonize parts of it. One man, Luis Vazquez de Ayllon, was hoping to colonize the coast of North and South Carolina, as well Virginia, in 1526. He brought with him approximately 500 people and 89 horses. However, the idea of creating a colony flopped, and the people who had not died there left within the year, leaving behind their horses.

 One herd had swam to the Shackleford islands, while the other remained in what is now South Carolina. The latter had to adapt to the harsh marshlands of the area, but once they did, they became a prized horse among local Native American tribes–Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Seminoles. When Europeans began settling North American, the sure-footed horse was used by them too. Francis Marion and his troops, who fought in the swamplands of South Carolina, used these horses during the Revolutionary War. The breed had become so popular by them that the British referred to them as "tacky," meaning "common."

Marsh Tackies are sturdy, sure-footed horses, able run effortlessly through
wetlands due to their flat, dish-like hooves. source

 However, the breed is not so common today. As cars arrived in South Carolina, the horses went out the back door, their numbers dwindling down to 300 in South Carolina alone. In 2006, the American Livestock Breed Conservancy got involved after having travelled to South Carolina to determine whether the breed still existed. After confirming their find using DNA testing, they created a studbook. By June of 2007, owners decided to form the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association. Today, the biggest herd is owned by the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association, consisting of 100 horses. In further attempts to preserve the breed, the Marsh Tacky became South Carolina's state heritage horse.

Breed Description and Uses:
Standing under 14.3 hands high, the Marsh Tacky is well-muscled, yet also refined with large, pan-like feet and the ability to be ridden all day without tiring, even over rough terrain. Consequently, it is commonly used as a trail horse. Most often, the Tacky is dun colored.

 As for the temperament, the Tacky is calm and unafraid of guns, which is why it is favored among hunters. Should it get stuck in a bog, it would calmly climb out, whereas most other breeds would likely panic.

Banker Horse

History:
 Off the Coast of North Carolina lay a group of islands known as the Outer Banks. Wild horses, known as Bankers, have lived there for centuries, carrying a blood variant that was present in ancient Spanish horses.

 During the times of the exploration of the New World, Spaniards had several breeding stations located throughout the Caribbean, where they would breed work and saddle horses. In 1526, eighty-nine horses from one island, Hispaniola, and 500 people travelled up the coastline of North and South Carolina  and Virginia in hopes of creating a colony. Their efforts flopped. Within the year, the colony disbanded, leaving behind deceased people and many horses to return the Caribbean island of Antilles. The abandoned horses travelled back to the coast of North Carolina, swimming to the nearby Shackleford Banks island. With no interference from mankind, the number of horses grew, helped along by groups of horses abandoned in shipwrecks.

Banker horses are relatively small, though they have the
proportions of a regular horse. source

 In 1926, National Geographic stated that 5 to 6,000 horses lived on the islands off the coast of North Carolina. By the late 1950s, thousands had been removed under the mistaken belief that horses and other livestock caused the Banks to wash away. Residents managed to convince the state legislature to stop removing horses until they had hard evidence that they were causing damage, but not before the majority had been taken away.

 Only 350 Bankers are left in the world today, with a herd 117 in Shackleford. The legislation protecting them limits their number, using birth control to do so. Excess horses are adopted out of the herd.

 Breed Description and Uses:
 Standing under 14.2 hands high, Bankers are compact with strong haunches and slender legs. His profile is straight.Bankers belong to the same group of old-style Spanish horses that the Paso Fino belongs to, coming complete with several inherited gaits: the running walk, single foot, amble, and pace. They come in chestnut, buckskin, dun, bay, and sometimes pinto.

 Though Bankers are protected in their natural habitat, several people have taken them off the island in past years and trained for personal use in driving, trail riding, and mounted patrols.