Overall, the Morgan is not a gaited breed, although there are some gaited Morgans found within the breed. In the 1800s, Morgans were valued for their speed in harness, and both trotting and pacing Morgans came at a high price. Today, a few Morgans can be found that are capable of performing a rack, pace, fox-trot, or other lateral gaits in which the horse's movement is from side-to-side instead of up and down as found in diagonal gaits, such as the trot and canter.

Morgans come in many colors, and horses of all colors that meet other registration requirements are eligible to be registered. Descriptions of various coat colors, coat patterns and modifiers, and leg and face markings are provided on a downloadable form found at http://www.morganhorse.com/benefits/forms.php.

The height of a Morgan generally ranges from 14.1 to 15.2 hands, with some individuals under or over.

Most horse will live for 20-30 years. Morgans are very long lived; many will live past 30 years if they are well cared for.

Morgans have remarkably few medical conditions present in the breed. There are rare occurrences of equine conditions that are common to most or all other breeds of horses, such as Cushing's disease, a hormonal abnormality commonly encountered in many breeds of horses in advanced age. Fortunately, simple tests by your veterinarian can diagnose many such conditions, and the disorder can often be controlled with medication.

Morgans are a long-lived, very healthy breed and suffer remarkably few problems with their legs and feet. They are well known for being easy keepers. They need a minimum of grain and grass compared with most other breeds, and they should be monitored to be sure they are not eating too much, especially sweetened feeds. Obesity can lead to health and soundness problems.

For parentage verification, DNA is used. For most Morgan foals born today, it is a simple procedure that requires pulling a few hairs (with roots) from the mane or tail and placing the hairs in a kit that is sent to the owner after a Registration Application has been submitted to the Registry. The hairs are sent to a laboratory for processing to match up the DNA with that on file for the recorded dam and sire.

Gaited horses like our Tennessee Walking Horses [TWH], are naturally smooth to ride. Individuals who are tired of the bouncy, rocking motion of other horses will find the TWH's especially easy to ride since they are considered to be good trail riding, endurance, showing, and pleasure horses, with excellent stamina. Naturally gaited horses do not have to be trained to execute their gait--training is done to communicate to them when to change gaits and to properly collect in their gait.

Our FLEX PANEL SADDLE adapt to the shape of almost all horses. It does not matter what breed they are. We have fit them to almost every breed. Gaited horses may show improvement in their gait when using a flex panel saddle. (back to top) Horses are like Athletes they change shape on a continual basis. Research has shown that a horse being ridden 20-40 miles can loss between 5% - 7% of its own body weight. The largest weight loss takes place in the first 10 miles.

All Bovines and Equines should have a regular de-worming program regardless of the breed--your Vet can provide specifics for your locale and type of stock. Proper, current vaccinations and regular de-worming are needed to ensure the continuing health of your animals. Horses require routine hoof care and trimming to prevent problems and to ensure they will have proper alignment for balance.