The beginning

If you're going to buy a horse, don't do it the way I did.

I purchased my mare while she was on her way back home from a breeder's auction, standing in a freezing-cold barn aisle in Maryland late one night mid-December.  I put no thought into her age (18 months), or her breed (Morgan), instead focused on the fact that even though she was a baby, she was tall enough that I'd be able to ride her if she never grew another inch.  I took the recommendation of my then-employer, a renowned Morgan breeder and trainer who told me I would regret it if I didn't buy this horse.  I made her breeders an offer that night with the end result that when their trailer continued on to Georgia, the big black filly was left behind.

It only took me a week to decide I had no business owning a baby horse.  I had never started a youngster, and I was terrified of messing up.  But she was big, she was sweet, and my mentor seemed to think we'd manage to muddle through equine adolescence and come out the other side a team.

With that in mind, I began to really take a look at what I'd bought.  As it turns out, Morgans are incredibly versatile horses and compete successfully in just about every equestrian event out there.  The breed developed in an era where multiple horses were a luxury most people couldn't afford, and so the family horse needed to be able to work in the field, take the family to church, teach the kids how to ride, and do it all without getting tired or foul-tempered.  Athleticism, stamina, and a good temperament come standard, but all of this raw talent wasn't going to do anything if I couldn't figure out how to shape it.

Five years later, I've finally figured out what to do with this mare of mine.  She's even bigger, she's still sweet, and somehow we've managed to end up with a pretty good partnership.  She was bred to do everything, so that's what we're going to attempt.  The American Morgan Horse Association actually has an award for horses that succeed- the Sport Horse Award from the Open Competition program.  To qualify for the award, we have to earn medallions in five of the seven categories, which are Open Show, Carriage Driving, Working Western, Endurance, Competitive Trail, Eventing, and Dressage.  Dressage, Endurance, and Competitive Trail all have restrictions for medallion earning based on level of competition, so it's not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.  But if our history is any indication, it's going to be fun!