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Why
a Morgan?
In addition to the Morgan’s natural baroque build and
all of its desirable conformational qualities, the
breed’s great heart and athletic ability also
contribute to its excellence as a sport horse. Anyone who has read the classic story of the
foundation of the breed, Justin
Morgan Had A Horse, knows that this solitary
stallion from whom all Morgans descend could out work,
out pull, out trot, and out race any other horse of his
day. The
famous stallion Figure lived a long and robust life,
working right up to the end when he died at the age of
32.
When the U. S. Government wanted to select the
strongest and most hardy horses to mount its cavalry, it
held a series of endurance trials to evaluate horses of
many domestic and imported breeds. These trials
consisted of multiple events designed to test the
strength, stamina, and soundness of the horses.
One test consisted of seven consecutive days of
50-mile treks, and another, a 300-mile ride completed in
five days. Only those horses that remained sound after
these rigorous tests were considered for the government
program. The one breed that consistently proved that it
could hold up under these rigors was the Morgan horse,
and so it became the official breed for the U. S. Army
Remount Program.
Today’s Morgan horse possesses all of the
qualities of its famous founder—hardiness, strength,
heart, courage, and gameness.
In addition, the breed possesses a lively,
intelligent mind that makes it a pleasure to work with.
These horses bond with their owners to create a true
partnership.
What
is our goal? Victory
Meadows seeks to produce horses that embody all of the
fine qualities and traits that make the Morgan breed
legendary. We breed for structural soundness, purity of
gaits, and friendly dispositions. We look for pedigrees
based on old Government breeding and prominent Midwest
programs such as Joseph Brunk and Elmer Brown. We also
have a strong appreciation for the proven Western
Working lines. Nutrition Based
on consultation with our veterinarian, we have selected
a complete-feed program that supplements the nutritional
content of our local hay. All of our horses are on this
complete-nutrition program.
Daily
Handling All
of our horses are handled daily. Youngsters learn to
lead, yield to pressure, and are taught ground manners.
As they mature, foals are introduced and desensitized to
tarps, plastic bags, umbrellas, flags, and as many
spooky items as we can think of during their short daily
handling sessions. They learn early to tolerate
clippers, have their feet handled, and other life
lessons such as standing tied, trailer loading, and
bathing. Stick
and Level Having
grown up around other breeds of horses, I fully
understand the measurement of a horse in the
centuries-old and internationally accepted unit of
“hands” whereby one hand equals 4 inches.
A horse of 15.2 hands, therefore, is 62 inches
tall at the withers, which means for a person like me
who is 5-feet-6-inches tall, the highest point of the
horse’s withers will be just about level with my nose
and the withers of a horse 15.3 hands will be level with
my eyes. I
learned soon after my discovery of Morgans and Arabians
that many people involved with these breeds have devised
an alternate system of measuring that does not conform
to the universal horsemen’s method. I have seen this
so often that I am compelled to mention it here.
My horses are represented in true hands,
barefoot, and standing on level ground. Every visitor is
welcome to request stick-and-level verification of a
horse’s stated height.
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