In September 2010, I went with a friend to Harmony’s Rocky Farm for an opportunity to ride a Rocky Mountain Horse. We stayed for three days and were received and treated the whole time like family by Jim and Nola Blanks. While there I had a chance to ride a wonderful horse named C.J. This was without a doubt one of the best trail horses I have ridden in my life from the start and I have been riding for fifty five years. I was impressed that she stood quietly while I saddled her and then mounted. She waited for me to ask before moving as well as being very responsive to any request I made during the ride. The whole time I was riding her I was thinking that I would be hard pressed to find a nicer horse to ride on the trails. On my last day at Harmony’s Rocky Farm I got to ride a different horse. J.P.’s April Fool “Loretta”. She and I bonded almost immediately and I knew she was a special horse. A hard decision was laid out before me because all of the horses at Harmony’s Rocky Farm were calm, loving and people-oriented I knew I had to have one, but which one. I fell in love with Loretta so it was fate that I would purchase her. Jim and Nola Blanks made it possible for me to own and experience the pleasure of riding and bonding with a Rocky Mountain Horse. Every Rocky Mountain Horse I have so far come in contact with has been calm and people-oriented which must be breed characteristics. I will own and ride many more Rocky Mountain Horses.

With Sincere Thanks to Jim & Nola Blanks

Harmony’s Rocky Farm

Stewart W. Wickham

Jim, small world--your place caught my eye a couple of years ago when I drove by it.  I was having a stopover around the corner from you with a lady having some horse issues, on my way to the Buck Brannaman clinic in NC where they partially filmed the movie Buck ( appear in it).  I think she lives on Traynham Grove, I had to go by your place to get to 501.  I love Rockys (complete package, not unlike Morgans--looks, disposition, intelligence, and comfortable to ride), and as I drove by your place your horses caught my eye.  One of the best starts I've ever had, only put 2 weeks on him, was a 3 yo Rocky stallion, X Factor.  This is a pic from his third girthing ever, which was a 2 hr trail ride at Lake Anna State Park, included swimming:

Never told any of the folks I rode him with on trails during training that he was a stallion still, no one noticed, though we rode with mares, and he had already covered a couple before I started him.  What a fast learner (though he was a bit spoiled and ill-behaved at first)!  By the end of this first ride, he was a better trail horse than most of the horses accompanying us on subsequent rides.  I've also worked with a couple that had gaiting or behavioral issues, basically misunderstood and poorly ridden by novice owners (shank bits mixed with unskilled hands).  I've only ridden them with full cheek snaffle bits, and enjoyed their gaits, and of course their canters are to die for.  But never met one I didn't love.  I understand your passion.

I have my own gaited horse, now 21 yo, Tina the Wonder Horse, a full Morgan--she demonstrates at least 8 gaits.  If I didn't already have 19 equines, if I were to get a new 3 yo, it'd probably be a Rocky, and I may still--Tina is quite healthy and sound, but as she ages, I may want to keep a gaited horse under saddle here as a lesson horse for gaited folks, which Tina sometimes serves as, so perhaps in a few more years....

 

I hope you folks can remain healthy, the darn horse economy is so poor, and lots of folks breeding less quality were not quick to stop breeding, and some still haven't.  The quality of your animals in the field is what caught my eye--I was going fairly slow to begin with, but as soon as I recognized what I was seeing, I stopped and watched a bit, I'd never seen so many Rockys in one place, they're so beautiful to behold.  I didn't note the name of your farm, only the beautiful Rockys

David Yauch

Practical Equine Training, Inc.
Certified Instructor Trainer, NAET