. Morgan horse/pony knowledge for amateur rider - Update. We have a Morgan

[clipper]

Looking at a Morgan pony/horse for riding. Want something sensible but with good gaits. A horse/pony I could ride dressage with, go out on a different day to a hunter pace and finally ride out on the trail.
Any knowledge about Morgans as a breed would be appreciated. The good and the not so good.

I am aware of the PSSM1 that Morgans can have. Any hints about other health issues? What would be most important with a Pre-purchase exam? Would you test for PSSM1 if this test was not done before purchase?

I am going to cross-post this in the hunter/jumper and eventer thread.

Thank you for any assistance

[Bristol_Bay]

Paging @clanter

[clanter]

yes

[clanter]

Looking at a Morgan pony/horse for riding. Want something sensible but with good gaits. A horse/pony I could ride dressage with, go out on a different day to a hunter pace and finally ride out on the trail.

pretty much describes what we do with our Morgans, they enjoy the changes and quickly learn how to present themselves depending upon what tack they are wearing.

western

Lexie dressage

Lexie working ranch horse

daughter is 5’10" Lexie is 14 hands even

both are of Lexie who for her first five years was just a pasture ornament since the owner was a trainer whose clients came first, Lexie just remained in the pasture.

Trainer and his wife gave Lexie to daughter after her upcoming young horse was lost in a pasture accident. (a very day )

Lexie had never been saddled before daughter got her, In just over one year of having her she took Lexie to a being a Morgan world championship in Dressage and two national championships (one in Dressage, one in Sport Horse winning mares in hand) Also competed in working ranch horse which she did not place but had a great time.

Lexie’s bloodlines are Park Horse

Below this was our first Morgan, she was to have been our kid’s English Pleasure mount but did everything bur English Pleasure. This is same daughter as above with Lexie at age six. This horse (Shamrock Foxie Joy) was a national champion western horse and a national champion NATRC competitive trail horse… often the rides had her listed a Foxie Lady as she was really a very pretty horse

here is daughter’s replacement of Socks who was lost in the pasture accident, this is Sock’s half brother who might have become the youngest Morgan world champion at age five months when he won the sport horse in hand national and world championships

here is Socrates as a two year old when he won the Morgan Sport Horse world championship (same class his half brother wins two years afterward)

[MorganMaresVT]

Feel free to post pedigrees; there are a couple of lines that are connected to PSSM1. If the seller can document the status of the parents, the horse may be clear without having to test yourself. This is a fledgling database tracking some PSSM details in the breed, though completely voluntary and relying on good will of owners to self-report their positives: https://morganhorsehealth.org/faq-1

The Morgan Horse magazine has also produced several well researched articles recently showing which pedigrees produce the largest number of sport horses. When I’m in front of my computer I’m happy to link to some of the recent articles.

You mentioned you’re looking at a smaller sized Morgan. Think about saddle fit as you evaluate prospects. Can the horse carry a saddle that will be comfortable for you? Are you likely to need something custom or a hoop tree that might have to be imported?

Depending on the age of the horse, including a metabolic blood panel in your PPE could be $ well spent, particularly if you intend to have the horse turned out full time or a large amount of time. If the horse has any hint of a metabolic look to them, probably also worth x-raying feet. If nothing else, you’ll have a baseline for the future. To me, the metabolic issues are the number 1 negative of having Morgans. Thank goodness there are so many positives!

[clipper]

Clanter could you accept a PM from me?

[clipper]

Thank you Clanter and MorganMaresVT. Your knowledge is appreciated.
Pedigree:

[Mallard]

I have a wonderful registered Morgan mare, turning 7 next month. 14.3hh.
She was feral, living in a herd of 100 Morgans, until she was 4.5.
She was with siblings, parents, grandparents and both my Vets feel she likely had at least one foal. Possibly two, as of course there was no gelding being done. Yikes! All but a handful were moved over the past 3 years. DNA testing was done on most of them to confirm parentage. And, Yes. Charges are pending against the owner.
My girl went from not being handled at 4.5 to lightly backed at 5 years old. I bought her a few months later, fall of 2022.
I am 71 years old with some minor physical limitations and she has been nothing but amazing to handle and ride.
We did 3 W/T Dressage shows, a Working Equitation Clinic and 2 small hunter shows last summer. We trailered out and went hacking with friends and ponied our barn-owners 4 year old on her pony. She goes through water and walks on tarps.
I knew next to nothing about Morgans until I found this girl and now I am a huge supporter.

[initiate1987]

My first horse was a Morgan - the old Bay State line. He competed through 4th at his prime, though I got him when he was 18. He took me from walk-trot through 1st, retiring from being my competition horse at 25, then bopping lesson kids around until his full retirement at 32. We went bombing around on the trails, western, games classes, you name it. He didn’t jump with me because he developed navicular when he was in his early teens. But seriously, best horses ever! They’re at the top of my list for when I’m ready to buy again.

New England Morgan Horse Show - 2012. He’s 25 in this photo. I always think the look on his face is “why yes, I did win this fancy ribbon for my child”

[Minxitbabe]

Your standard of “good” gaits in a Morgan may need to be flexible if you are going to pick the breed. While there are breeders out there producing decent sport horses now it is still a work in progress. There are some out there that do it all and some do it pretty well but there are still limitations to how good they look doing it vs a Warmblood.
Metabolic issues are what I would be most concerned about. Most Morgans are easy keepers and having plans to be able to have a system to keep them trim is important. PSSM1 is being looking into by an individual within the breed and if you avoid certain lines it seems there are many without that particular issue. You should be able to see that in the link above. If I were to go the Morgan route again I would be sure to get a barely started one to try and avoid getting one that was trained so backwards to what is needed in dressage. I desperately tried to stay with a Morgan but prices from sport breeders were too high for what I would be getting as far as gait quality. I ended up elsewhere in breeds for now.

[MsM]

There is a lot of variation in Morgans, both in terms of conformation and temperament. While they tend to be people-oriented worker-bees, some are way hotter and more reactive than others. Hopefully you are looking at an adult horse and can judge what you will be getting.

It can be a challenge to find a Morgan that doesn’t have training you will need to undo. I find saddleseat training the most difficult to deal with. (I ended up with a very green 6 year old)

You have to like the Morgan’s inquisitive, often bold PERSONALITY. Some stock horse people really dont understand or care for them.

You also need an instructor that can work with the attitude and the baroque build. Not all of them are good with non-warmbloods.

Good luck!

[islgrl]

I have a morgan now. He is shockingly fancy, most people think he’s a small Oldenburg. He was schooling second last year, we have dropped back whilst we try and sort some physical issues. When he’s not dressaging, he can jump around a 2’6" hunter course like a pro (he could certainly go higher if I had the desire). He trail rides, we’ve tried working equitation. Basically, he’s game for anything. He is just under 15.1. I will say saddle fit is tricky, he is very short backed with massive shoulders. He is coming 15 this June. he just tested positive for insulin dysregulation even though he has always been on a metabolic diet as a precaution. I actually did a test for pssm last week and I’m waiting on results.

He is truly a remarkable horse and I feel very lucky to have him.

[FjordBCRF]

@clanter

IMG_63231365×2048 520 KB

It took me s sec why I thought this looked familiar…it looks like the Jurassic Park font!

OP - I don’t have firsthand experience with Morgans, but I think everyone that I know who does just raves about them!

[ClearDonkey]

I have a Morgan mare that came from a bad situation, semi-feral, starved, and with a foal at her side at only three years old. I got her from a rescue at approximately 5 years old, barely halter broke and untrusting, to going under saddle with-in 6 months. I utilized AMHA’s DNA testing program to confirm she was indeed a Morgan, and worked with them to get her registered.

The rest is history. She’s 10 now, and we have been steadily chipping away at dressage, exploring trails, and are starting working equitation this summer. She’s incredibly intelligent, athletic, and kind, but she is definitely a one-person horse. She is easily caught, handled, and ridden by me, but tends to be mistrusting and nervous with others. I think if she had a different start as a young horse, this would be different.

I personally only feed her through slow-feed nets, with very limited access to grass. She also is on only a ration balancer, an ulcer preventative supplement, and an amino acid supplement. When she was on grass, she was an air fern, and I personally won’t risk it now.

Saddle fit was tricky with her short, curvy back and large shoulders, but she can still accommodate an 18" seat. A Black Country Eloquence X with a hoop tree was the trick, but difficult to find on the used market. I also use a semi-custom bridle from FlexibleFit, as off-the-rack bridles didn’t fit quite right, but a combo of cob and horse sized bridle pieces did the trick.

I’d absolutely own another Morgan.

[Live_Wire]

I have no beneficial input, i’m just here to say I’ve never met a Morgan or Morgan cross I didn’t fall head over heels for. They’re awesome little creatures.

[gladheart]

Some super suggestions and advice here!

We have been competing in open dressage with our Morgans–managed to get one to Grand Prix (all 13.3 hands of him) and our stallion is now at FEI. We also do Working Equitation, so definitely value the versatility of the breed.

PSSM1, and this is from two separate studies, is in less than 1% of the breed. Having said that, and especially if you are getting a youngster, I would test for it. Someone mentioned a private website that is tracking some of these genetic markers. This is great, but I suspect many people don’t test unless they see a problem and that it is voluntary is problematic. However, there are some horses (and lines associated with these horses) that have been confirmed, so testing as part of the pre-purchase is not a bad thing. Chances are good most Morgans are clean, but the test is relatively cheap.

There are good sport Morgans from all the families/bloodlines. As someone mentioned, some of the rub is how they are trained and how intensely they have been selected. Long, “hooky” necks, long-backs and overly animated trots (especially combined with saddle-seat training) is not advantageous for sport. As we know, dressage takes a long time and a lot of money with any horse, starting with one that you have to undo inappropriate training just makes it longer and more expensive.

The biggest “ding” to the show lines is that they concentrate more on the trot than the canter. So watch for the quality of the canter when you go shopping. I would suggest going to sport Morgan breeders, especially those who compete, as they should be selecting for sport qualities.

One place to browse what lines are doing what and how well in sport, as well as A LOT of articles (some have been eluded to here) is www.morgansportresource.com There is a Facebook presence as well that showcases Morgans in open competition. There is a fledgling stallion directory as well–and many will have stock that might be of interest. The Morgan Horse magazine has been trying to include more sport articles as well (those eventually make it on the website).

[eightpondfarm]

I have only one Morgan left, a 23 year old mare. I bred her. I’ve had several in my past. Two in particular stand out. Both quite ‘hot’. One was a Park Harness mare (and dam of my last remaining Morgan) Her gait was HUGE and rolling. Really hard to ride. Harness was quite her thing though and it was such a joy to be in a cart with her big rolling behind moving in front of me. She was quite the fine harness horse! And the other favorite, well, he was the love of my life. Now, it took some doing to convince him that trail riding was a fun thing to do, but eventually he came to believe that it was wonderful getting out into the woods and hills. After a couple of years he was the best companion in and out of the saddle. And so beautiful! I would have people stop and ask me “what kind of a horse is THAT?!”… (we’d have to ride along a road a little ways to get to our trails) I don’t have Morgans any more because i decided to get all future horses from a rescue. And that morphed into adopting mustangs from the BLM. But, as purebred horse, i think a Morgan horse is my favorite. I like a hot horse who thinks s/he is the coolest thing on hooves…

[exvet]

Another Morgan owner here. Mine is 6 and schooling 2nd level. He has very nice gaits including canter. He truthfully is a Mish mash of lines but dam excelled at jumping and sire’s forte was reigning. He’s your typical Morgan - bold, inquisitive, anticipates and is sure he knows how you want it or how you really should want it. I have an instructor who loves him and another who makes it clear she never would have bought him. I got him as an unstarted 3 year old. He’s not my first Morgan nor my first rodeo in terms of starting them from the ground. I find you need to have a good sense of humor and realize that many are late bloomers and that’s okay. He’s level headed and willing to try almost anything. Good all round kind of guy. He’s 15.1 and takes up a lot of leg. Unlike some morgans he’s been the easiest to fit for saddles. Biggest challenge has been keeping him relaxed but when he is he scores high on gaits.

[Mondo]

@islgrl

I will say saddle fit is tricky,

This has been my experience. I’ve trained several Morgans over the years and really love their Can-Do attitude. But, at least with dressage saddles, they can be hard to fit.

[Mondo]

@clipper - There is a nice article on a rescue Morgan mare on the home page of COTH today. You might enjoy reading it.