Almost Completely Off Topic

The September Equus had a great article by the always spectacular Deb Bennett about the horses of the early Americas. It talked about what horses were here and how the were shipped over. (I really wanted to make a short movie about this using the kids legos this summer when my brilliant husband did a summer camp on stop action animation, but that’s even farther off topic 😉  ) It talked about the type of horse that was typical for the time frame, and how the valued ones were gaited. It is a long in depth article and in the end she says it’s just a precursor to her next article fully about Morgans.

I can’t wait to read the next one and love that they get a whole article about their origins before they even get the one just about them. The very interesting part to me and the subject that seems to be recurring at the moment was her proposition that Figure was a Canadian horse. I have been a bit surprised lately at the adamant stance I have been seeing that Figure was sired by True Briton. I wondered how people decided they knew that for a fact all of a sudden when for my whole life it has been unknown. I’ve seen Thoroughbreds, they don’t look like Morgans. I admit the older pictures of old style Thoroughbreds bear a greater resemblance but still.

Deb Bennett proposed that he was in fact a Canadian horse and has good basis for her proposal. As for what those are, I recommend reading the article 😉  Much to my surprise shortly after reading that one I came across another, completely unrelated suggesting the same origins. The same author makes the her point in a couple of different writings, one about Morgans specifically and one about the Canadian Horse. Both are fascinating reading.

I realize this has nothing to do with Rusty but I enjoyed the reading greatly and wanted to be able to find the pages again, how better than to mark them here.

Also I have been slightly obsessed with another little rescue horse. A beautiful Morgan stallion left locked in his stall for years, fed but nothing else. Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue picked him up and are rehabbing him. Poor guy. When I think of my overly energetic, curious, intelligent Morgans locked up like that. I can’t even imagine how awful it would be. That said, my little Morgan, Nate that I had in high school had been locked up like that. He started out as my mom’s technically, but most of my horses do.

Mom tried a new farrier and she had Morgans too. She had one for sale, barely started and  recently gelded. She had gotten him and his brother when, I think this was a long time ago maybe my mom can fill in the holes, after a nasty divorce the husband got the wife’s horses and kept them in their stalls, no cleaning, little feeding,for years. She had been able to get them back somehow but had no where to go with them. The farrier, Jamie, had taken two.

So we got Nate. He was quite an adventure. He didn’t know what to do out in a pasture, he got lost when we first brought him to our barn. Stuck out in the trees and couldn’t figure out how to get out. His gelding was not sufficient to convince him he was not The Man. He was herd stud for the rest of his life where ever he went. He was hot and trustworthy. If I had had some clue what I was doing he could have made a great horse. As it was he was a great horse who is responsible for most of my scars and soreness.

I want this one, my usually understanding husband says no. Of course the practical me understands all the reasons I can’t have him but he breaks my heart. I hope he gets to spend the rest of his life out running loose in a pasture, never stuck in a stall again.

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