The established characteristics of the breed are:

1. The horse must be of medium height from 14.2 to 16 hands. It must have a wide chest sloping 45 degrees on the shoulder with bold eyes and well shaped ears. The breed is best-known for its characteristic coloration: chocolate-brown body color and flaxen mane and tail, an expression of the uncommon silver dapple gene. But Rocky Mountain Horses can be any solid coat color.
2. The horse must have a natural ambling four-beat gait (single foot or rack) with no evidence of pacing. When the horse moves you can count four distinct hoof beats which produce a cadence of equal rhythm, just like a walk: left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore. Each individual horse has its own speed and natural way of going, travelling 7 to 20 miles per hour. This is a naturally occurring gait, present from birth, that does not require any training aids or action devices.
3. The horse must be of good temperament and must be easy to manage.
4. All Rocky Mountain Horses have a solid body color. Facial markings are acceptable so long as they are not excessive. There may not be any white above the knee or hock.
5. The breed is best known for its gentleness, often being compared to the Golden Retriever dog as a means of describing their unusual enjoyment of human company. It is an easy keeper and a wonderful riding horse with a strong heart and lots of endurance. Today the Rocky Mountain Horse is being used as a pleasure horse, for trail riding, in the show ring and for endurance riding.