Glad you could visit our site. We are Ray and Carol Knotts. Our horse farm is located in Kalispell, Montana close to Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
We moved here to the Flathead Valley in 1999 with intent of spending as much time as possible in the backcountry on the back of a horse. We have been breeding and selling the Missouri Foxtrotter breed of horse since 1976. We brought with us to Montana a select group of quality Missouri Foxtrotter mares and a few geldings we’ve used for years.
All horses at Montana Mountain Horses are given a fair start. These horses are sold as “started” and have good foundations for whatever equestrian discipline their new owner might pursue. We believe in the bonding time between horse and rider, that a horse owner should have the liberty to put the finesse on their horses training and that in that time they develop lifetime partnership.
The most essential part of our program is the selective breeding process. You have to have good material to start with or you are going to have no horse. You might get lucky. I won’t say there aren’t exceptions to the rule but two things are generally true throughout the world.
They are:
- You are generally going to get out what you put in.
- Things are generally worth what you pay for them.
Our breeding program is simple.
- We breed for brains first and bone second.
- Color, although most are black, is not that important.
- Conformation, I already said we breed for bone second. A horse with poor feet will breakdown and a horse with a shallow front end will run out of gas too soon simply because he doesn’t have the lung capacity.
- No feet, No horse!! We look for a size #1 or #2 and occasionally #3 with ½” or better thickness to the horn wall. Black feet are preferred. Straightness is important. Cow hocked or bowed out is not accepted. Short backs are preferred but they must have a good slope to their shoulder in order for them to have a smooth, non-jarring walk.
These are just a few of the things we look for in our babies. But, if you would like a first-hand look at our program, meet the stallions, mares and their exceptional offspring, don’t hesitate to call us or reach us via e-mail. We are never too busy to talk horses.
