Last night I was reading in Denny Emerson's book "How good Riders Get Good" (an autographed copy, no less, with the inscription "Birgit, best of luck with your riding adventures"). When I still had the 'eventing bug' Denny was THE authority. I even went to meet him at his farm in Vermont. At the time I was riding Crissy, my Morgan mare.
So imagine my surprise and yes, outrage, when I came across the following:
"Suppose you love the Morgan breed, but are also entranced with the sport of dressage. Certainly Morgans can be used in the discipline, but very few of them are suited for the demands of upper-level dressage, a world dominated by such Warmblood breeds as Hanoverians and Westphalians. So you'll have to choose: Buy a Morgan, and probably restrict yourself from the upper reaches of dressage, or buy a Warmblood and give yourself more of a chance to excel in your sport. (Or win the lottery and buy one of each!)"*
*Page 182, How Good Riders Get Good, Denny Emerson, Trafalgar Square Books
Now this is a statement coming from "One of the 50 most influential horsemen of the 20th Century", according to the Chronicle of the Horse.
Well, Denny, you just got me even more motivated to prove that Morgans can excel in upper level dressage.
Take a look at Saumur - or check out the accomplishments of the members of the Morgan Dressage Association... and then: Eat your words!
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