Marsh Tacky Horses: The Secret Weapon of South Carolina Hog Hunters
By Wylie Bell – Photos by Dwain Snyder, Equestrian Images
One of South Carolina’s best kept secrets is the Marsh Tacky, but word is getting around about these sturdy
little horses that have no quit in their anatomy. The critically endangered breed has received quite a bit of
attention in the past five years, including being named South Carolina’s State Heritage Horse.
The Marsh Tacky’s bloodlines can be traced back to the Spanish Colonial horses that arrived with the early
settlers of the United States of America in the 1500s. South Carolina is located on the U.S.’s eastern seaboard
and has many coastal islands where small bands of wild horses spawning from these early settlements lived
for hundreds of years in near isolation.
Marsh Tackies played a significant role in South Carolina’s history as they were culled from these roaming
herds and became the main workhorse for the people who lived in the coastal lowlands. They plowed the
fields, carried the men on hunts and drove the family to town. Historical records from the American
Revolutionary War have made note of the “Tacky” horse being used by the famous U.S. General Francis
“Swampfox” Marion. His militia rode swift, sure-footed horses that easily eluded the British Calvary in the
swamps and marshes of South Carolina. Notable naturalist John James Audobon in the 1800s mentioned
Tackies in his field journals, describing them “tough as pine knots.”
Tough as Pine Knots
Today, we still use the same expression to describe our beloved Marsh Tackies. Average height is 14.2
hands and weight under 1,000 pounds, but they have big hearts and sensible minds. We use our Tackies
for hog and deer hunting, so these qualities are essential when navigating the black water swamps and
river bottoms of South Carolina. It is nothing for us to sling a 200-pound whitetail buck over the saddle
pommel or dally up a 300-pound boar hog to these little horses to drag it out of the woods – in addition to
bearing the weight of rider and tack.
The terrain is often boggy and riddled with old stump holes and deadfall. A horse can quickly become tangled
in vines and must not panic as he waits to be cut free. He must be agile enough to climb up a near vertical incline,
just to slide down the other side. He must be able to thread his way through a tight stand of pines and feel his
feet sinking deep in the soft, sucking mud without losing his footing, or his mind. We often tell folks who join us
for a hunt, “Don’t get in the way of your horse. He’ll do the job for you.”
These Marsh Tackies exhibit strength and athleticism comparable to a well-bred Quarter Horse. But unlike
the QH, the thick hairy hide of the Tacky protects it from the briars and the biting yellow flies that are prolific
in the hot, humid summer months South Carolina is known for. You can be sure a boar hog is going to nestle
down in the thickest stand of undergrowth or the muddiest muck hole, and there is only one way to get them:
on the back of a Marsh Tacky.
Team Marsh Tacky Effort
Carolina Marsh Tacky Outdoors, also known as Team Marsh Tacky, is the name of our outfit located in the Pee Dee
region of South Carolina. From September to January, we hunt deer from horseback, but it’s open season on feral
hogs year round. We use two types of dogs to hunt hogs: bay dogs and catch dogs. Bay dogs are very vocal and
harass the hog, working to keep it cornered until the catch dogs arrive. Catch dogs latch onto the head of the hog
and hold it until we join the melee and dispatch the hog with a knife.
“Hog hunting is a rough game for rough folks,” says David Grant, owner and manager of Carolina Marsh Tacky
Outdoors. “The horses have to be tough and the dogs tougher. All involved must have grit – true grit.”