Here is a 2019 article that might be of interest. It focuses on dressage, but is arguably true for almost all the sports “The State of Morgans in Dressage”: http://morgansportresource.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/StateofDressage_ND19_PROOF011.pdf
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I’ve been reading this forum for a while but never registered to contribute until I saw this thread. I’m a longtime rider, and have ridden thoroughbreds, quarter horses, warmbloods, and others, but the Morgan is my favorite. I own 3 Lippitts and I have yet to figure out why they are not more popular. My Lippitts were a fraction of what I paid for my German warmblood, so it’s not clear to me that price is an issue. Lippitts are hard to find, so that could be a deterrence. But they are fun to work with. My first one, a gelding, is so very smart. His canter is not great, but he is willing to try just about anything. And he loves to jump! I took him to a hunter pace and with his trot he was able to keep up with other horses’ canter. His half-sister naturally has a more balanced canter. She is very level-headed. At the age of 4, I can take her to new places and she just takes it all in stride. All 3 of mine are easy keepers. IMO, many Morgans would be a wonderful horse for adult amateurs.
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And to resurrect the old thread on the zombie apocalypse. . . My big, red, drama queen of a warmblood - most definitely NOT the horse I would want in a zombie apocalypse. My sensible, level-headed, energetic Morgan mare - most definitely yes.
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Back in the late 80’s I rode a smashing Morgan gelding. He was owned by a family where I boarded my grade QH. That Morgan would fly around a cross country course. He made me wish I had gone for a Morgan. I believe they can carry my no longer svelte build.
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Granted, my experience is very small, but I’ve found they can have tight canters. Some of them have had KS (x-rayed), some haven’t - but I think their strengths are in other areas vs canter, personally. I still love the breed and they are very well balanced in terms of what they can do vs what they will do for you (almost anything) - but their canters can be not as great as their other gaits.
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So then, as the canter has been identified as their weakest gait, but not in all Morgans , are breeders addressing this? Perhaps Gladheart can tell us?
The breeders with programs focused on sport-type have/are.
In terms of bloodlines, focus and abilities it’s not all that different from Welsh Cobs imo or those breeds known to be good all-rounder types. You have those breeding programs more suited (emphasis on) for the breed shows, those for driving and those for sport and then with Morgans, breeding programs focused more on western work and utility.
If you want one for dressage, you look for one that not only has a good canter but likes to canter.
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There are many Morgans that do not have the quality of canter that is needed for sport. However, serious Morgan Sport breeders are (and have been) very aware of this and have actively been selecting for good canters for some time now.
There are a growing number of Morgans advertised for sport that probably are not the best examples of what the breed has to offer, but instead are a testimony to people trying to sell horses by casting a wide net. Unfortunately, a large proportion of these sellers appear to not have a knowledge-base that includes an understanding of what is needed for success in most sport disciplines. They focus on the “big trot,” but are unaware of other limitations—such as a poor quality canter. And horses that are marketed in this way shape the perception of the breed’s aptitude for sport overall.
The data shows that Morgans with good canters can be found in all lines: Brunk, Lippitt, Western, Government and Show. And the data strongly supports that the breed can be very competitive in a variety of sports.
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This is super true. When I was hunting for my Morgan I was very explicit about wanting a horse with possible upper level potential and many people kept pushing horses that couldn’t even track up at the walk, let alone think about an overtrack or they had really tight/short movement wo any natural rhythm. That said, there were some really lovely prospects as well, although very spread out geographically.
I finally lucked into mine less than an hour away, but he went like a hotcake. I was the first person to try him (person ahead of me had to cancel because of a bad storm and a third person scheduled to try him a few days later), had him vetted within 3 days and home with us within a week. I later ran into the lady who had to cancel her test ride at an open dressage show with her other Morgan. Such a weirdly small world!
In addition to people pushing horses that aren’t right for the discipline, I’ve also found it disappointing how many Morgans are out there that are super behind in their training. I’m talking 7-8 year olds that aren’t even broke. That’s just too much of a project for the majority of ammies and most pros are looking for big warmbloods to build their scores and reps. The owners try to say “oh well Morgans live so long anyways” or “they don’t have any mileage so they’ll be sounder” or “they’re so smart and tractable they’ll make up the difference right away” but realistically an unbroke 8 year old is a hard sell even if it’s a super fancy warmblood at a bargain basement price.
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They, like Arabs, are too damned smart.
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That’s me!!!
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You can add my breed of choice to that list!
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I have really enjoyed this thread. I came into Morgans as a an adult when my mom got one. I had 16h+ “specialists” but ended up borrowing the 14.1 hand Morgan several times when the specialists had soundness issues. He could jump up through Training Level with very little practice and I was usually belly laughing through stadium (he cornered like he was on rails and “party” bucked at least once each round). After he passed in his 20’s, we picked up another one. This one was actually bred for saddle seat but hated it. We bought him for driving (had to spend a fair amount after a lot of looking and drive 8 hours) and being an all-around fellow. His trot is average (below average for a Morgan) but his canter is fantastic. I am actually considering selling my PSG warmblood since I have way more fun on the Morgan and despite the lesser gaits, the can do attitude and standard issue Morgan work ethic and soundness may mean that I may finish up my silver on the Morgan and not the warmblood. I am not a timid rider but never think twice about taking the Morgan out for anything and moving the warmblood from the indoor back to the outdoor in the spring is a carefully staged transition and usually pretty hair raising. I often introduce my warmblood as “my second and last warmblood”, but our current Morgan will only be the last if he outlives me. The jack-of-all-trades is getting to be a real benefit this year as well, since who knows if I can go to a clinic let alone a show this season. I have already been buzzing down the trails under saddle and in harness with the Morgan, so there is that as well. They are very smart and not everyone clicks with their personality, but they are fabulous and I like most every breed.
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I suspected as much from the photos in the other thread lol
Yes. ASBs are also in the “too smart” group!
regarding versatility, there was not a lot if any retraining required when switching between disciplines
As for why there are few on the market, most once finding a home they are there forever
My mare’s breeders bred for sport, and said their best sport Morgans were the foals who preferred canter over trot from the time they stood up for the first time. My mare’s sire was not seen trotting more than a few steps for the first few weeks of his life; it was canter canter everywhere. My mare was not quite as extreme but given a chance, she’d pick cantering over trotting. When I first got her, I had a hard time getting her to trot at all under saddle. That did change, but her canter was and still is much better than her trot.
(That’s her in my photo… palomino mare, Mythic Feronia, will be 22 years old in a few weeks. She’s semi-retired to being a trail horse now, as my interests changed and she is the exception for Morgans in that she’s not been easy to keep sound.)
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Thought you all might enjoy this - a great story and pics of some beautiful horses. Really made my day to read it.
@ASB Stars
