The Education of Glenmorgan Final Hylight

Text auf Deutsch.

My husband Markus and I started horse-riding really late at the age of 28 and 32 in 2004. After having lessons on schools horses for over one year, we decided to buy an own horse. For sure, we wanted to wait a little longer and our idea was an older horse which was already broken to ride.

Our schools-horses Monty

and Bobby

At that time I came to get a book named " Characterhorses- horses with character" by K.von der Leyen and-bang!!! -there it was: the Morgan Horse! I really fell in love with the description of this amazing breed, it was called the "horse, little girls draw when they get their first pencil". The writer also told about the beauty, the kindness, intelligence and the willing-to-please-attitude in common with it`s ability and versality. No matter if jumping, dressage, show, carriage or just being your best friend, the Morgan can be all this and much more. There was a picture of Serenity March Time (Vigilmarch x Triwana) printed at the article and there I could see the horse I was dreaming about all my ( riders-) life. That`s when I told my husband: " If we are ever going to buy a horse it can only be a Morgan Horse."

Serenity March Time

So I started surfing the internet and how glad was I when I found a list of Morgan breeders and owners here at Germany! I got in contact with some of them and after having visited them and having seen a few completely different types of Morgans, it was perfectly clear to us to purchase one of these wonderful horses. It should have been a black or a bay mare so we could maybe use our horse for breeding, too. But as there was no mare for sale at that time, we had to keep on searching.

In October 2005, we went for a visit to Glenmorgan Farm from Susen Fischer at Hamburg. Susen had no mare for sale at that time, but nevertheless we wanted to have a look at her Morgans. When we came to her place she gave us a very warm welcome. We were that impressed about her outstanding breeding and were able to get to know each of her horses. When she offered us a ride on her breeding stallion Glenmorgan Nyx Surprise ( Glamorgan Damien x Glamorgan Faline) it felt like" Steffi in wonderland". From the first moment I saw Susens horses, there was no doubt that if I would buy a horse, it would be one with a Glenmorgan-Prefix.

Markus riding Nyx

Nyx and me doing a Renvers

There also was a little chestnut colt named Glenmorgan Final Hylight, the last foal from Glamorgan Damien out of Glamorgan Faline- a very successful and proven cross. Such a sweet boy! These tiny little ears, these big, intelligent, soft eyes! This look-at me-attitude! This little gentle and curious muzzle! He really was amazing. But there actually was a Lady , who was very interested in buying him, so we didn`t mind him as our horse. Since Susens broodmare Glenmorgan Tara Lyll was in foal for the following spring, we decided to buy that foal after it being weaned.

Meeting Finn for the first time- what a cute foal!

At the same time I got to know Eva Stock, Edelhof Morgans. She told me that her friend, who was the Lady who wanted to buy Susen`s colt, now decided to buy herself another horse. I felt I could not wait any longer and I should not miss this opportunity, so I hurried to call Susen to ask for the little colt and when Markus came home from work I told him: " Hi darling, I think I just bought a horse!" A few days later Susen and me signed the salescontract and the ridden black mare changed into a young chestnut colt.

Leah ( about one year old ) riding KLN Command be Magic

In April 2006, the day had come: Finn (we called our colt) should come to his new home. I was so excited and wasted hours and hours with thoughts like. "Will I be able to handle a young stallion? Will he be easy to load? Will he feel good in his new home?" For sure, we heard a lot of opinions from our families and friends who all thought we were nuts. But those people never met a Morgan Horse!
We opened the trailer, I got Finn at his lead and- uups- faster than lightning he stood at the trailer and was eating some hey.

Loading-no problem!

Susen already got Finn used to a lead, he could stand still while grooming him, he was regularly vaccinated and knew the farrier and things like that- but she taught him, not me! During the first days home alone with Finn , I didn`t even dare to handle my new Baby and always treated him very carefully- maybe I could damage something when I treated him the wrong way. It took hours and hours to `discuss` things like who leads and who follows, is it allowed to jump on his owners (me) feet, is it allowed to scratch his head at the owner ( me again) and other interesting questions without ever coming to a satisfying result ( for me ). I really loved Finn from the very beginning and he always made me laugh with all the ideas he had to show me what he wants.

Excercising with the lead

After a few weeks Finn had to move again to spend the summer together with a group of sixteen young colts between one and three years on a big meadow outside where the boys could run, fight or do whatever young stallions want to do. After Finn got used to this new situation, we continued his training a few days later in between all the youngsters.

Finn with the other young stallions

Grooming, feeding from a bucket, leading- all these things had to be practiced now in between those rough guys. It did not take long and those trips to Finn turned into real events for the whole family, taking some toys for the children, a blanket and a picnic-basket and watched the horses from the other side of the fence or went on the meadow to do our excercises with Finn. These happenings got started one or two times a week and the more often we practiced with him, the more confident we got, so we really made big progress.

Visiting Finn with the children

With the beginning of November 2006 the young stallions had to move to a barn for the winter. Nearly each day they had the possibility to run out on the pasture during the day, so Finn didn`t feel bored. He was still that easy to handle! I carefully tried to get Finn used to a lounge line what was not that easy to do, with me standing in the middle of the meadow without a fence in between all the young boys and me having only rudimentary plans of what I was going to do.

We then had the chance to spend a few days at Glenmorgan Farm. Susen Fischer, who is a proven member of the "Knighthood of Academic Riding" by Bent Branderup offered us to have a clinic with her and , for sure, we didn`t miss this opportunity to do some Horsemanship with Susen`s Morgans. Back home, Finn was really not amused and wondered what was going on with me. Suddenly it was no longer allowed to behave like a nimrod! For the first time, I had concretely plans what to do and how to act. Oh dear, being a young horse is not easy at all!

A few days before Christmas, Finn was gelded, because we wanted to have a family riding horse, not a breeding stallion. For sure, you always think twice before you make such a decision, but Finn has two proven and tested brothers ( Glenmorgan Nyx Surprise and Glenmorgan Leroy Brown) and the proven and tested father Glamorgan Damien, so his bloodline will still be alive in Europe.

Glenmorgan Nyx Surprise

Glenmorgan Leroy Brown

Three months later, Finn once more moved to another barn, this time right in our neighbourhood. We have two indoor arenas, two outdoor arenas, a trail-arena and a small and a large roundpen. There are plenty of possibilities to keep a young horse busy.

Going for a walk April 2007

At the trail-arena April 2007

Some of the members of the BMHS may know our barn by now, because we already had the chance to help our friends from GB to find a place for the night while transporting a sold horse to Germany or Denmark. So if there is any of you who has to transport a horse in the future- please feel free to come for a visit ( for sure, you are welcome without a horse, too, if you want to get to know us).

Chris and Les Reading with Starwood Annies Song

Rosie Daniels with Churchtown Boogie Miss

First we started our training at the small roundpen where Finn made his first steps at the long line with a caveson, a long rope and me only working only with the talk of my body. We also used the trailarena a lot and tried some circus tricks like a pliè or rolling out a carpet. Giving kisses or lying down by command are part of our repertoire, too. We also often took the chance to go for a walk with Finn in hand at least once a week, and often heard comments like: " Why does not even one person of you sit on the horses back?"

Going for a walk

Meanwhile, Finn is four years old and he shows a great talent for High Scholl of riding. With the help of our breeder, trainer and good friend Susen Fischer Finn shows great progresses in excercising dressage in hand. He is used to bit and bridle, but to keep Finns mouth sensibly and easy to ride, I work him only with a bitless caveson most of the time. At this point , he can do such difficult things like Spanish walk,shoulder-in, croup-in, travers and renvers at the long reins and the double longe. When I work him free at the roundpen, I can slow him down or make him go faster, making full or half holds with only breathing less or harder. He also can stretch his neck forward-downward while trotting by only a signal of my voice, does pirouettes and, our newest aim, starts to do a Pesade ( taking his weight onto his hind legs) and a Terre-à-Terre, a canter without moving forwards and a lot of power from his hind legs. I also even started to teach him doing Piaffe in hand and like I am always used to, Finn has no problems at all to understand what I want him to do and it seems we found our profession in training these things..
Finn doing shoulder-in First steps doing piaffe

Finn worked free and doing a Pesade Finn doing Tèrre-à-Tèrre

Finn coming out of the Tèrre-à-Tèrre Spanish walk in the snow

Finn comes from a long bloodline of carriage horses and why not use the versality of the Morgan Horse and start training him with a carriage? Corresponding to our usual training, I started to drive him in hand. We had to lean a harness first, but very soon we got our own harness. We already put him in front of our carriage a few times and guess what- he didn`t seemed to be excited at all. What a petty, we do not find enough time to continue our education at the moment, but making a little break does not mean we won`t go on training with the carriage in the future.

Driving in hand, getting Finn used to harness

Finn in front of our carriage

Due to the horses in Finn`s pedigree are developing very late, but then getting very old ( his grandmother, Glamorgan Finesse got her last foal at the age of 37), we started to get Finn broken to ride very carefully right now. He will be used to saddle and the weight of a rider this year and I think we will start riding him seriously next year. The old Renaissance masters tell us to not a ride a horse before it changed all it`s teeth at the age of five or six years, so I think, we will be right in time. I don`t expect to have any trouble or problems with Finn, so I decided to do it all by myself. For sure, I will have support by telephon from Susen and I really feel like nothing can go wrong.

Markus riding Finn for the second time in their lifes

For sure I had to spend a lot of time reading books about horses and horsetraining, visited clinics and even the hours and hours on the phone with Susen helped me to learn a lot-thanks God for telephones. And thanks Susen for her advice and her friendship supporting us in every crisis.
As I wanted to become a riding teacher by myself now, I joined an Online-clinic with Bent Branderup last year to become a teacher of Academical Riding, too. The education will take about two or three years and after that, I will be (hopefully !) able to help other people getting their Horse-and rider-problems managed.

Glamorgan Damien doing Piaffe in hand
during a clinic at Glenmorgan Farm

Glamorgan Damien with Long Reins

Glenmorgan Nyx Surprise with the double lounge line
But in the end , I believe, this is what makes the Morgan Horse so special: when you won its heart, nothing can divide you both and the mistakes you make will be forgiven soon. Not a professional trainer is needed, but a person with a heart full of love and a good feeling for his horse. I am perfectly sure I have never been loved by anyone like I am laved by Finn. Sometimes we enjoy standing together, snuggling and cuddling and Finn is my Baby boy again. That's when all the hard moments on our way are forgotten completely…

My "Horse of a lifetime"- Finn

back to top

Finn doing shoulder-in	First steps doing piaffe
Finn worked free and doing a Pesade	Finn doing Tèrre-à-Tèrre
Finn coming out of the Tèrre-à-Tèrre	Spanish walk in the snow

Glamorgan Damien doing Piaffe in hand during a clinic at Glenmorgan Farm	Glamorgan Damien with Long Reins
Glenmorgan Nyx Surprise with the double lounge line