This past June, I found my new trail horse. She needed a new beginning desperately and I needed a riding horse. Sometimes things just come together perfectly.
After I lost my beloved horse, Allie, I dismissed the idea of another horse until winter. I had in mind a stock horse between 6and 12 years old.
Then, I saw the following ad:
"Registered Morgan mare $250"
What the heck? A Morgan? Those are expensive horses. The kind of horses one dreams about now and again but they are much too pricey. It's like wanting a BMW but only having enough money for a Hyundai. Then, of course, one must ask, what's wrong with the horse? That's a kill buyer price, which is not a good sign.
The seller was a bit difficult to talk to but my instincts said to go look and bring a trailer. The poor mare was 22 years old, skinny, depressed, had improper hoof care, and an eye that needed attention (untreated injury from over a year before). Miraculously, she came with the proper registration papers, although it was not the seller's name on the papers. Hmm. After seeing how pitiful she looked, I just paid the guy cash and got her out of there. After settling her into our round pen and setting up an appointment with our vet, I contacted the owner on the papers to make sure she wasn’t stolen. The previous owner was relieved to hear from me. The mare fell through the cracks after a lease to own type situation that went very wrong. The previous owner was not in a position to take her so, with her blessing, I registered her in my name. Wow, my first Morgan! I have admired the breed for a long time but have owned mostly stock horses or Quarter Horse/Arabian crosses.
This is what she looked like that first day in our round pen:
You can see her right eye looks red and irritated still.
She was also afraid.
The first step was to give her a thorough vet evaluation and gain her trust (she was flighty and unsure at first). She only took a few days before she was following me around. She needed boosters of everything since the previous owner could produce no vaccine records of any kind for the year and a half he owned her. A trip to the local veterinary school for a thorough eye exam revealed good and bad news. She was blind in her right eye but it had healed in such a way that the eye should not cause her any further trouble and did not need to be removed. We treated it with anti-inflammatories to settle it down. She'll need periodic re-exams, but should be fine as long as I don't see excessive tearing or any sort of discharge. It was right around the Fourth of July, so we named her Libby (Liberty).
A few weeks later, here she is showing me her barn princess side. She has goop in her eye but it already looks better and her demeanor is much more calm.
I am amazed at the combination of spirit and tractability of Morgans. These were the US Calvary horses that carried generals. In fact, her breeding is from UVM, which was the government's breeding program.
As I worked with her through the summer, she adapted quickly to being handled on her blind side. Long grooming sessions relaxed her and I taught her few verbal commands so she knew what to expect even if she couldn’t see it. She filled out nicely and her coat changed to a lovely dark chestnut color. The saddle and bridle changed her demeanor from quiet and alert to proud and bold. She arched her neck and moved beside me like paintings of classic horses from long ago. Perfectly obedient and responsive but spirited and musical in motion. She was lovely. Truly this is the breed that generals rode into battle.
She gained weight fast and her sun-bleached coat turned into a lovely dark chestnut by August.
The local Morgan Horse community was extremely helpful in giving me information on her background and training. Many different people compared notes and I received a call from the lady that originally saddle trained Libby! It was wonderful to hear about how she was as a young filly. I am impressed and thankful for at the amount of support I have received from other Morgan Horse enthusiasts. A local Morgan trainer came out for the first ride. Libby was tractable but very reactive inside the round pen. She moved with exaggerated animation and perhaps a little trepidation. The saddle-seat training Morgan show horses receive can be quite intensive. In fact, one of the previous owners said she sent her to a big name saddleseat trainer and she came back terrified.
On subsequent rides, I felt her coil underneath me like a spring, ready to throw her legs out and move. Instead, I found that if I halted her and began to rub her neck, she relaxed. I used verbal commands to ask her to move and she did move more quietly. We are taking a break from the arena for awhile.
She is a lot of horse but we seem to be developing a language to communicate. She has a good mind so she is coming around just fine. She is also very affectionate. She nuzzles me and gently puts her head against my chest. Outside of the arena, she relaxes and goes very nicely. She is a little barnsour, but that is my specialty.
I took her out to a local trail recently and she did very well. At home, I am teaching her how to check fences with me and, eventually, she will help me move the cattle. She has no fear of the cows so far and they understand that the presence of a horse means I will be asking them to move, so it should go well.
Her winter coast is deep red, very thick, and has a little wave to it when she sweats. I can't wait to see her color in the spring.
I have a riding horse again!