Interview with Mark & Cheryl Martin

Partial Transcript: Can we start by telling me a bit about yourself?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about his ability to relate to people living in the mountains of Kentucky. He also talks about their reliance and strong ties to horses. Mr. Martin then discusses being connected with his Appalachian roots although he was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Mrs. Martin speaks about her admiration for the old-life that people lived. Cheryl also speaks about her educational background and how it led to her becoming a therapeutic riding instructor in 2004.

Keywords: Dayton, OH; Mckee, KY; recreational therapy; thearaputic riding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Can you share with us your first memories with horses?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about an early memory of getting his first pony ride when he was eight-months-old. He mentions that he became a horse enthusiast because of that memory and the influence of TV shows and movies centered around horses. He then speaks about his Mountain Pleasure Horse named Rocky.
Mrs. Martin discusses her childhood passion for horses. She tells about acquiring Fanny who is the mother to Mr. Martin’s horse, Rocky. Fanny was well loved in their community because of her temperament.

Keywords: Agriculture; gaited horses; horse conformation; Mountain Pleasure Horses; Rocky Mountain Horses; tobacco agriculture

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: When and how did you realize that you were part of Appalachia?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin describes his feeling of belonging to the Appalachian area during his first visit to Kentucky. He mentions that the area is tied back to life as it was 100 years ago. He continues on to say how strongly he feels in being connected to that time period.
Mrs. Martin speaks about her feeling of not being a part of Appalachia but rather Appalachia being a part of her. She mentions that there was no one specific moment of realization. She instead describes Appalachia gradually becoming a part of her.

Keywords: Appalachia

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: When did you start to understand what a mountain horse was?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin describes the first horse he owned being a mountain horse. He tells a story about the horse being able to navigate a mountain trail in the dark and deliver him to his house with minimal guidance. He was aware of oral histories describing mountain horses.
Mrs. Martin discusses the differences in riding a gaited horse versus other horses. She mentions that horses who are not smooth gaited require more energy to ride. She talks about the versatility of mountain horses and their ability to do work in accordance with their size. Cheryl discusses the first Mountain Pleasure Horse she owned named Fanny.

Keywords: breed characteristics; four-beat gait; horse breeding; horse conformation; horse-human; Mountain Pleasure Horse; Rocky Mountain Horses; smooth-gaited horses; trail riding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me a little bit about the importance of mountain horses for the community?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Martin states, “a good horse could mean the difference between life and death.” She implies in that statement how people relied on horses to get from place to place 50 to 100 years ago. She then speaks about the importance of having a multipurpose horse for families.
Mr. Martin gives the example of a traveling salesman that would use a gaited horse to collect orders. He states how if the salesman was on a smooth-gaited mountain horse, he could, “finish his day in the saddle with a smile on his face.” He then speaks about how using horses for transportation usually resulted in an encouragement to stop and talk to neighbors along the way.

Keywords: Appalachia; gaited horses; horse versatility; Mountain Pleasure Horses; Rocky Mountain Horses; smooth-gaited horses; trail riding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Some people say that horses bring people together. Do you have any more thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about the Kentucky Foothills Therapeutic Horsemanship Center that he and Mrs. Martin founded. He lists some of the populations and groups of people that benefit from interactions with horses in their therapeutic program.
Mrs. Martin speaks about the positive effect that working with horses has on people. She highlights the gains in self-confidence and feelings of empowerment that comes from working with horses.

Keywords: Kentucky Foothills Therapeutic Horsemanship Center; Madison County, KY; therapeutic riding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me about when you first heard about the Rocky Mountain Horse Association or the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about hearing of the Rocky Mountain Horse Association during its inception. In regard to the associations, he talks about how the value of having a horse that has a smooth gait is enough of a reward in itself.
Mrs. Martin speaks about why she has never been interested in any of the associations.

Keywords: gaited horses; Rocky Mountain Horse Association; Rocky Mountain Horses; smooth-gaited horses

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: As you know, some say that a Rocky Mountain Horse is just a color. What are your thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about how he is concerned more with the performance of a horse than the breed. Mark then mentions that the original Mountain Pleasure Horse can be of any origin or color. He explains how his belief in a horse’s behavior is a reflection of how much effort the owner puts into them.
Mrs. Martin speaks about the importance of breeding for calmness and a gentle temperament. Mark goes on to speak about Rocky Mountain Horses having a calm temperament because of the need for a horse that is safe to be around.

Keywords: breed characteristics; horse behaviors; horse breeding; horse temperament; Rocky Mountain Horses; Shetland Ponies

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Have you noticed any training differences that you do that gets better results than others?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin mentions that the term that they use for their training method is “natural horsemanship.” He explains that his primary goal in training a horse is to get it to be responsive instead of reactive.

Keywords: horse training; natural horsemanship

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Some say that we learn the most from difficult horses. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Martin speaks about how you can learn a lot from a difficult horse by working through issues.
Mr. Martin discusses the increased effort and focus involved in training a difficult horse.

Keywords: horse behaviors; horse temperament; horse training

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Do you think your relationship or connection to horses has changed over the years?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Martin talks about becoming someone that a horse can look up to as a leader. She then speaks about the importance of developing a mutual respect with horses.
Mr. Martin speaks about his horsemanship skills becoming better over time as he has learned to communicate better with his horses.

Keywords: horse behaviors; horse training; natural horsemanship; Tennessee Walking Horses

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Are there any stories about either the horse or past or present horsemen or horsewomen that you would like to share?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin speaks about the horsemanship skills of a man named Ricky Davidson who was a horse trader. He also speaks about Mr. Davidson as someone that was a great source of information on the historical origins of the Mountain Pleasure Horse.

Keywords: horse care; horse training; natural horsemanship

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Where do you see the future of the mountain horse breeds going?

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Martin discusses the popularity of mountain horses with people that competitively trail ride. He speaks about the Rocky Mountain Horse breed being attractive to people that do trail riding because of its smooth gait, color, breeding records, and the overall traits of a steady horse that you can depend on.
Mrs. Martin speaks about how the mountain horse was developed in Kentucky. She then elaborates on that thought by talking about their growing international popularity and how that is good for Kentucky.

Keywords: gaited horses; Mountain Pleasure Horses; Rocky Mountain Horses; smooth-gaited horses; trail riding

Subjects: