Acrosstime Devan Guardian, owned by Jeannie Cassells, Lodi, OH
In this fast paced society, things are always rapidly changing, which makes it more important than ever to preserve our historical treasures. In the horse world, the distinctly American Morgan breed has gone through changes over the decades, but there are lovers of the traditional Morgan who are working to preserve the breed as it began.
�For the whole Morgan Horse breed, we�re down to around 1,500 registrations for the whole year. Traditional Morgans, there�s only about 100. That�s scary,� said Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., Vice President Helga Loncosky. �The Traditional Morgan is considered, at this point, critical.�
Formed ten years ago, Cornerstone Morgan Horse Inc., is a National Service Organization, accredited by the�American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA). Members are Morgan Horse enthusiasts, committed to promoting and supporting the Traditional or Foundation type Morgan along with high-percentage Foundation Morgan Horses as they are used in all ways from competition to pleasure.
Foundation and high percentage foundation horses are very versatile, with champions in driving, combined driving, jumping, hunt, western, western working including ranch work, and dressage at all levels from Intro to Grand Prix. Plus, their supporters consider them the best all-around family and trail horse.
The entire Morgan breed is descended from one prepotent sire, Figure, who was born in 1789. Also know by the name of his owner, Justin Morgan, this compact bay horse was talented in several areas. He could consistently out-walk, out-trot, out-run, and out-pull other horses, making him a sought after sire throughout the Connecticut River Valley and Vermont until his death in 1821. Remarkably, he was able to pass on his distinguishing characteristics to his offspring, and subsequent generations.
Horses tracing back to Justin Morgan, and his three most famous sons--Sherman, Bulrush, and Woodbury helped plow and log New England farms, carried cavalry soldiers and officers through the Civil War, and went west with the pioneers.
As times changed, Saddlebred lines were added to the breed in an effort to produce a bigger, more brilliant horse for pleasure riding and the show ring. In the process, the more refined Morgan has lost some of the hardiness and versatility that is the cornerstone of the breed.
�One of the hallmarks of the Morgan breed is versatility. If he�s a one trick pony, that hurts the breed. A Morgan has got to be able to do it all� and do it pretty well. That�s what Justin Morgan was,� Loncosky said.
A second generation Morgan breeder from the Danville, PA area,� Loncosky sees the value of the original Morgan type, particularly as a versatile, family horse. �Part of the Traditional Morgan blueprint is that we are grassroots people. We are not show people, we have using Morgans,� she said. �It�s not a beauty pageant. It�s function first.�
According to the website, Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., believes in the Morgan as a �family member, a solid working partner, a best friend, a versatile, athletic, kind, sane, intelligent animal who wants to share his or her life with you. That's what a Foundation or High Percentage Foundation Morgan is all about. Within Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., we support Morgan owners who are getting out there and doing something of any discipline with these unique horses, showing the world at large that the real Morgan still does exist.�
Today, there are still places for the working Morgan, be it logging in tight spaces, ranch work, or farming. The Morgan is still the breed of choice for many carriage driving enthusiasts who want a horse that can work many miles over roads and remain sound. For these jobs, it is the Traditional Morgan that fits the bill.
By the organization�s definition, a Foundation/Traditional Morgan must meet certain requirements. The sire line, the very top line of the horse�s pedigree, must trace to Justin Morgan, and there must be no outcrosses to Saddlebred bloodlines after 1930. Offspring are categorized as �foundation� horses as long as both parents qualify.
The prohibition against outcrosses to Saddlebreds means that when looking at the pedigree,� no horse foaled after 1930 with a Saddlebred�parent is permitted. There is� one exception for the registered offspring of the Saddlebred�mare Ladelle, who had foals, including full siblings, both before and�after the 1930 date that were registered as Morgans.
The 1930 cutoff date was chosen after several years of study on conformation and bloodlines within the Morgan breed. It was determined that horses introduced into the registry after 1930 were the horses�most responsible for the largest shift from type.
The 1930 date�also eliminated bloodlines that had been investigated and proven by DNA testing to have parents that were not Morgan even though they and their descendants remained in the registry.
Morgans that have any of these names in their pedigree are ineligible for 100% Foundation status: Upwey King Peavine; Astral Jones-Old Hockaday; Hudson; Admiral Denmark; Polly Forrest; Forest Whirlwind; Barrymore McDonald; Rex Barrymore; and Rex Peavine.
In addition to horses that qualify as Foundation, the club also recognizes �High Percentage Foundation� horses. Those are horses calculated to have 97% or more Foundation/Traditional blood.
�We�ve tried to go back to basics with the lines we have and the original genetic diversity, without as much Saddlebred and Hackney outcrosses,� Loncosky said. �We�re trying to get these horses back into peoples� hands who want to use them as a family horse and do-it-all horse - a good athlete and good partner.�
The mission statement of Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., is � To promote and encourage the continued genetic purity of Foundation bred Morgan horses with no modern outcrosses (i.e.: no Saddlebred after 1930, exception: Ladelle), as defined at FoundationMorganhorse.com, with the goal of increasing the breeding, use, showing and enjoyment of these unique and special horses.
�To promote all families of Foundation bred Morgans without prejudice nor judgment regarding color, gait, or Foundation bloodline, as a celebration of the Foundation Morgan�s versatility and diversity.
�To raise the profile of Foundation bred Morgans within the AMHA and its publications, other horse-related publications and in both open and breed competitions.
�Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc.�will be open to anyone who is interested in breeding, training, showing or owning foundation bred Morgans. Owners and breeders of horses with a high percentage of foundation breeding are also encouraged to join and participate.�
The club is open to everyone. American Morgan Horse Assoc. membership is not required, and you do not even need to own a horse. The organization produces a quarterly newsletter, and has a website where you can find more information at www.cornerstonemorganhorse.com and on Facebook at Cornerstone Morgan Horse Inc.
Do You Own a Foundation Morgan?
To determine a horse's percentage as a Foundation Morgan, start with an extended pedigree that goes back at least to 1930 � probably nine or ten generations. Pedigree information is available to AMHA members on their website (sometimes at a fee) plus there are other pedigree websites available.
To determine what percentage of your horse's lineage is Foundation,� subtract out the outcrosses, which will primarily be Saddlebred. The most common Saddlebred ancestor for today's Morgans is Upwey King Peavine. Although registered as a Morgan, his parents were both registered Saddlebreds. The first registered non-Morgan you encounter is the "Marker" for where the outcrossing began. Follow each line of your horse's pedigree back to 1930. When you find a non-Morgan ancestor, note in which generation the outcross occurs. Do this for each line of your horse's pedigree.
Use the following chart to figure out what percentages to subtract - 1st generation 50%; 2nd generation 25%; 3rd 12.5%; 4th 6.3%; 5 3.1%; 6th 1.6%; 7th 0.8%; 8th 0.4%; 9th .2%; 10th .1%; 11th .05%.
Here is an example from the Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., website. �Your horse has three crosses to Upwey King Peavine in the 8th generation. You would multiply 0.4% by 3 and find that that accounted for 1.2%. If your horse also has two crosses to UKP in the 7th generation, you would multiply 0.8% by 2, and have 1.6%. You then add the totals, (in this case 2.8%) and subtract from 100%, which represents the total of blood behind your horse. You would find that this horse is 97.2% foundation, which is qualifies him as high-percentage. A horse can have several outcrosses and still be considered high-percentage. A lot depends on how far back in the pedigree the crosses occur. An outcross only 5 or 6 generations back changes the percentage more rapidly.