Coastal Discovery Museum-Hilton Head Island South Carolina
The official state heritage horse for the state of South Carolina is the “marsh tacky“.
The marsh tacky is a descendant of a Colonial Spanish horse breed. Historians can trace them back to the 16th century. At that time, the Spanish founded Santa Elena, the colonial capital of Spanish Florida. There are around 400 alive today. Considered to be one of the world’s rarest horse breeds, it is considered critically endangered.
The horse has served the Gullah community for hundreds of years. Although they are small, they are strong and played a vital part in the agricultural community.
In the 1960’s as part of the Gullah Festival, horses were raced on the beaches of Hilton Head Island.
