www.forevermorgans.com They rescue Morgan horses from kill buyer auctions and then adopt them out. Word is getting out and owners are beginning to contact them before sending the horse to auction.
[QUOTE=Lamb Chop;7567124]
A few more comments on my beloved Morgan-
My mare has a tremendous amount of common sense. An example- early on we came to a wooden bridge on trail, and most likely she’d never encountered one before. We were at the trot, and she just stopped, studied it for a few seconds, and proceeded like an old hand.
OTOH, she also generally perceives no need for wasted effort. When I first headed her toward a low crossbar, her statement was, “You know we could just walk around that thing, right?”
She can go months between outings. When I got her, she’d been a broodie for a couple of years, hanging out in 300 acres. The seller just saddled her up and sent me off on a solo ride, and the mare was solid and sensible. There have been instances of weeks or a month between rides, and that’s never an issue.
She conveys to me that repetitive schooling is boooooring, and please don’t bother her with it. She learns fast and retains the info, and I try to keep things from getting stale for her.
In short, I try to keep a partnership of mutual respect going with her, and that very much includes acknowledging her intelligence and opinions.[/QUOTE]
OMG - my Ana acts the exact same way. I put up an obstacle for her during free lunging and she went around it. Why bother waisting effort?
I also know not to school her to death with dressage training…she will actually let out a sigh to let me know she’s over it!
So we’ve reached an agreement: she will do 20 minutes of schooling in the arena without sighing and I will then reward her with a trail ride 
It sounds to me that for what the OP is looking for, a Morgan would be perfect, especially one of Foundation/Sport-type breeding.
[QUOTE=Fancy That;7566296]
I wanted to add that though RITR said she needs to work hers regularly, not the case at all with mine. I put in some very good “deposits in the bank” from the day I got Fancy as a 3 year old and yes, I was more regular with her as she got “broke” but honestly, for the last SEVERAL YEARS, she can sit in a pasture for months and be dusted off to go to an event.[/QUOTE]
This is similar to my experience as well. I’m currently an absentee horse owner and see my horses rather infrequently before I leased them out. On one occasion when I was visiting/riding them for the first time in about three months, someone who had never met me or my horses before was absolutely shocked when she saw how well-behaved they were and how well they were going. It has never mattered how much time they’ve had off - it always seems like they’ve never missed any time at all.
My gelding has always been a baby-sitter for other horses and new riders, from the time he was started under saddle. Scary trail to go on? Sure, I’ll go first in front of the much more seasoned older horse. New rider with not-so-good balance? Sure, I’ll take it easy for them.
Also very true. My mare never took an off step, until one day she did (she was 15). Very weird for her, so we had the vet out… and it turned out she had significant arthritis in her knee. Injected it once, and she’s been fine since (she is now 18).
I am not the only one to have described my horses as “very cool” or “perfect”. 
Just be ready to probably start looking for a stupid wide saddle and a big girth to go with it (mine fit an XW County, XXW Black Country, and 40cm Duett and take a minimum of a 48" girth - they stand 15.1 and 14.2-14.3-ish).
ETA - Both of mine LOVE jumping. The mare hates flatwork, unless we’re driving. She is very good at that, too. She would probably also make a very nice Western pleasure horse. The gelding, on the other hand, loves flatwork (he hasn’t done much driving). Both are also very good on trails.
PS - Fancy, the picture of your girl in cross ties very clearly illustrates to me that she is, indeed, bigger than my two in every way!!! :lol:
[QUOTE=MorganJumper848;7565547]
My morgan is 16hh! I bought him as a three year old and it was the best purchase I have ever made. I bought him from a wonderful breeder though![/QUOTE]
I’d love to know where you purchased your Morgan. I’m looking for a taller, bigger bodied one but with the good Morgan brain…
I love this thread! I’d actually researched the Lippitts quite a bit but at almost 5’8" (and wanting to jump), I really needed something taller than the typical Lippitt.
Pocket Pony, I’m not sure where you are but there is a fabulous 3 year old available in Kentucky. He hasn’t been backed yet but lovely bloodlines and breeders are willing to geld. (I have nothing to gain from this, just passing on some of the research I’ve conducted.) Again, too short for me at 14.3.
I love the old Western Working Lines too. I would have dearly loved a colt or filly out of Primavera Valdez…
Any leads on taller, big bodied Morgans in the mid Atlantic area would be appreciated!
[QUOTE=re-runs;7566709]
After reading many of your posts Pocket Pony, I think you are a serious rider who spends a lot of time trying to educate yourself with the idea that someday you might make a bridle horse.
Yes, I’d love to make a bridle horse! And while I’m not interested in showing, you are right that I take my riding and horsemanship very seriously and am constantly trying to educate myself.
Consider the upright conformation of the Morgan and how that horse could carry a spade with the balance that that will require. Many QH just are not put together in a way that will be easy for them to stay uphill and be ridden in the balance needed to be a bridle horse. Good hock and hindleg conformation is a must with a neck that comes up out of the shoulder properly. Speaking for myself, forward energy is a nice quality to have, more imortant than a horse that will forgive me for my mistakes. You have to have movement so that you can direct it.
Could you elaborate on conformation? What about the hock/hindleg would be something negative to watch out for?
Keep in mind that the Dorrances originally bred Morgans.
I have nothing against QH (I have owned some good using QHs) but some lines are riddled with genetic diseases and you also have to sort through the bloodlines to make sure you dont get a lot of halter horse blood. Good feet will be another priority so you`ll have to sort through quite a few to find one with a good foot under them and with good hocks and stifles. Also, for awhile the fashion was to breed a downhill QH. Lots of these things will ding quite a few off of your list.
Yes, yes, yes. I would be worried about all of those things - especially the feet and also the too-early-IMHO starting of young horses, which seems to be predominant and accepted in the QH world. One thing I like in talking to Jo (JAF Morgans) is that she starts them at what I consider to be a reasonable age. I was talking to a friend who recently got a QH through an auction and at two years old these horses are already going and in regular hard work. That’s just too much.
Most Morgans have very efficient digestive systems and some can have a tendancy to founder, also can be insulin resistant but weighing that against all the problems that QH can have and comparing the two types of conformation for each breed, I`d vote for looking towards a Morgan or Morgan cross. UNLESS…you go to a reputable breeder of QHs, who knows their foundation bloodlines inside and out and breeds them for the purpose for which you will be able to fullfill your plans.
I am a Morgan/tb owner x 2 :)[/QUOTE]
How would I search or a QH breeder like that - what key words would I be looking for?
Is there a good site that lists Morgan breeders by region or types- ie Sport or Foundation/Old Type? My Stinky Pony aka Bosco is a Morgan. Love him, but we may be nearing a retirement or step down in expectations for riding sooner than I anticipated. Presently, I am torn between another full Morgan or possible a Morab. Just want to start informing myself on what is out there and thinking about what exactly I want. Thanks so much!
Happy riding,
Jessie and the Stinky Pony aka Bosco (a super smart Morgan gelding with a wicked sense of humor)
Pattnic - glad you joined in! Fancy looks, ahem, extra “big” in the sleepy-cross-tie picture. She picks up a touch of weight this time of year ;( But it’ll come off soon, our grass is already dead.
Those looking for Morgans - go to the Morgans For Sale Facebook page and ask around 
Also - check Morgan Showcase, all the other sites like equine.com, dreamhorse…and for FARMS, check out AMHA.
Here is a club that some of you might find handy with breeder listings: Cornerstone Morgan Club (foundation Morgans)
Agree with Grunden Ranch for nice big stout working type Morgans. Harder to find a Morgan closer to 16 hands than 15 hands.
here is one of my favorite big guys. This is ML Meadowlark Jazzspur, a solid 16.1 hands and built like a tank. Look up Linnea Sidi and Shery Jesperson for good, big, stout working/using Morgans
http://www.meadowlarkmorgans.com/index.php/stallions
I’ve always thought Winfield has some great Morgans. Over in Connecticut
http://www.windfieldmorganfarm.com/
There are so many great Morgan breeders…if you just start looking around from Rainbow Morgan Horse Assoc, Lippit Club, Western Working Morgan Club, Cornerstone and some of the Regional Clubs (look up on AMHA) you can find lots to choose from.
Be picky! There are many types of Morgans…if you like a certain type, keep LOOKING for that It’s worth it. I have a very specific type of Morgan I like
I love seeing that there are so many Morgan lovers on this forum. Another fan here. My mare is pretty awesome (at least I think so lol)…she is very forward and has the go go go attitude. Her spook is a jump in the air and then look. With leg or a tap from the whip she will go past pretty much anything. In our first parade we had to go under a bunch of floating balloons. Most of the horses in our group spooked at them but followed right after my girl.
I have been around some people that have told me they would hate riding such a forward horse. At one of the board barns we were at we would go around the ring twice before their Qh got around once.:lol: So maybe they aren’t for everyone.
I can go months without riding and still have a good ride when I hop on bareback (still with a lot of go).
Like a lot of Morgans she is a mix of bloodlines… I’ve done trail riding, some dressage but quit as she has arthritis. She’s done a little bit western showing before I bought her and we’ve showed hunter pleasure. Oh and she’s my second Morgan that is more of a hard keeper.
This summer I’m going to try to get my 7yr old riding her. I just got to get him comfortable with the fast trot.
She’s had the winter off so here she is out of shape. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/morgansnmind/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps5ab84730.jpg
I bought my girl from a small breeder in NY.
Good luck searching for your horse!
She’s beautiful!
So here’s the deal. I got all excited by daydreaming about another horse. Then Mr. PoPo reminded me that really we can only have three horses. And we already have three horses. I got a call from my vet two days ago that one of his clients had to put their horse down and may be interested in taking our retiree/companion horse on. [side note - this is a horse I got last year right after Mr. PoPo’s horse died because at the time I only had my mustang at home and my TB was being leased out.] So I called the person yesterday and he came out to see the horse and I just delivered the horse to this guy’s house. You never know what someone’s place is going to look like, but it turns out that his place is a farmette that Mr. PoPo and I looked at (and loved) when we were house shopping here 10 years ago but there had already been an offer on it . . . and that’s this man! I took Sunny (companion) down to the pasture, we let him meet the lonely horse, they became instant friends, so . . . NOW I HAVE AN OPEN STALL!!!
What am I going to do with it? ;):winkgrin::eek:
Go have fun shopping!
My old mare is a morgan. She was used for years in a commercial carriage business and then went to an auction, I got her from the girl that bought her at the auction. I don’t have her papers so have no idea what her bloodlines are but I was told she was registered and my vet and several farriers have no doubt she is a morgan. I can’t say enough good things about her, super smart, easy going and amazingly healthy. The girl I got her from started her undersaddle at about age 16 and after a few weeks decided to find her another home because she did not take to jumping. I took her thinking she’d be a companion horse but lo and behold she took to trail riding like she had been undersaddle for her whole life. She’s around 35 years old and she is my grandsons horse when he comes to visit me as the other 2 horses I have are maniacs. Inspite of her gray hair and swayback, when you take her out of her stall she still parks out, she’s an elegant old dame. She’s just over 15 hands, liver chestnut with flaxen mane and tail.
Another twenty-five plus year Morgan owner. We found the breed to very versatile and cheap to feed which has been a god sent during this extended drought. Ours are old lines, their metabolism is so low that even with limited feed we have to watch their weight gain.
We found the horses to be extremely versatile as all we need to do was get more tack when the kids wanted to do something different. Our horses learned to change their presence with the type tack they wore. We could switch from hunter of the flat, to working hunter over fences then back to western pleasure then over to trail, then hook them to harness and drive away.
Ours were very slow to show any sign of aging. The twenty years olds were often mistaken for seven or eight year olds.
We were able to take backyard mounts show them nationally in Class As or take them into the wilderness to do 55 mile competitive trail rides with pride as the horses always looked eager and willing to try something new.
Our bay Morgans were often miss identified as good examples of the older King Ranch Quarter Horses
I will say this, remember that much we do with horses as entertainment and sport is dependent on what we can do where we live.
If you are where most activities are with quarter horses, or those are truly the best for the task at hand, it would make sense to get a quarter horse.
If you think you have a good group you can socialize and play with and show that has arabians, or morgans, or whatever else you like, then get one of those.
Since you are not set on any one breed, I would look at what those where you are, doing what you are interested in doing have and see if you can find a suitable horse to do that, without trying to fit round pegs in square holes to do so.
I like arabians and had a few as ranch horses, but truly they, talented as they were, just didn’t hold a candle to a real cowhorse when it came to work cattle.
Sure, they got the job done and well, but ahhh, to sit on a cowhorse that is just made for that, well, that makes life simpler for all, the horse we are using and ourselves.
On the other hand, when the job was more to just cover the country and circle, gather loosely out of the brush, our TBs and my arabian were in heaven there and stayed with you, no matter how senseless the job to them and were looking for more.
Quarter horses, well, if there was an easier way to do it, in their opinion, they would question what we were doing that it was taking so long.
Everyone is happier when you have the right horse for what you are doing, or change what you are doing to suit what fits your horse best.
Well since my horses are pleasure horses and don’t really have one job, per se, I’m looking for something versatile. I don’t work cows except for going to clinics, and although I’d love to dress up like a rawhide barbie, I doubt I’ll ever be doing what anyone would consider “real” ranch work. I dabble in a little bit of whatever I feel like at the moment. Dressage, trails (lots of trails), jumping, clinics for any of the aforementioned.
In my area there are lots of Arabs (I live in a big endurance area) and Morgans - I’m not interested in Arabs. I’d say those breeds outnumber (at least based on what I see out on the trails) TBs and WBs, for sure. There are a fair number of people on gaited horses and QH, too, some mustangs here and there. For what I do, there’s a mish-mash of breeds at any given trail/show/clinic I go to. My former trainers have students with QH, Morgan, Arab, Morab, Cob, TB, WB, Lippizan . . . the gamut!
Yea, what Bluey said. :-).
I have a Morgan-cross. He had done low level eventing with his previous owner. I bought him to hunt and trail ride. He is the most level headed and athletic horse I’ve had. I honestly don’t think there is any activity, given training, that he couldn’t manage. When we are in a difficult spot, he takes a look and slowly proceeds. I’d never considered a Morgan before, but wouldn’t hesitate to try another.
Hehe, you could always find a Morgan/QH cross! My first horse was a 19 year old Morgan/QH mare that I had a lot of fun with
I’m a QH fan, although I am very spoiled with mine. She’s a super well bred very fun cutting mare… so smart. She is the sweetest mare I have ever had, does everything I ask of her. My first western horse … and first AQHA registered horse… and I am in love with the breed… at least ones like mine. There are different types. I prefer the cowy cowy types… so fun
