"Thirty years shared with the Morgan horse and just starting to show our true colors.  ~  Ed Sweet

     I wanted to develop this page to bring a little insight to where my passion for Morgans and our current horses came from. I wanted this website to do more than display the horses we currently own and offer for sale. Reason being is, that we are far more than just a barn breeding horses for sale. Our attachment, especially mine, to the Morgan horse goes back a long way and was influenced by several great people and horses along the way. This page has turned out to be much more of a story than I first intended, but now that its done I am glad I gathered all the details here in one spot. It is almost like an online scrap book which I hope you find interesting and enjoy. For it has been a wonderful journey to this point. And the best part….its not over yet.

How it all began....

     When I was about ten years old, I remember a horse magicly appearing in our driveway one day. It was a dark chestnut Morgan with a star, which appropriately, was his name. I don’t remember being part of any discussions regarding the purchase of a horse, so this was apparently an adult or parental decision, which no doubt was driven by my mother. She grew up on a dairy farm and we still hear to this day all the stories of her and her friends wreaking havoc around town, while riding workhorses bareback from place to place. She never lost her love of horses and riding, so this bright young horse in the driveway was her idea I am sure. We didn’t have a lot of property, or extra money, but somehow, we had a horse. There was a boarding stable up the road within walking distance and that’s where Star was kept. This wasn’t the ideal arrangement for my mother though and because of that and the boarding cost, she was forced to sell the horse. A sad day….but it was also a motivator. She had a taste of what she wanted and now had a renewed determination.

     A few years later a small piece of property, approximately ¾ of an acre, adjoining ours went up for sale and my parents purchased it. Now we had some extra space which just happened to look an awful lot like a potential pasture. And shortly after this purchase, my uncle had a camp/cabin structure that he no longer wanted which with a little imagination, could be envisioned as a barn. So my father, uncle and cousins disassembled the building, transported it to our property, and reassembled it. With a few minor tweeks it was a one stall barn with room for hay storage.

     And my mother wasn’t suffering through a horse drought all this time either. She continued to stay in contact with horses by riding and visiting with friends and family who had them. And these connections, led her to a Morgan farm very near to where we are located now and not far at all from where she was riding her workhorses in her youth.

     The farm was owned by an elderly gentleman by the name of Fred Meyers. He owned a house and farm set high on a hilltop which was very picturesque. At any one time he had 20 to 30 horses running around the pastures which surrounded the house and barns. Fred was all about Morgan horses. He didn’t breed for any specific discipline, he just bred to produce quality horses for good homes. Unfortunately, Fred, who was on in years, fell ill for a long time and passed away. Left behind on the farm, were his elderly sister, his nephew and  many Morgan horses. Because of the relationship that was formed prior to his illness and passing, my mother and my cousin were instrumental in caring for and finding good homes for the horses. And before all was said and done, Fred’s sister told my mother to pick one out for herself, which she sold to my mother for a very reasonable price.

     My mother, like any horse crazy girl, fulfilled the childhood dream by purchasing a black mare. She came home to live with us and that’s how it all started in the summer of 1977.

  Her name was Meylita (Mettarling x Stillwater Coalita). She was a rarity at 16.2 hands and as gentle a horse as I have ever known. She dwarfed my mother who is only about 5 foot 3 inches but that mare had a heart of gold and size was never an issue or a problem with her or anyone. She loved attention and did whatever was asked of her. She seemed to have a real affection for children and would allow them to do just about anything to her. She had a good life with us, getting lots of attention and being enjoyed as a family trail horse.

     The owner of her sire was Bill Beaty of the Norbiline Morgan Horse Farm. Bill also was good friends with Fred and assisted with placing his horses in new homes. As a result of this connection and relationship, we became good  friends with Bill. Because of her size and her carrying his breeding, Bill expressed interest in breeding Meylita to his other black stallion, Wales Farm Lucky Boy. It wasn’t my mothers intention at the start to breed the mare. Our family budget was not designed for buying stud services and supporting multiple horses. And remember….we had a one stall barn. But something about it intrigued my mother. And Bill put together some creative financing options which made it a win win for all involved. So in 1978, Bill bought a milk crate (his joke...not mine) for Lucky Boy to stand on (He was 14.2 hands) and we trucked Meylita to Norbiline to make a foal.

     Meanwhile…back at the ranch…Dad was adding another stall on the barn. And being the first time any of us went through this, that was the longest 11 months ever lived. But finally the day drew near and everyone awaited the arrival of our new black foal. For that’s what it had to be. With so many black horses in this foal's past and so many right up close, it had to be born black. Right?

     SURPRISE!!! Everyone went to the barn and couldn’t believe their eyes for standing next to this coal black mare was this little filly who was as bright as the sun and colored just like it. Once we got past the shock of the color we had a great time with her. And she was appropriately named Meyer Sweet Surprise. We carried on the Meyer name in our prefix as a tribute to a great man who loved his horses and gave us the opportunity to enjoy many and own one. And Surprise eventually shed out to be a dark/black Chestnut rather than the firey orange she was born.  She did however, keep the fire on the inside.

     Surprise was very unique to us right from the start. She was extremely intelligent and had a personality that just didn’t quit. To say she was expressive doesn’t cover it. She seemed almost human at times in her behavior and understanding. She loved attention and loved herself even more. Where Meylita was low key, quiet and reserved……Surprise was loud, energetic and flashy. Meylita would watch Surprise strut around the pasture flagging her tail, with this look of disbelief as if saying, “There she goes again. I can’t believe she is my kid.”

     Well, Surprise turned out so well, that it was full steam ahead. Bill pulled out the milk crate and we took Meylita back for another visit.  Besides…..Surprise was a fluke and the next one had to be black.  Well, foal number two was another “Surprise” in color. My mother was throwing up her arms in disbelief that it could happen a second time. So much for genetic research and the laws of probability, Mother Nature still ruled. This horse was a carbon copy of her older sister in appearance. She was more like her Dam in personality though. She was very kind and quiet. And following through on our prearranged plan, this filly became the property of Norbiline and was registered as Norbiline's My Sweet.  

    Well now this interest in breeding was becoming a fullblown obsession.  It was just too much fun and very addictive having foals around so we wasted no time in arranging for our next breeding to Lucky Boy.  And 11 months later we were looking at yet another dark chestnut filly.   Meylita and Lucky Boy were cutting them out

like cookies at holiday time.  Each one a near exact replica of the other in appearance.  Again, this filly was more like her Dam, with a kind and mild  personality.  

And soon the realization set in that we didn’t have enough space to store a winters worth of hay for more horses, so yet another addition was constructed on the other side of the barn. Only this time we had extra help. There is one piece of advice I will offer first timers or folks just starting out with Morgan horses, its don’t construct your barn in such a manner that it is within the boundaries of the fencing and pasture. Why? Because Morgans like to help!! Good rule of thumb…any tool you can pick up….they can too!

     “It was there a second ago.” was heard all too often. And where it was found was either on the other side of the pasture or in the mouth of someone taking it there. That and you get kind of claustrophobic at times as you stand up or back up and you bump into a horse that  is directly behind you trying to read your ruler also. So needless to say, if you are a serious worker who works with vigor and doesn’t like frustrating (though comical) interruptions (this was my father) you don’t want to put yourself into a situation where the horses are your helpers. As you can see in this photo, it didn’t take us long after that, to fence off an area within the pasture, to provide some breathing space around the barn when it was needed.

And following through on a previously decided, yet tentative plan, this young mare, named Meyer Sweet Dreams, was sold.  It was a very sad day for it was the first time an animal who spent some time with us, was leaving the family. No matter how much you prepare for that, it is always a difficult event, regardless of your age.

     On the bright side, we still had two Morgans and Surprise was now broke to saddle. Trail rides were more enjoyable now because you could always have company.

     But my mother .... she couldn’t let go. It was a matter of principle now!!  Besides...she had a partner in this crime now....me.  Not to mention the whole breeding and foaling thing was so infectious and the horses we were getting were just so wonderful. We just had to do it again!!  But wait….we have two mares…..why breed just one?

    So this time, Lucky Boy was on the milk crate (again) and Surprise went to meet another stallion Bill was standing at the time by the name of Jim Tarron.   And we had 2 foals the following year 3 weeks apart. Meylita foaled first with great anticipation.  Would she give us chestnut number four?  Or would Surprise live up to her name and deliver our first black foal before her mother??  The suspense was incredible.

      But Meylita (and Lucky Boy….gotta give credit where credit is due) came through with a beautiful black filly this time.  She was jet black with one left rear white coronet.   She was registered as Meyer Sweet Splendor in celebration of finally achieving the right color.  Surprise, not to be outdone and just to be different, kicked the door off her stall and had her black chestnut colt outside just as the sun was rising one morning.  After all, any horse can just lay down and deliver a foal indoors.  This colt of hers was pretty special too. He was a speedster.  He used to race around the pasture all the time.  I called it “ripping and tearing” through the field. So he got tagged with the name of Rip.  And as per a prearranged agreement, he was delivered to Bill at weaning time and registered as Norbilines Rip Tarron.  But I was really attached to this little guy.  Not only was he the first born from Surprise who was now pretty much my full time mount, but there was something special about him too.

From a personality perspective, he seemed to posses the best of Surprise and Meylita, which was quite interesting to see. He had a wonderful swan like neck as a youngster which led me to believe he was going to mature more in the image of his sire, who was INCREDIBLY handsome. So I pooled my resources and went to Bill’s and bought him back to keep as a gelding for myself.

     Now by this time my father is just shaking his head and wondering where all this is going to end. Because now we have 4 horses in the back yard and a 2 stall barn. At least we had that “breathing room” established, when we started the next addition. But he is really thinking now that these horses are nothing but work, an expense and a headache. And I think it was starting to bother him that I was more interested in the horses and riding than I was in hunting and fishing, which is what  all the other “Men” in the family did for recreation.  

And sometime during all this commotion and expansion, I made the mistake of doing a friend a favor.   I helped trailer her horse to a small open show in which she was competing. This was a first for me. I had never been to an event like this before.   Till now, our horses were trail horses and our best friends. And as luck would have it, the first class I saw there was a bunch of young weanlings of all breeds, colors and sizes. But none were black! So yeah..... the wheels were turning, but this was not my comfort zone. But after weeks of encouragement from friends, and attending other shows where I watched from the rail, we finally bit the bullet and decided to give it a try.

     So Splendor (our first black foal!!) was nominated to test the waters. After all…it was just an in-hand class, the pressure was on her....not me ….right? I can’t even remember the class. My nerves and adrenalin probably blocked it out of my mind that same day. All I know is from the pictures we have, she pinned third that day in a crowd of screaming babies. Who knows how we would have pinned if I knew enough to clip away the remaining "baby" hair that hadn't shed on her legs.  And that one day…..that one experiment….changed how we thought about our horses and we never looked back.

     Sure it was a small open show circuit, but that little black filly was in the top three with every judge she was in front of that year. And only being in one class, first thing in the morning, gave me all day to watch and absorb all that was going on in the performance classes afterwards. I studied how the horses were tacked and how they moved for each discipline.

The more I watched the horses at the shows, the more I watched our horses at home. And soon I realized that Surprise had the same stature and motion as all the horses being ridden saddleseat at the shows. But all she had ever worn was a western saddle and either a snaffle OR curb bit. Never a double bridle with two bits at the same time. But my mind was reeling, and she was about to find out how.

     So we were off to see the Knapps who owned the Bald Mountain Morgan Farm and ran a small tack shop. Nicest people in the world and they produced some outstanding horses over the years. They set us up with everything we would need to get started working within our budget. We got a decent cutback saddle and double bridle with a black and red patent leather brow band and caveson. (Hence our black and red barn colors)  We didn’t buy anything really fancy because we didn’t know if this was even going to work or not. I was still wondering how I was supposed to stay in this little bit of a saddle.

But let me tell you, by the time we got to the point where we were ready to put all that tack on Surprise……it didn’t matter that it wasn’t the top of the line. She looked like a million bucks to us. We had a show horse!!! And if we only knew then what we know now, we had a lot more than that.

     I am proud to say I mastered that little piece of leather they call a cutback saddle. I was not an equitator by any means, but I learned to ride and bit that mare. She did all the rest. She was a natural. The first class she ever entered was an in-hand class. It was also the first time she was ever in an indoor arena. To make matters worse, it was the first time she ever saw a train, which ran past the indoor about 25 feet away! So it was a tense and nerve wracking initiation for her and I. But all her excitement, pumped her up to be about 15 feet tall....well above her 15.3 hands.  And we left that ring with a blue ribbon for her debut class. We were riding high and hooked from that point forward. Our scruffy mare who sometimes had more mane on the fence at home than on her neck, was making a big impression and getting noticed. No weights, no wedges, no long feet, just simply shod with a stock, flat, out of the box shoe, this mare had motion to spare and it was all her. And she was well balanced having lots of talent in the rear and some days enough hocks for two horses. And being extremely intelligent, she soon understood what was expected of her and pretty much bridled herself a lot of the time and traveled on somewhat of a loose rein. I actually had to work with her to reinforce that she take her ques from me and not the announcers for her gaits, for she associated the verbal announcements with what I then asked of her and began initiating changes on her own before I was ready.
 

     We were having a great time with her and all of our horse show friends. My mother pinched pennies and bought us a used camper and now we could go to multi day shows and have some of our good friends join us. So now we are going away for weekends with the horse and Dad is wondering what it is going on. He saw the ribbons we were bringing home, but now with the camper his curiousity was getting the better of him. Till now, he hadn’t attended a show with us, but I guess with the continued investment of time and money he thought it was time.  So he tagged along to a show wearing his cowboy boots and "Meyer Sweet Morgans" cap to see what this “pain in the neck” horse was doing. And I think we really amazed him. A lot had happened while he was out fishing. This horse which lived to annoy him (because she knew she could) had been transformed into something he had never seen. And all I can say is, when we exited our first class with a blue ribbon that day, it was he who was waiting at the exit gate filled with pride and HE walked her back to the stall.

This mare had physical talent, that's for sure.  And the more we worked her and showed her the more it became obvious.  And soon we were starting to get inquiries and offers from people and judges who were interested in buying her.  And some of the offers were extremely impressive (Honestly...more than we ever imagined) and required discussion around the dinner table.  But it was Dad, the man who was tormented every day by this horse, who spoke up and said, "That horse isn't going anywhere". And so it was done. He had his chance at getting the monkey off his back, but she was made permanent family instead.

Now this all unfolded quickly here in this story, but it didn't happen overnight.   It took a couple of days.  Ha Ha  And then some.  Actually, there was a couple of years covered very quickly here.  And I didn't do it alone.  I had a lot of help and support from family and friends.  On the show grounds, we made friends with a woman named Veronica Henighan who rode a dreamy mare named Hibernia Highlight.  I used to watch everything that "Ronnie" did and apply it at home.  And she even used to come to my house and  watch me work Surprise and give me advice.  As well, Bill Beaty was always there to mentor me along the way.  I remember sleeping on his couch in the summer so I could ride my mare under his watchful eye.  In exchange for his help, I photographed his horses for his ads, cleaned stalls and paddocks, fixed fence, painted, whatever he needed done.  And it never seemed like work since Norbiline, with all their fine horses, was such a great place to be.  

   One of the last shows I attended with Surprise was in the State of Vermont.  I entered her in an English Pleasure class which had 23 entries. We left the ring with second place and I was more proud of that ribbon than all the previous blues we collected.  For one,  it was a huge and competitive class.  And two, Bill was there to see it and he was very impressed with her perfomance.  I will never forget what he said that day because Bill is always careful about how he critiques or describes a horse.  He said if I was going to continue to take this seriously, then I needed to spend two or three months working with him to finish her and Surprise would be an Oklahoma contender.   Those are statements that keep you awake at night......even 20 years later.

Fortunately and Unfortunately, life isn't always about what we want.  And as luck would have it, life threw some unexpected curves at me which prohibited me from completing this fairytale journey with Surprise.  But I don't regret one minute of it and am a better person for it.  The learning and experience I will carry with me always.  If I had to do it over again, I would do almost everything the same.  Though given a second chance, armed with what I know now, Surprise would have been started younger,  better shod and outfitted and stepped up to Park from Pleasure, for thats where she really belonged in hindsight. (And we would have taken more and better pictures too.)

But life goes on and comes full circle.  I have never lost my passion for these horses or the Morgan breed.  In fact...it has only grown stronger with time.  I still have Meyer Sweet Splendor who has started a whole other chapter in my equine story which is still being written every day. So be sure to check out the "About Us" page to see the current chapters in this story.  And take the time to surf all the pages at this site as we have tried to make them informative, interesting and enlightening.

Ed Sweet