Interview with Jack and Eloise Rose

Partial Transcript: Could each of you share a little bit about yourself; your date of birth, where you were born, your occupation, and then how you got involved with the Rocky Mountain Horses.

Segment Synopsis: Jackie Rose was born in Clay City in 1944. In 1983, Jackie and Eloise bought their first horses which were a Rocky and an Appaloosa. Eloise (Ellie) Rose was born in 1951 in Lexington, Kentucky. Eloise shares a story about her son's creative use of their Appaloosa.

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Partial Transcript: Can you share just that first meeting with Rea in terms of her coming to your farm?

Segment Synopsis: Jack and Eloise decided to become a part of the Rocky Mountain Horse Association and met with Rea to show their horse. They were not registering at that meeting, but rather just trying to define the breed.

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Partial Transcript: Fonzie Graham, can you share some stories?

Segment Synopsis: Jack and Eloise remember some moments with Fonzie and Larry Combs. Larry would break Fonzie's horses and was compared to a cowboy. The Roses' also tell about Junior Robinson and his time judging for the Rocky Mountain Horse Association.

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Partial Transcript: Did you know that the horse has certain requirements that they had to meet to become a Rocky Mountain Horse?

Segment Synopsis: Jack shares what the Rocky Mountain Horse Association requires for the horses to be registered. The stallions have to have a breed certificate. Even a foal of certified horses has to go through the certification process. Eloise tells about the growth of the association and the start of registration days that had to accommodate to the growing numbers of horses. Eloise was an examiner and would examine horses from her house from time to time.

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Partial Transcript: All the people that we've been talking about so far, your memories of Rea Swan. Can you share some stories?

Segment Synopsis: Eloise compliments Rea Swan on her dedication to the association and preservation of the breed. Jack tells about how strict Rea was on the registration process and what she looked for in the horses. Eloise shares details on why the association started training their own judges.

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Partial Transcript: It was different horse breeds were going to put on a demonstration in the big arena, the horse park.

Segment Synopsis: Jack's horse won a show and was invited to show on Stallion Row at the horse park. This led to the formation of the drill team. The team started in 1993 and still performs on a regular basis.

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Partial Transcript: In terms of promoting the breed, I bet that was important.

Segment Synopsis: Eloise tells how participating in drill team shows and breed parades helped to make the Rocky Mountain Horse breed popular.

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Partial Transcript: Could you share a little bit or describe the gait for us in terms of riding a Rocky Mountain?

Segment Synopsis: Jack tells about the gait of Toco Sam and how it was his favorite gait. Jack and Eloise have two or three of Toco Sam's offspring and they have the same style of gait. However, all horses are different. Some are smooth and others have a little more of a trot. Jack describes where the footfall should occur for the gait.

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Subjects: Toco Sam

Partial Transcript: In terms of what we think about our Rocky Mountain Horses or our mountain horses as being a part of Appalachian culture and traditions. Do you consider yourself to be part of Appalachia and if so, what does that mean to you in terms of being Appalachian?

Segment Synopsis: Eloise talks about how much this horse worked to make the Appalachian community. Jack tells about Sam Clemens and how people would breed to his horses even before the association started. Eloise tells about going to register the horses and not being able to understand the accent there.

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Partial Transcript: When you say it was a big boom for this area once the registration was established and Rocky Mountain Horses were a breed, what do you mean by a big boom?

Segment Synopsis: The horse show really impacted the popularity of riding horses. The horse that was around Jack and Eloise's area was the Rocky Mountain Horse. Jack tells about the journey of classes to show the Rocky Mountain Horses.

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Partial Transcript: Some say that horses bring people together. What are your thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Eloise shares the ups and downs of being a part of the association and how that can either bring people together or pull them apart. Jack and Eloise agree that things have changed in the association and that the horses are the best part of it.

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Partial Transcript: We've talked a little bit about the Rocky Mountain Horse Association, but can you tell me a little bit more about that first meeting when everybody got together?

Segment Synopsis: 50 or 60 horse people showed up for the very first Rocky Mountain Horse Association meeting. This meeting took place in 1986 in Winchester, Kentucky. Eloise isn't sure how many horses were involved in the first registration.

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Partial Transcript: Some have said that the Rocky Mountain Horse is just a color. What are your thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: As examiners, Jack and Eloise see the controversy of the color a lot. Eloise says that the chocolate color with a flaxen mane and tail was a great gimmick to increase sales. Jack mentions how the chocolate color would down play the red-colored horses. Eloise mentions that they fell for the color during the start of their drill team. They wanted the colors to closely match.

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Partial Transcript: We've also heard that the even-tempered nature of the Rocky Mountain Horse or gaited horses in general, may be a bit misleading. What are your thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Eloise tells a story about the time her foal broke its leg. She goes on to tell how the vet technicians were so cautious in the trailer even with the mare and foal not moving at all. Not all gaited horses have that temperament, but you can breed for that even-temper.

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Partial Transcript: Some say that we learn the most as horsemen and women, when we work with difficult horses. What are your thoughts on that and does it apply to our mountain horses?

Segment Synopsis: Eloise says you do learn but it is also dangerous to work with difficult horses. Jack mentions that a lot of the time, previous owners will teach the horse bad habits before the next owner gets the horse. Eloise warns about getting a horse that was kid broke. Children are not experienced enough to properly break a horse so they let the horses do what they want.

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

Segment Synopsis: Eloise tells about how working with horses causes you to relate everything to horses. Working with horses even helps with human relationships.

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Partial Transcript: And then he stopped and he said, "I guess to be good with horses, that means you're probably good with people also." What are your thoughts on that?

Segment Synopsis: Being a good horseman does not always mean you are good with people. Eloise also mentions how being a good trainer does not mean you are a good horseman. Jack believes how an individual treats a horse will show the character of that horseman or horsewoman. Eloise and Jack share the story of how Jack would work with a particular stallion during breeding.

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Partial Transcript: In terms of sharing some of that knowledge, that horse knowledge across generations, bringing new people coming into the breed. Can you talk a little bit?

Segment Synopsis: Jack tells about learning from Carl and Fonzie the most. He would go visit them and learn from them by watching their interactions with their horses.

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Partial Transcript: Tell her about Phil Vaughn.

Segment Synopsis: Eloise talks about taking an exchange student from France to go trail riding on a Rocky Mountain Horse and how much he loved the experience and the horse. This prompted the question about what Eloise and Jack think about the international popularity of the breed. Jack mentions that he believed that the association was coming out with a book about the history of the breed and certain winning horses.

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Partial Transcript: Advice for anybody who might want to get into our Rocky Mountain Horses, who is new to the breed, in terms of pointing them in the right direction?

Segment Synopsis: Jack promotes the breed as the breed that has it all. Eloise tells a story about a woman buying a horse that wanted a waiver saying that the horse would not either buck or kick. This shows that people should realize that horses are animals and nobody can predict what they will do. Eloise then tells about selling a horse to a 12-year-old child and how that turned out.

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Partial Transcript: Well is there anything else that we should cover?

Segment Synopsis: Jack talks about how he had to quit after some medical issues and orders from his doctor. Eloise tells of how grateful she is for the time she has spent with horses. Jack discusses about Eloise putting on the Rocky Mountain Horse Shows for a few years with a lot of help. Eloise talks about the struggles during that time and the growing pains the breed went through. They tell of plans to go to the shows again just to see the people.

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