Lexington, KY - One more makes 34, as the American Morgan Horse Institute has become part of the Kentucky Horse Park's National Horse Center of equine breeds and organizations. The organization's decision to beef up its profile at the state park is more evidence that serving as host of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games has done wonders for the Park's efforts to become the epicenter of the U.S. equine sport industry.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for AMHI's new facility, its president, Bob Morgan, said that the move "really is exciting. The Morgan horse folks have been trying to have a presence here since 1980."
A Perry County native and an Eastern Kentucky University graduate, Morgan was a corporate CEO in Cincinnati. Now retired, he has more time to devote to the 30 Morgan horses on his farm in Lebanon, Ohio.
Linda Hall, a Morgan horse owner from Michigan, has moved her family and horses to Lexington. She will serve as project manager, fund-raising for and overseeing the completion of the AMHI pavilion. "This is a dream come true for the Morgan world," Hall explained.
She's especially happy to be at the Horse Park because "this is the place I decided to get a Morgan. My daughter and I came here to research horses. When I saw the statue [of the Morgan Horse] that Martha du Pont had donated, I wanted a Morgan. Now, 20 years later, my daughter and I ride and raise Morgans."
Among the most versatile of equine breeds, Morgans can be ridden English or Western style or driven. They're equally happy in the show ring or working on the farm. Even tempered, intelligent horses, they have smaller, more compact bodies than Thoroughbreds. Their arched necks make them look as if they're on parade.
Morgan horses are synonymous with Vermont, where Figure, their foundation sire, was born in the late 1700s, thus making them the first breed of horses developed in America. Owned and developed by Justin Morgan, Figure (in the custom of the day) was called the Morgan horse after his owner's death. His three sons, Sherman, Bulrush and Woodbury, carried on his legacy of strength, beauty and calm temperament in New England and then elsewhere in the newly developing country.
The American Morgan Horse Association's headquarters and museum will remain in Vermont, but leading Morgan breeders and owners around the country felt it was important to be a part of the Kentucky Horse Park, especially with the unparalled exposure that the World Equestrian Games will offer.
The AMHI passed a resolution in September 2008 to build a facility at the Horse Park in time for WEG. AMH@KHP, as it's called informally, is planned to complement the longtime Vermont location. The Vermont beginnings and museum will even be showcased in the new building and promoted as "your next Morgan destination."
Morgans already have a following in the Bluegrass. Among their owners here are Ginny Grulke, director of the Kentucky Horse Council, and Kathie Morrow, co-owner of Taxi Hill Farm in Paris. Morrow, who heads the Bluegrass Morgan Horse Association, said, "We have some of the top breeders of Morgans here in Central Kentucky."
Among them is the owner of Dragonsmeade Farm in Winchester, Yum Kee Fu. An architect by profession, he donated his design services to the AMHI Pavilion.
The three-story, 22,000-square-foot facility will cost $3.75 million to build. AMHI plans to raise another $1.25 million for an endowment to provide funds for operating, programming and maintenance. The organization expects to receive both corporate sponsorship and individual donations.
The pavilion, which will be ready by early summer of 2010, will be developed to provide both education and entertainment. The building will include classrooms, exhibit space, a gift shop and a theater. A Legacy Garden will offer a place for Morgan owners to pay tribute to their horses.
The AMHI pavilion will be a green building, saving energy through the application of geothermal principles. Solar Design of Louisville is the solar designer. Morton Construction of Illinois and Frankfort, Ky., is the general contractor.
Reflecting on the long years of effort to bring the Morgan horse organization to the Horse Park, the Park's Museum Director Bill Cooke recalled, "I was in on that 1980s meeting with Herbert Kohler [heir to the Kohler Plumbing Corporation and a Morgan owner]."
Cooke drew laughter when he said, "I'm glad I lasted long enough." He added, "It's a pleasure to welcome you Morgan folks to the Horse Park family."