The wonderful Dakota Karper of Capon Bridge, West Virginia teaches the classic “Spotted Pony” in her usual clear, methodical way. Great for relative beginners, but also just a fun tune to break out in any jam. The tune is also called “Snow Shoes” in some circles and was taught to many by Bobby Taylor as “Spotted Pony”. This is the version closest to what Dakota plays and teaches here.

For more on the relationship between the two and a handful of different video examples, featuring very different stylistic takes on the tune, check out this post: Spotted Pony vs. Snow Shoes. Just within this one tune you can hear how it’s played in an Appalachian style (Bobby Taylor), a Missouri style (Pete McMahan), and a Texas-contest style (Katrina Nicolayeff). Oldtime has always been a language with many different dialects!

Here’s a history and audio of Pete McMahan’s version: Snowshoes