RAND RIX ORGANS Volume 1 Number 4 G P M — (October, 2011) DAVID MACMILLAN AND WEST MT. WINSTON News and Reminders: Check out Page 13 for new By Karin Weight Classified listings—they are growing! David Macmillan grew up in Durban, South Africa, and started riding as a Find us on Facebook! very young boy. As a teenager, he AMHA Open Compe- showed jumpers before switching to tition Awards deadline is dressage. Eventually, his parents November 1, 2011. Check the bought David a thoroughbred Grand AMHA website for more details. Prix schoolmaster, and the pair be- came a force to be reckoned with in Did you know you can “like” the young riders division. your favorite Morgan in the USDF Awards standings? After graduating from high school, Try it! David spent six months as a working It is time to renew your student with Ann Gribbons in New MDA Membership for York, returned to South Africa for a 2012—be sure and fill out the application on page 15 and short time, spent two years on a mail it in today! church mission in Montreal, finally moving to Utah to attend Brigham Young University. Inside this issue: As it happened, David had seen noth- David Macmillan and West Mt Winston at the 2008 Grand Prix Morgans— 1 Grand Nationals (photo by Howard Schotzberg) David Macmillan and West ing but western riding in Utah so he Mt. Winston thought that he would wait until after graduation before he started riding again. He had not ridden a horse for about four years when he wandered into a tack MDA Member Spotlight 2 store just to look around and was surprised to see dressage saddles. The man- ager gave him a phone number for the Utah Dressage Society, and David was Character Study 3 invited to come to a board meeting. As it turned out, I was the only one there In the News 3 who lived closer than 30 miles from the university, David was desperate to The Sport Morgan Legacy of 4 ride, and I had a young horse that needed to be ridden. Dr. Lowell Hughes and Caduceus Morgans David admitted that he had never trained a dressage horse, but he had ridden Grand Prix, so he couldn’t be too horrible a rider, could he? Larry (my hus- Trainers Tips 5 band) and I figured that he couldn’t ruin our horse in one ride, so the following Malibu’s Fawnita 6 Saturday David came to our little farm and we let him get on West Mt Winston. We needn’t have worried; David was a beautiful rider who seemed Classifieds 13 to have a natural ability to communicate with my horse. After he dismounted, MDA Deadline Information 14 (continued on Page 9) Morgan Dressage Association Newsletter—July 2011 Page 4 The Sport Morgan Legacy of Dr. Lowell Hughes and Caduceus Morgans By Beth Sheller Consider the unlikely possibility of Initially showing his Morgans in one breeding program behind these traditional breed show venues, 2011 National Champions: Hughes became interested in wid- ening his market to open competi- Spring Hollow Dark Shadow tion such as combined driving, (Statesmans Silhouette X Cadu- dressage, and hunter/jumper. His ceus Jocasta). Winner of the goal became producing the ex- 2011 FEI Single Horse Divi- tended walk and trot needed in sion, Little Everglades CDE. sport horse disciplines, together Driven by 18 yr old Jacob Ar- with the temperament and trainabil- nold, who was recently featured ity for concentrated work. His defi- in April-May 2011 issue of nition of “correct” included flat USEF’s Equestrian magazine, dense bone, good feet, and power- Shadow is owned by Mike and ful rear ends while maintaining Penny Arnold of Snow Camp, Morgan breed type. North Carolina In 1976 he acquired Wyoming Fly- Nordby Coalie’s Duke hawk (Domino Joe x Lily Black) (Caduceus Falcon x Coal Creek upon the recommendation of Myr- Sabra’s Coalie [Caduceus Casa- tle Neeley (Tetonia Morgans) who nova x Coal Creek Sabre]) and owned and showed Wyoming Fly- his partner Nordby Coalies’s hawk’s sire, Domino Joe. Wyo- Coal Dust (Ortawn Captain ming Flyhawk was a black, 16- Royal x Coal Creek Sabra’s hand grandson of two Flyhawk Coalie). Winners of the 2011 sons--Stetson and Warhawk. He Driving FEI Pairs Division at proved prepotent for size and length the Little Everglades CDE, and Merry Knox (top), Wyoming Flyhawk (middle) and of stride in his 132 offspring, many Patchett Hill (bottom, with Lowell Hughes) played owned and driven by Alan Aul- significant roles in the Caduceus program. of whom excelled in open competi- son. tion. He became one of the hall- mark sires of Hughes’s program Dr. Lowell Hughes bred Morgans Hughes worked closely with Gary and is still evident in many sport under the Caduceus prefix from Wallace of Coal Creek Morgans and Morgan pedigrees today. 1966 until his death in 2001. His Robert Iorio (Bethesda Morgans) as foundation stock included the stal- well as Floyd Dudney (the “FD” Dr. Hughes acquired Patchett Hill lion Merry Knox (Meade x April prefix) and Mike Damon of Bar (Easter Vermont by Red Vermont) Showers) from Mabel Owen’s Nothing Morgans in sharing ideas, x Starlette B (by Easter Vermont) Merrylegs Farm who combined old wisdom, and breeding stock. from the Horseshoe Cattle Com- Government (Mansfield) with Hughes felt quality broodmares were pany in 1982 to cross to his Wyo- Brunk through Jubilee King, the the most important ingredient in ming Flyhawk daughters. Patchett stallion Ebony Baron (Aldebaron x breeding, and sought mares with Hill was the last son of Easter Ver- Ebony C--old Brunk lines) and two substance, good bone, depth of body, mont, providing more breeding Flyhawk granddaughters: Funquest and good temperament. Even today, tracing back to Jubilee King. Star Dot (Flyhawk’s Black Star X mares with the “Caduceus” prefix Hughes also used Justin Knox Dot S Fanny) and Funquest Falco- are seen frequently in Morgans who (Merry Knox X Funquest Star Dot), nidae (The Brown Falcon X Colo- are competing at the highest levels Teton Royal Raven (Wyoming Fly- nel’s Rachel) from Stuart Hazard of sport. hawk X Tetonia Royalty) (Funquest Farm). (continued on Page 11) Morgan Dressage Association Newsletter—October 2011 Page 6 Malibu’s Fawnita: A Morgan Conquers the Dressage World By Lisa Brouillette (Editors Note: This is one of an occa- fans at the open shows who cheer her sional series of articles that highlight on and speak in awe of the big, beauti- some of the pioneers in Morgan dres- ful Morgan.” Now people ask Barrett sage. where they can find Morgans for dres- sage. Although many articles have been writ- ten about this amazing mare, this par- ticular article is from the Arizona Mor- OUR CHOCOLATE “MOOSE” gan Horse 1989 Yearbook and is writ- ten by Patti Barrett’s daughter, Lisa. Lovingly nicknamed Chocolate Presented here as it was written in the “Moose” as a baby because of her size late 1980s, it captures the enthusiasm (she was ten hands at birth!) and dark and dedication of Patti and Fawnita’s color, Fawnita is the first of two bril- trainer, “Button” Baker, and the re- liantly successful crosses of Las Posas markable accomplishments of their Bravo (Bay State Ideal x Bay State Morgan mare during a time when breed Lolita) and Waer’s Fawenette (Waer’s Malibu’s Fawnita and her trainer Leonie “Button” bias in dressage was very much evident. Baker —first Morgan to be chosen for the United Lucky hawk X Lana). Her sire and States Equestrian Team. Photo by Susan Sexton dam, and her full sister, Malibu’s Co- Sadly, Fawnita was never able to com- quette, have impressive shows records pete at Grand Prix, as she was retired ships from the California Dressage of their own. Sadly, her dam, Waer’s due to an injury and the development of Society, the American Horse Shows Fawnett, died several years ago, but Cushings and was eventually put down Association and the United States her sire and sister are still trotting up a at the age of 23. Dressage Federation. In short, she storm on the hills and beaches near We thank Lisa for graciously giving us came, she saw and she conquered. their Malibue Morgans home. permission to reprint this article. We also offer our condolences at the recent AN AMERICAN WARMBLOOD? Fawnita started her show career at passing of her mother and Fawnita’s Morgan breeds shows in the halter breeder and owner, Patti Baker.) According to Barrett, many people classes where she literally towered were skeptical at first, not believing over her competition. I her perform- Malibu’s Fawnita. A name to remem- that a Morgan, an American breed, ance debut at the 1977 San Diego Mor- ber; a horse you’ll never forget. could excel at dressage. At first even gan Horse Club Show at Del Mar as a Fawnita’s trainer hedged when pressed three-year-old, she won a saddleseat This gorgeous fifteen-year-old, 16.3 for information on the mare’s breed- English Pleasure class of 30 entries! hand, dark bay Morgan mare has it ing—calling Fawnita an “American all: size, type, intelligence, beauty, Warmblood.” A coincidence in 1983 changed the and a willing attitude that never quits. course of Fawnita’s life. “I had Owned and bred by Patti (Brouillette) Barrett, however, always stressed planned a three month round-the-world Barrett of Malibu Morgans in South- Fawnita’s Morgan heritage. “It’s trip and needed to keep Fawnita exer- ern California, Fawnita is currently thrilling to see Fawnita proudly wear- cised while I was away,” said Barrett.