Stocky horses make triumphant return in island's first marsh tacky races in 40 years; click here to see video

A fall from his horse didn't keep David Grant from winning the first Marsh Tacky Race on Hilton Head Island on Sunday.

"I feel a little like a rubber ball. I was bounced around so much," he joked, holding his trophy and petting his winning mare, Holly. "But this was so much fun; it was totally worth it."

Fifteen marsh tacky horses raced on the brown, wet sand of low tide at Mitchelville Beach as part of the island's Gullah Celebration. It has been more than 40 years since the short, stocky breed has galloped beside Port Royal Sound, the revival of a longtime Gullah and native islander tradition.

The races were similar to barrel racing, in which the horses were ridden to a set of poles; they circled the poles and then returned to the starting line. They raced in heats two at a time in a process of elimination.

Grant was able to get back on his horse after the fall, but the rider who also fell from his horse in the race with Grant wasn't as fortunate. Ashley Lowther bruised his leg and was taken to Hilton Head Hospital where he was treated and released. The horses collided when making the turn around the poles, but neither horse was harmed.

The island's Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association, which helped organize the event, estimated 3,000 spectators came out. It had expected about 1,000.

"This was much more successful than we could have imagined," said James Mitchell, the association's president. "We were expecting a big turnout, but this was so phenomenal that it's going to propel us when we do it again next year."

The crowd cheered as the marsh tackies raced across the wind-swept beach. Spectators ate seafood gumbo and other traditional island fare and spoke to horse owners about the breed that was once a staple of the island before Hilton Head was developed as a resort.

The point of the event, organizers have said, was to have fun and teach the historical importance of the horses to try to preserve them.

Marsh tackies were a mainstay of Gullah culture for more than 100 years. Each winter after the harvest, native islanders raced the horses on Mitchelville Beach.

The horses are descendants of those brought over by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. They were able to work in

humid conditions without tiring, making them well-suited to the Lowcountry.

Sid Hawkins, a board member of the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association, said the impact of the horses on the Lowcountry should not be forgotten.

"These horses are what built this area," he said. "They're one of the reasons this area grew so quickly, and it's a shame there are only about 150 left in the country."

Events like the island's revived races and efforts to make the marsh tacky South Carolina's state horse will help raise awareness, Hawkins said. "It's also a lot of fun."

As enthusiastic as the crowd was, the riders and owners were even more excited.

Riders cheered and yelled as other horses raced, and the riders ribbed one another about which horse would win it all.

"That's just all part of it," said Charles Hills, rider and owner of Bo. "You pick at one another and just have some fun with it."

One of the most popular horses at the race never left the starting block.

Starbright, a red-haired 14-year-old marsh tacky, was a crowd favorite. His owner, Michael Cohen, sheepishly stood for photos as spectators gathered around to see the last marsh tacky living on Hilton Head.

Cohen's father and grandfather rode in the races in the 1960s, and he remembers when the horses were more prevalent on the island.

"I haven't seen this many tackies together in one place since I was a teenager," Cohen said. "This means a whole lot to a guy like me."