We are in the process of redoing the library - and that does not mean managing file folders. It's good old fashioned books and magazines that are in dire need to be put in something resembling order. At least now the book shelves no longer look like we just graduated college. Progress!
Flipping through stacks of old German magazines today I was thrilled to find the one that started it all: 'Pferde Heute', a 1990 edition titled "Morgans: Elegance, Endurance, and Movement". Until then I had never heard of Morgans, but I was fascinated immediately by the pictures and the article. Just reading it again was fascinating, for example the fact that in 1920 the US War Department tested numerous breeds for strength and endurance. The horses had to navigate 500 km (310 miles) in 5 days, carrying full equipment. The Morgans outshone all the other breeds and therefore were classified officially as "Cavalry Mounts". It is the only breed ever to be promoted by the US Government.
The article included contact information for the newly established German Morgan Horse Association. The president of the GMHA, Markus Gaertner, invited us to his barn. He had two Morgan stallions and a newly imported filly named Velvet. I fell in love - and the rest is history!
It was a nice break from a hectic schedule this weekend. I'm spending next week in Lyon, France, at the annual strategy sessions with the Board and key executives of our company. A week without my four-legged boys (and yes, the two-legged one also) is always tough. So between packing my suitcase, sorting books, reminiscing about my start with Morgans, doing laundry, cleaning tack... I tried to assuage my guilt for 'temporarily abandoning' the boys by baking yummy horse cookies.
With Judy also being out of town part of next week the boys will be on vacation. I can picture them gobbling down the cookies, wondering why I can't leave town more often?? There is a bottle of champagne in the fridge to be enjoyed with my French barn manager. He better not share the boys' sentiments about my travels! :-)
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