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Jason is standing at stud, fee $1,000
Ranger is standing at stud until sold, fee $850
Hawk is standing at stud until sold, fee $750

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What is a Morgan?
A registered Morgan is the result of breeding two registered Morgan horses. All Morgans today trace to the stallion Justin Morgan, foaled in 1789. The registry for Morgans was founded in 1909. Prior to that time, Morgans identified by Colonel Joseph Battell as descendants of Justin Morgans were considered Morgan horses. No other American breed can trace its pedigrees back as far as the Morgan horse can to the same foundation horse. The Morgan IS, indeed, the first true American breed based on bloodlines. Other breeds may have had that type of horse (pacer, harness racer, quarter racer) in colonial days but cannot claim those horses as ancestors today. Indeed, many were in fact offspring of Justin Morgan! Justin Morgan sired many foals, but the most important ones are his three sons, Sherman, Bulrush & Woodbury. Every Morgan today traces back to him through one of these stallions.

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Is the Morgan America’s First Breed?
No, the Naragansett Pacer, now extinct, preceded Morgans as a type of horse unique to America . The Morgan was the second “breed” unique and native to America . A “breed” is defined as: n. A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.

To be an “American Breed” means the horses are something unique to this country, or bear unique characteristics and are not related to breeds with the same characteristics in another country.

In the case of Morgans, our foundation sire is Justin Morgan, foaled in 1789. The breed was formed from the European horses brought in with colonists, and the Morgans set themselves apart with unique characteristics from their ancestors. Justin Morgan was, in fact, a genetic “sport” in that he didn’t resemble his sire or dam in obvious ways. He passed these characteristics on to his offspring, forming a distinct type or breed of horse unique to America .

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Who was Justin Morgan the man?
In her book on Justin Morgan, “Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land ” Betty Bandel noted that the story of Morgan’s life and the breeding of his famed stallion Figure, progenitor of all the Morgan horses, are of interest to lovers of horses and of music.

Morgan was a multi-faceted man who supported his family as a yeoman, musician, stallioneer, and tavern keeper in West Springfield , Massachusetts . Born in 1747, he descended from the first Springfield settlers (he was third generation). As a stallioneer he leased and stood the finest stallions obtainable – Diamond, the sire of the dam of Figure, and True Briton (also known as Beautiful Bay), considered the sire of Figure.

In the post-Revolution year of 1788, Morgan and several of his brothers moved their families to the independent Republic of Vermont . He settled in Randolph becoming Town Clerk, Lister and Grand Juryman in addition to teaching choral singing and music composition, and farming. His anthems and hymns were first published in 1790 and 1791 - a great achievement at that time period. His wife died in 1791 following the birth of their fifth child, and Morgan succumbed to “consumption” in 1798.

Ironically it was Figure, the “Justin Morgan Horse” that overshadowed the well-known and respected musician-farmer.

For more details on the life and times of Justin Morgan, the man, and Justin Morgan, the horse, please select the link to The National Museum of the Morgan Horse: www.morganmuseum.org.

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Why Should I Register My Morgan?
The value of a registered horse is much greater than if it is unregistered. It makes it possible for future owners to breed and register offspring from it. It also allows the horse to be shown in Morgan classes and to compete for Morgan breed awards in open competition such as dressage and competitive trail rides. A horse's registration papers provide a history of the horse's ownership and breeder. The recorded pedigree also helps educated readers understand the horse's conformation and gene pool so that it can be bred to complimentary gene pools.

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Why does AMHA do DNA-typing?
The purpose of the AMHA Registry is to protect the integrity of the Morgan breed. This is done by ensuring that the information on every Morgan's certificate is accurate and correct. DNA typing is the only way to conclusively prove parentage of any Morgan. DNA typing became mandatory on January 1, 2002 , replacing blood-typing to verify parentage. In cases where the foal's DNA does not match one or either of the parents, the DNA tests can help identify who the parent is, allowing the foal to be registered.

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Morgan Families
There are four widely recognized families in the Morgan breed. A family is a group of horses from the same breeding program that have ancestors in common. The largest families are the Brunk, Government, Lippitt and Western Working. There are also smaller families which are horses descended from one horse or breeding program.

 

Brunk Family
Morgans that trace to the breeding program of Joseph Brunk in Illinois . Brunk's program revolved around breeding key mares to the best stallions available. Most Brunk Morgans have the mare Daisy numerous times in their pedigree. She was crossed with the stallions Ben Franklin, Senator, Jubilee De Jarnette and Chetco and the offspring crossed back to each other, creating a family linebred to Daisy.

Lippitt Family
Morgans tracing to the breeding program of Robert Lippitt Knight in Vermont are known today as “Lippitts”. Morgans bred by Knight bear the prefix "Lippitt" at the beginning of their name and trace to the stallion Ethan Allen 2nd. Today two Morgan clubs cater to breeders who specialize in the Lippitt lines. Their contact information can be found in the list of Morgan clubs under “National Service Organizations.”

Government Family
Morgans bred by the U.S. Government farm between 1905-1951 are called Government Morgans. The Government farm used the stallion General Gates as their foundation sire. It is the largest of the Morgan families.

Working Western Family
These horses do not have one breeder in common but a common purpose: to work the western ranges of the United States . Working Western Morgans drew from the Government stallions shipped out west to improve the quality of offspring from local mares, as well as Morgans from breeding programs in Kansas , California , Nevada and Texas . Breeders who specialize in working western lines can be found in the list of Morgan Clubs under "National Service Organizations."

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How Long do Morgans Live?
Most horse will live for 20-30 years. Morgans are very long-lived, many will live past 30 years if they are well cared for.

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Do Morgans Have Any Genetic Diseases?
Morgans do not have any medical conditions that are unique to the breed as can be found in a number of other breeds. Naturally they do have equine conditions that are common to all breeds of horses.  Fortunately simple tests by your veterinarian can diagnose many such conditions and most of the time the condition can be controlled with medication. Any conformational or health problems which can be passed on should be taken into consideration before choosing to breed your Morgan to insure the best possible offspring.

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Are Morgans Easy Keepers?
While they are a long lived, very healthy breed and suffer remarkably few problems with their legs and feet, Morgans are well known for being easy keepers. They need a minimum of grain and grass compared to other horses, and they should be monitored to be sure they are not eating too much. Obesity can lead to leg and soundness problems. Proper weight is considered to be when you can run your fingers along the horses barrel and feel the ribs without having to push through a layer of fat, but cannot visibly see them. Horses which are gaunt despite being well-fed should be checked for worms, teeth problems or other digestive problems by a veterinarian.

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What Size Saddle will Fit a Morgan?
Morgans can present challenges in finding saddles which fit properly. Poorly fit saddles can result in bad behavior just as shoes which don’t fit you are uncomfortable! Both the width and length of the back should be paid attention to. A broad, short back will not work well with a narrow, long saddle. Work with your local saddle shop or a catalog which provides saddle fitting services to find the saddle most suited for your Morgan’s conformation.

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What color are Morgans?
AMHA recognizes the following colors and definitions:

• Chestnut: Shades from golden red to dark reddish brown. Mane, tail and legs are not black, but are the color of the body or shades darker or lighter.
• Black/Dark Chestnut: Basically black with the exception of red hairs on the coronet, pasterns or back of fetlocks.
• Bay: Reddish shades from reddish tan to dark mahogany brown. All bay horses have black manes and tails and black legs below the knees and hocks.
• Black: True black without any light areas.
• Brown: Black with light mealy areas at muzzle, eyes and inside of legs.
• Palomino: Very pale creamy yellow to golden yellow with flaxen, silver or white mane and tail.
• Creme: An ivory colored coat with mane and tail the same color or slightly darker or lighter. Eyes are light, usually blue.
• Buckskin: Tan to yellow coat with black mane and tail and black on lower legs. May have a dorsal stripe.
• Gray: Mixture of dark and white hairs, with white hairs predominating as horse ages.
• Chestnut Dun: Body coat similar to chestnut but may be a shade lighter. May have primitive marks such as a dorsal stripe, leg bars, shoulder stripe and cobwebbing in a darker shade of red. Head will also be darker shade of red. Will not have black points.
• Bay Dun: Body coat similar to bay, ranging from dark to light. Black legs. Black mane and tail. Heads or face mask is darker than the body. May have primitive marks such as a dorsal stripe, leg bars, shoulder stripe and cobwebbing in a darker shade.
• Grulla: Body color from mouse gray to slate colored with black points. May have a dorsal stripe, shoulder strips and leg barring.

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How many Morgans are there?
As of December 31, 2004 , there were approximately 100,000 living registered Morgans.

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What are Morgans used for?
Morgans excel in virtually all disciplines. They are one of the premier carriage horses in the world, and are used for combined driving, competitive trail and endurance riding, eventing, working western events, dressage, all show ring disciplines, and as an excellent friend and companion whether in the backyard or on the trail.

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