The Registry - History of the American Morgan Horse Register: 1894-1994
by Elizabeth A. Curler ©1993
Informed breeding decisions are based on the knowledge of an individual animal's ancestry. Pedigrees are the recording of this knowledge. These decisions are the only way to predictable improve conformation and performance while retaining a distinctive breed type. Progress cannot be achieved, however, without knowing where genetic influences originate.
Registration of individual animals provides a permanent record of their genealogy, thus validating their ancestry. A pedigree of highly regarded ancestors adds value to an individual's perceived worth. Therefore, registered animals are apt to have a higher market value than those with unknown ancestry.
The value of a registry, however, rest with the integrity of the breeders who use it. Without this honesty the value of a pedigree for breeding purposes and the continuity of a breed has no value, as unknown factors become a part of the breeding equation. These unknown factors make it more difficult for a breeder to succeed, as it will become more difficult to pinpoint genetic influences. When the factors are known, it becomes easier for a breeder seeking to improve his stock to retain qualities he or she seeks while reducing the chance of occurrence of influences he wishes to eliminate.
In the 18th century, efforts to improve livestock for commercial gains began in England. Robert Bakewell (1726-1795) is credited with making the first serious efforts to improve livestock. His efforts coincided with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1760 as the need for commercial production of agricultural goods increased. The demand for eggs, wool, meat, and dairy products increased substantially as people entered the industrial labor force.
Bakewell used inbreeding methods to fix the body form (type) of his livestock, and kept records of their performance to analyze the results of his breeding program. Often maligned by his contemporaries who failed to understand what he was doing, Bakewell responded with the now familiar quotes "like begets like" and "breed the best to the best".
The first attempt to compile and publish breeding records and pedigrees for livestock, which occurred in England, was the General Stud Book. This private venture by James Weatherby was published in 1791. The first volume concentrated on race horses and was compiled from racing calendars and sale papers. Although it was done to correct mistakes and reduce fraud in pedigrees, it was not all-inclusive or wholly free of error. Weatherby's book contained "…a greater mass of authentic….pedigrees of Horses…."
Further publication of livestock pedigrees did not recur until 1822 when, again in England, a herdbook for Shorthorn cattle was published. Stud books for horses appeared in other European countries soon after – France in 1847. In the United States agricultural improvements lagged behind improvements in Europe because much of the nation was still being settled. Gentleman farmers had the means to experiment with new ideas, but the majority of the farmers did not and were often suspicious of "book farming."
The early 19th century witnessed the beginnings of a strong movement toward agricultural improvement in the United States. The improvement of livestock for greater and more efficient production for commercial gain through the sale of food-stuffs, or for draft and transportation purposes, were among the ideals strongly encouraged by agricultural societies and publications.
It became evident that the "….breeder…will need to focus attention on other points in addition to body form and little details of type." In other words, breeders needed to improve the conformation of their stock while retaining type if they wished to be successful commercial farmers. With horses, such attributes as thickness of mane and tail or the amount of hair a horse had on its legs often guided breeding decisions.
It was not until after the civil War that any official stud or herd books were published in the United States. However, Daniel C. Linsley, a native of Middlebury, Vermont, compiled and published a list of more than 200 stallions of Morgan breeding at the end of his book Morgan Horses:A Premium Essay in 1857. Linsley continued to encourage Morgan breeders and owners to submit their horses' pedigrees to him for publication in the Vermont Stock Journal. Linsley published this periodical in 1857 and 1858, after which time it was sold. Linsley's book became the bible of Morgan breeders and was considered to be the best source of information on "ancient" Morgans.
From the mid-19th century on, importation of livestock improve the native stock increased substantially. Because the stock was imported, it was regarded as special or "blue blooded." The Civil War interrupted the movement to improve livestock and, indeed, depleted the available breeding stock population. The importation of livestock led to the formation of herd books or stud books to preserve their pedigrees.
The methodology of the registration of livestock differed between Europe and the United States. A breed or type was almost always in existence before a registry was established. In Europe, the maintenance and improvement of the individual or breed was the goal. These registries continued to include outstanding individuals even if they were not purebred, although these same individuals would be considered grade horses in the United States. Countries which were importing the established European breeds "to improve the native stock," however, closed their books almost immediately to other horses than purebred stock. In the United States, fashionable pedigrees and a closed book often took precedence over the quality of the individual animal and overall improvement of a breed.
In the early 19th century attempts were made to record racehorse pedigrees in the United States, which did not prove to be satisfactory. Sanders D. Bruce reorganized these earlier efforts and in 1873 published the first two volumes of the American Stud Book. Corrected and revised editions of these volumes were published in 1884 (although they still contained many errors). Acquired by the Jockey Club in 1896, additional volumes have been published since.
Another Middlebury, Vermont native, Joseph Battell, began breeding Morgan horses of the Ethan Allen and Lambert families to produce business and road horses for sale in city markets. In 1878 he established the Breadloaf Stock Farm in Weybridge, Vermont (now the site of the UVM Morgan Horse Farm) and ran a breeding program there for several years. Battell acquired several thousand acres of land in the Middlebury, Vermont area, as well as a local publishing company and newspaper.
With the goal of publishing a register for Morgan pedigrees, Battell began to compile pedigrees and information on Morgan horses in the fall of 1884, using Linsley's book as the foundation for his work. In addition to Linsley's work Battell used Weatherby's General Stud Book as a reference. He combined the English and American styles of recording information and pedigrees.
Battell's ultimate goal was "…establishing upon a scientific basis, a breed of American horses specially adapted to road and family use." Roadster breeders were producing the fastest trotter or pacer at the expense of form, style, and uniformity. Battell felt the best horse - not the fastest – should be the goal of breeders, and the publication of a Morgan Register would help breeders produce that ideal horse. The register would permit breeders to obtain results on a blood basis and "the great law of nature to operate, [that of] like producing like." Battell goes on further to say, "In this best horse constitution, form, style, disposition, intelligence, and beauty are all to be considered… the perfect horse should be the fastest horse." But speed was not acceptable without the other attributes making up the ideal horse. Battell felt the Morgans always excelled in the attributes he envisioned in an ideal horse.
He sent nearly 100,000 letters of inquiry; traveled throughout the States, the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and Mexico; and spent hours in archives and museums. The local newspaper he owned, the Middlebury Register, was used as a communications tool to reach interested parties across the country. A weekly publication, the Register printed a page with the results of Battell's research and the correspondence it generated from his research that spanned several years.
The rule for eligibility into the Morgan Register required that all foundation stock trace in direct male line to Justin Morgan, and have at least 1/64 of Justin Morgan's blood. Battell also recorded the timed speed records of many individuals and their offspring. This was his way of establishing a measure of merit for the Morgan breed. He predicted Morgan horses would once again dominate the trotting turf.
Battell faced stiff competition from the American Trotting Register and its compiler John H. Wallace. Numerous small registers for trotting stock were also started by several agricultural periodicals such as the American Horse Breeder, Albany Cultivator, Dunton's Spirit of the Times, and Canada's Sportsman. John Wallace published Wallace's Monthly as a way to gather and dispense information for the American Trotting Register (ATR). For some time Battell had questioned the accuracy of some early trotting horse pedigrees published in the ATR.
Wallace struck back in the June 1886 issue of Wallace's Monthly when responding to a letter signed "Wedgewood." Wedgewood decried Battell's constant disparagement of the ATR and also ridiculed his discovery of hitherto unknown facts on pedigrees. Wallace responded by stating, "Poor Joe has very little sense and still less honesty." He elaborated further by saying Battell had submitted bogus pedigrees to be entered in the ATR, claimed he was trying to cheat the public by doing so, and insinuated Battell had tried bribery to get the horses entered in the ATR.
Battell sued Wallace for $10,000 "for the damages sustained by [his] character" when Wallace refused to apologize. Letters appeared in 1887 issues of Wallace's Monthly further criticizing Battell. The lawsuit was settled in 1888 with publication of the letter of explanation submitted to the court by John Wallace with the word "spurious" to be substituted for the word "bogus".
In the letter, Wallace admitted to embellishing the facts. Battell had submitted pedigrees which were spurious for inclusion in the ATR and were thus rejected. He acknowledged that Battell may not have known that they were spurious as he (Battell) later published them without the spurious part. Wallace also admitted, "There was no bribe suggested nor offered in any form…" and no money was paid in addition to the required registration fees.
Personal bias and competing registers are the probable causes for much of the problem. Wallace referred to Justin Morgan as a pony and continued to deride Battell in later issues of the Monthly. In an article on "Where to Register Bogus Pedigrees" Wallace discussed his competition and where to register what the ATR won't accept. He suggested "Joe Battell if there is a little Morgan about it, or Randolph Huntington if there is a little Clay about it, or Frank Dunton is there a little money about it." Battell also continued to deride Wallace's register.
In the 1890's owning a purebred (thus registered) animal became a status symbol. The use of the term "breed" began to be used rather than "family." Some horses were registered in more than one stud book to take advantage of being available to a wider range of mates for breeding purposes (thus increasing income through stud fees and sales of offspring). The most common overlap for Morgans was dual registration in the Trotting Register, but the American Saddle Horse Register was used as well, and some horses were triple registered. As a companion to the Morgan Horse and register, Battell published the American Stallion Register. The latter was a source of information on stallions appearing in Morgan pedigrees but not eligible for registration in the Morgan registry.
After eight years of painstaking work, the first volume of the Morgan Horse and Register was published in 1894, and contained nearly 1,000 pages of pedigrees and breed history. Although work on the second volume of the Register began prior to the publication of the first, it was not published until 1905. While stallions foaled prior to 1880 or before continued to be registered for free, fees were charged for registration of other horses. All stallions one year or over and foaled after 1880 were charged $2. All colts under one year, mares, and geldings were charged $1.
The registration rules had changed slightly and become more complex. Rule I allowed "any meritorious stallion, mare, or gelding tracing in direct male line to Justin Morgan and having at least 1/64 of his blood; provided the dam and sire's dam were bred in approved speed or roadster lines." A change in eligibility rules allowed the registration of horses tracing in direct female line to Justin Morgan and having 1/32 of Justin Morgan blood (Rule II). Rule III provided for the inclusion of the produce of a stallion and mare already registered. Numbers were assigned to all stallions, which was the procedure for contemporary registration practices. Although it was planned to include a listing of mares in the second volume, due to "other pressing work" it was not done. It was not considered essential to complete the record, and including the mares would delay publication. Volume I could be purchased for $5 and Volume II (800 pages) for $4. If both were purchased at the same time, they could be had for $8 postpaid.
The work which Battell compiled and published did not go unchallenged by his fellow contemporaries. His rules of eligibility for registration came under attack in various periodicals for being to lax. In a letter to the editor in the February 12, 1910 edition of the New England Farmer, Joseph C. Brunk of Rochester, Illinois said "…under the admission to registry of horses carrying only one sixty-fourth of Morgan blood, [it] will never conduce to uniformity of Morgan type and characteristics." Brunk added, "If the matter were left to my option I should bar anything not having one eight of the original blood. Unless this is done the breed will always be a subject of criticism."
Discussion to establish a separate or advanced registry also took place. In an on-going discussion by Morgan breeders in the Spirit of the West, Edward Feldhauser of Frontenac, Minnesota felt that having more than one register would be too confusing. He opined that the old one should be continued with revised and raised standards for registration. He also felt that a new organization to conduct the register was advisable. He stated "to admit a horse tracing in male line Morgan on a smaller percentage of the blood of Justin Morgan than the horse tracing through the female line is in itself an admission of weakness, and must be construed as a business proposition regardless of the best interests of the breed. When the personal equation enters, progress ends."
Feldhauser praised Battell's complete work, and stated that a great debt was owed to him for the preservation of Morgan records. He proposed for discussion that the newly formed Morgan Horse Club establish registers for the Improved Morgan Horse, and a class for Standardbred Trotters that could not be registered under the present rules of the American Trotting Horse Association.
The editor responded by saying the ideas were good, but he felt, "The opportunity to revise and improve the old register should first be given Mr. Joseph Battell, who [is] entitled to much credit for having collected valuable material concerning the Morgan horse. The present registry rules are too lax and something [should] certainly be done. If Mr. Battell does not take action in the matter the new Morgan Horse Club (MHC) should by all means do so."
The preface of Volume III states the rules had changed slightly ("especially the second rule"), but how they were changed was not published. Volume III was published after Battell's death in 1915 by his estate. Only a few copies of this printing had been distributed when the American Publishing Company was destroyed by fire. The third volume of the American Stallion Register was also lost. The latter was not reprinted, but Volume III of the Morgan Register was. Numerous plates and pictures of Morgan horses which had accumulated over the years were also lost in the blaze.
The Morgan Horse and Register passed to Middlebury College as part of Battell's estate. The college continued registrations under the direction of the estate until it was purchased by Chauncey C. Stillman on November 25, 1919 for $2,000. Stillman had been secretary-treasurer of MHC since its inception in 1909. Stillman incorporated the American Morgan Horse Register in 1920, and retained the stock of the corporation personally. The Register continued to function under the auspices of a private benefactor.
The Morgan Horse and Register became the American Morgan Horse Register with the publication of Volume IV in 1921. The remaining inventory of volumes published earlier were bound to reflect the name change on their spine. Mares and geldings were alphabetically listed and assigned numbers preceded by zero to differentiate them from the stallion numbers. A complete numerical index of all horses was included. On January 1, 1921 two revised rules for registration went into effect. Rule I allowed the registration of the offspring of mares and stallions already registered. Rule II required the submission of an application and "full particulars" to the MHC Executive Committee when the sire or dam were not both registered. The Executive Committee's decision was final.
It was at this time the practice of using an "X" preceding a registration number began. The intent of Rule II was to recapture losses from the gene pool and allow registration of Morgans whose registrations had been allowed to lapse. Some breeders simply did not bother to register their horses, as they felt their horses were not important enough. Their horses were used every day and were not fancy show horses, and their owners could not see the sense or value of registering them. Only the fancy horses of the well-to-do were felt to be important enough to warrant the time and expense of registration.
C.C. Stillman died on August 16,1926 aboard the U.S.S. Acquitania while returning from Europe. The Register was willed to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or, if they could not accept, to the person who was the current MHC president. The USDA was not able to accept the Register and Elmer A. Darling, who was MHC president at the time, was elderly and also refused it. One of Stillman's secretaries carried on the work of the Register and the secretary's office under the direction of Stillman's younger brother, Dr. Ernest Stillman. MHC was approached about the possibility of owning and maintaining the Register. MHC had become relatively inactive, and the majority of its more than 200 listed members were in arrears with their dues. Charles A. Stone was approached by Dr. Stillman and Chauncey B. Garver of the National City Bank about the future of the club and Register.
Stone agreed to maintain MHC and the Register until other arrangements could be made. A committee consisting of Stone, Frank B. Hills, R. G. Freeman, R. C. V. Mann, and Henry S. Wardner worked to reorganize the club so it could take over the Register. Since its inception, MHC had been an informal organization of people interested in preserving and promoting the Morgan horse. In order to take on the responsibilities associated with the Register, MHC officially became a membership corporation on October 31, 1927.
On June 18, 1928 the Morgan Horse Club, Inc. obtained the assets of the American Morgan Horse Register, Inc. Once that was done, the corporation forming the American Morgan Horse Register was dissolved. The daily functions of the club and Register were maintained in offices owned by Charles Stone. This arrangement was to continue until the club was financially able to maintain itself and the Register.
The shift in emphasis of the horse market which took place in the early 20th century had impact on MHC. Horses, once a necessity for transportation and draft, became a recreational activity. Saddle horses were in vogue rather than driving horses, when their use was sustained at all. Morgans had been used primarily as driving horses throughout the 19th century. When a concerted effort to revive the Morgan horse took root and blossomed through the efforts of government, gentleman, and farmer breeders alike about 1910, the future of the Morgan looked bright. The Vermont State Fair attracted numerous entries from as far as Illinois and Pennsylvania, and was the site of the MHC organization in 1909. Classes for Morgan horses were organized and subsidized by wealthy members of MHC at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden.
By the 1920s, however, numbers had decreased substantially and the breeders still remaining were trying to establish the Morgan as a saddle horse. Registrations peaked at 154 in 1922, and reached a low of 78 during the Depression in 1933. In the East, marketing efforts were geared toward producing high steppers for the show ring where Morgans competed alongside Saddlebreds. In the Midwest and West, ranch and light draft horses dominated breeding programs.
By producing Morgans capable of competing successfully against high steppers, a "new" type of Morgan was promoted. Many breeders outcrossed to the Saddlebred and other breeds. There were objections raised about the alteration of the breed with outcrossing, rather than from within the breed itself. The breed's alteration also entailed a liberal reinterpretation of Rule II, changing it from its intended role to recapture breeding stock whose registrations had been allowed to lapse, to that of registering animals resulting from planned outcrossing.
This reinterpretation of Rule II sparked continuing controversy. In 1932 Frank Hills was instructed to form a committee to "recommend an interpretation of Rule II governing certain admissions to the American Morgan Horse Register …." With committee members Earl B. Krantz and Henry S. Wardner, Hills proposed a special clause for fillies out of registered Morgan mares but sired by registered stallions of other light breeds (specifically Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Saddlebred, and Arabian). The progeny of these half-Morgan fillies could only be registered if their sire was a registered Morgan.
This new interpretation of Rule II went into effect in 1934. This version was desired by certain breeders to allow limited experimentation with other light horse breeds to improve the saddle type of the Morgan. This blood "would eventually be lost in the pedigree." In a heated discussion on the topic at the 1935 meeting, Secretary Pro Tem R. C. Hill notes, " You can just imagine what sort of a discussion this was, with everyone taking a pot shot at Earl Krantz. Somehow or other I got the floor, and moved that we adjourn."
The government farm, at this time, was experimenting with registered stallions of Thoroughbred, Saddlebred, and Nonius (a Hungarian breed) breeding on its registered Morgan mares, and registering the offspring under Rule II as Morgan horses. Other breeders were also using various light horse breeds to "improve" the saddle type of the Morgan. The experiment of outcrossing Rule II mares (mares sired by a non-Morgan stallion) on yet another breed was discontinued by the government farm in 1939. Other breeders continued the practice until a ruling prevented registration of those animals effective December 31, 1941.
As the Depression ended, the use of saddle horses for pleasure and other recreational pursuits began. This was reflected in the activity of the Register. Registrations increased, and so did transfers and memberships in MHC. Partially as an effort to increase awareness of Morgan horses and as a way to eliminate Rule II, some parties began to request a half-Morgan register. The Arabian breed had adopted a half-blood registry and the concept was proving to be successful. Owen Moon felt a half-Morgan register was the first step leading to abolition of Rule II. He felt that "…[Rule II] should not be applied to the progeny of deliberate outcrossing."
Others felt there was enough outside blood in the Morgan, and feared the half-Morgan register would be abused. It was also felt the half-Morgan would detract from the full-blooded Morgan. A membership vote in 1943 finally brought and end to the controversy when the proposal was defeated.
At the 1936 MHC meeting a change in the registration certificate was implemented. A short form version was discontinued, and a special certificate for horses registered under Rule II was adopted. The Register was presented with a contract to pay Whitney Stone's office the nominal fee of $250 per year for clerical, stenographic, and bookkeeping services.
Registration requirements for naming horses became more specific, with short names being "preferable." Names already used could not be used again and the use of "Second, Third, Junior, Sir, Lady, Miss, etc." was no longer allowed. The right to reject a proposed name was reserved by the Registry if it was felt to be unsuitable. Prefixes could be reserved for one's exclusive use for a $25 fee.
A list of cautionary statements were also a part of the registration application form. The responsibility for the correctness of the pedigree rested with the applicant for registration. Any horse registered or transferred fraudulently was expunged from the Register and "all attempts at fraud will be exposed when detected." The registration application included diagrams to show markings, and a breeder's certificate to be signed by the owner of the stallion and mare at the time of service. The applicant had to sign a statement certifying the correctness of the pedigree being submitted, and MHC would not be responsible "for any loss or damage . . . sustained through the inaccuracy, omission or alteration of any registration . . . " In 1939, the final wording of Rule II was adopted, to take effect January 1, 1942 – "To register any horse in the American Morgan Horse Register, which is not the product of a sire and dam both registered therein, application with full particulars should be made to Executive Committee of the Morgan Horse Club, Inc. . . . whose decision will be final. The Executive Committee of the club will consider for registration under Rule II only such animals as are preponderantly of Morgan breeding." The use of an "X" in front of the registration number was retained to mollify breeders with animals that had no "X" in their pedigrees.
Beginning April 5, 1943 registration fees were $3 for members and $5 for non-members. This was the first time a differentiation was made. A lower fee was charged for registering foals by December 31st of the year they were foaled.
Widespread discussion in the horse industry focused on the role of stud books through the 1930s and 1940s. The controversy within the Morgan world was not unique, as discussions raged in other breeds. There were arguments relating to type, how to establish the merit of individual animals, whether "color" breeds should have a registry (there being no uniform type in a registry based on color), and the purity of various bloodlines. In their formative years, equine registries often accepted outstanding individuals and performers "even if they were not purebreds."
The Jockey Club closed the American Stud Book to Arabians and Anglo-Arabs effective November 1, 1943. The Quarter Horse registry was just beginning and experiencing growing pains, as were the Appaloosa and palomino horse registries. The majority of registries were owned by breeder organizations, but the American Morgan Horse Register was owned by a membership corporation (as it continues to be today).
In response to a survey conducted in 1941, the first issue of THE MORGAN HORSE published comments made by Merle Evans. In the interest of resolving the Rule II controversy, he suggested that, "FIRST: Try to have the large breeders of Morgans confine themselves more to the Morgan type and less to trying to obtain American Saddle Horse type, as I am quite sure that if Morgan breeders like the American Saddle type, they would breed them instead of Morgans." He went on to add, "SECOND: Close and lock the door of the Morgan register to all registrants not now having both sire and dam registered. I believe that there are more than enough so-called Morgans in the United States now without continuing to increase that number by outcrossing. If the Morgan breeders wish to approximate a purebred line of horses, this outcrossing will have to be stopped."
In a letter to the THE MORGAN HORSE Editor, A. N. Kay of Phoenix, Arizona wrote "…we believe that there are enough X's running through the pages of the Morgan Register as it is…And, in speaking of that, if the Morgan horse is what we thought he was, what we want him to be, why all this outcrossing in order to make him something else?"
Further comments from Merle Evans arguing for the discontinuation of Rule II was that it would raise the breed's quality. He felt Rule II allowed too many variants. "Quality can only be obtained by careful selective breeding in the particular breed that you desire," he said. The major attraction of Rule II was for the commercial breeder, as registered horses were worth substantially more.
Another letter writer, Dorothea J. Moorhouse noted the term "purebreed" would cease to mean anything if applied to animals who were outcrossed. Proponents of Rule II argue there was no such thing as a purebred Morgan except Justin Morgan himself.
The May 1945 issue of THE MORGAN HORSE printed a slightly changed wording of Rule II. At the end of Rule II it read "…preponderantly of registered Morgan ancestry" rather the "…preponderantly of Morgan breeding." Mares and geldings at least ¾ Morgan and stallions at least 7/8 Morgan were eligible for registration. Merle Evans continued to push for resolution of the Rule II controversy in 1945 "for the good of the breed." he felt the Executive Committee had too much authority in deciding whether a horse could be registered. They could register a horse without either a sire or a dam in the Register and "in the past had done so." The letters to the editor of THE MORGAN HORSE were strongly in favor of rescinding Rule II.
At the August 1946 club meeting there was extensive discussion on the subject. As a result, a special meeting was to be held by January 1, 1947 to resolve the dispute. Proxies were mailed to the 260 club members. When the final vote was tallied, Rule II was rescinded by the large majority. Of 169 votes cast, 147 were for eliminating Rule II, with only 22 in favor of retaining it. A deadline of January 1, 1948 was set as the final deadline for allowing horses to be registered under Rule II.
The Morgan Horse Club and Register continued to face change as their activity level increased. In 1947 Frank Hills, with Merle Evans' assistance, began a push for establishing a self-sufficient office with paid staff for the club and registry. Evans was the first club president to make a strong effort in this direction. J. Victor Pinnell challenged Morgan owners to raise money for the effort, for the preservation and integrity of the Register. Private support could potentially be a problem if the person providing the support used the Register unscrupulously for his own gains. The Morgan community had been lucky to have had philanthropic support from C.C. Stillman and Charles and Whitney Stone without interference in registry matters.
Pinnell suggested raising fees and memberships to prove funds, and putting the office in a less expensive area than New York City. He compared the cost of Morgan registration ($5) with that of the Quarter Horse($25). To those complaining about the cost, he argued the integrity of the Register and the gains of the Quarter Horse breed within a relatively short span of time.
A subscription drive was started, but the acquisition of the magazine after Owen Moon's death in 1947 hindered efforts to become self-sufficient. The magazine operated at a deficit. When Otho Euthsy took over publication in 1949, the deficit was lessened considerably. It was not until 1960, however, that the reality of being self-sufficient happened. Seth Holcombe was employed as the Assistant Registrar and an office was opened in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Frank hills had worked for MHC and the Register for more than 30 years without remuneration. He established a reputation for fastidious record keeping and a memory for people, horses, and pedigrees. Holcombe proved to be his equal in his meticulous care of the Register, and was known as a stickler for following its rules. His sole concern was the integrity of the Register, and he pursued consistent application of its regulations.
The 1960s witnessed many changes, and the club and Register experienced growing pains. To be eligible for voting privileges, members had to have an animal registered with the club. Registration and transfer fees were increased in 1961. Sellers of horses became personally responsible for completing all details on a transfer application. All foals had to be registered by December 31st of their second year. Guidelines were set for colors, and white markings above the knees and hocks were not allowed except on the face. A horse's name could no longer be changed without the approval of the board of directors.
In 1966, $15,000 was placed in an agency account for the perpetuation and preservation of the Register. By the early 1970s this amount had increased to $175,000.
The Board of Directors allowed late registrations beginning in 1964 in cases with "extenuating circumstances." A late penalty fee of $50 was imposed. Other controversial cases involving the "white rule," name changes, and transfers also occurred amid charges of political favoritism. As a result of the controversy surrounding the Board of Directors and club at the time, Stone & Webster (owned by Whitney Stone who had helped support the club and Register for many years) was contracted to evaluate administrative and internal operations, and make recommendations in 1970.
The Stone & Webster report noted that "the Register is the important function of the organization and should not be subjected to politics." Their principal recommendation was "that serious consideration be given to separating the registry and promotional functions into different corporate entities similar to the present Arabian associations." They also recommended the agency account set aside for the registry become a trust fund. The latter recommendation was carried out.
In 1971 the Morgan Horse Club was reorganized and became known as The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA). Holcombe resigned in October 1971. His assistant Milvia Oxer assumed his duties temporarily. AMHA offices were moved to rent-free facilities owned by Lawrence Appley in Hamilton, New York. There were later moves to Westmoreland and New Hartford, New York preceding the establishment of the Association's permanent home in Shelburne, Vermont in 1988.
The mechanization of records were considered in 1960, but was rejected as there would be no cost savings. The expense was high and the staff small. The Morgan breed had experienced growth throughout the 1960s, however, and the computerization of records became a more viable alternative. Methods of permanent identification also came under discussion. Bloodtyping was rejected except in special circumstances, as some felt AMHA was not economically capable of handling such a program. Freeze branding was discussed as a voluntary program.
In February 1972 a complete review of the Registry Rules and Regulations was started to bring them in line with industry standards. The voluntary use of stallion reports was considered and lease agreements were implemented. In 1974 foals of mares exposed to two different stallions within 35 days were required by the registry to be blood typed. Stallion reports also became mandatory with that breeding season.
A random sample blood typing program was adopted in 1977, but did not become established until four years later. Computerization also took place at this time, although it was plagued with "glitches, delays, and error." With the employment of Avo Kiviranna in 1978, the computer problems lessened and a stallion blood typing program was established. Bloodtyping was not popluar with some (there was a Committee for the Integrity of AMHA protesting it), but its supporters felt it would maintain the integrity for the Register. The British Morgan Horse Society began its blood typing program in 1981.
In 1987 all maiden mares foaling for the first time had to be blood typed, and all mares will be required to do so beginning in 1994. Since 1991 all foals have had to be blood typed. Reciprocity was established with Canada in 1985, and with Great Britain in 1990.
When serious efforts to establish a permanent home for AMHA began, some suggested the use of the registry trust fund as financial resource. This was disallowed, however, as the trust fund was to be used solely to maintain the Register.
Technological advances in artificial insemination of horses have revolutionized the Morgan horse industry. The use of semen transport and frozen semen became available in the 1980's as did embryo transfer. It is now possible to go further afield when making breeding choices, and mare owners can choose from a wider range of prospective stallions.
All these changes and more continue to challenge the breed's registry as it begins its second century. The integrity of the Register is its most vital mission, for without it the registration certificates it issues would have no value. In the past the integrity of the breeder was of paramount importance in determining pedigrees. Modern technology now makes it possible to ensure that integrity for the future. Strict adherence to the rules by all concerned and disassociation from political influence are key to maintaining industrywide respect. With continuing support and involvement from all its breeders, the Morgan breed faces a strong and promising future.
All rights reserved by the author, published with permission of Elizabeth A. Curler ©1993 for this limited use by AMHA. Except for brief excerpts for press notices or review purposes or educational purposes, no part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express consent of the author. |
