This is when I get to brag about my horse.
A purebred registered MORGAN mare.
NOT a mustang…
A tough as nails, easy keeping, hard hooved, forward going horse from SHOW lines.
A horse whose ancestry shone thru the recent breedings. A horse that screamed:
MORGAN TOUGH and MORGAN CAN.
A mare who just doesn’t like to go slow, EVER.
A horse that is still only 10. A horse that is a MARE, not a gelding.
A horse that I can breed… that I will breed.
I really can’t say there is a horse breed that is ideal for a long ride like mine, but I know that my mare is a very good example of a horse you would want for roads both paved and unpaved.
She is a horse that can be ridden barefoot, and she has never been shod.
I have ridden her thru towns, in amongst hundreds of other horses, thru pitch black tunnels, on ice, on snow, on melting tarmac, on rocks and pebbles, in fields, in forests, on cliffs, in mountains, and in woods pulling fence rails over snow.
Her only shortcoming?
She is not good on dangerous mountain paths…she is too forward and does not have the patience for the super steep craggy or slippery inclines.
Morgan’s are known as the do everything horse. They aren’t too big, but pound for pound they are really strong. They are also often in need of a confident or experienced rider, as they can be dominant. They just like to go, and want you to want to go too!
Known for their excellent feet, many go barefoot. They are easy on the pocketbook as well, for their easy keeper qualities.
If I was to do the trip again, and taking only one horse, I would look for a half Morgan, half Canadian. I’d want something a little thicker…but not taller!
And I would not hesitate for a moment on taking a mare, they are fantastic!
Chris MacLuckies’ professional career began with a decade-long stint as an organic vegetable grower in Ontario Canada. His career is prolific in breadth and scope. He has farmed organics commercially, volunteered in Guatemala, ran a gardening business, raised and raced sled dogs, tended his livestock, and ridden his horse on a multi-country expedition.
Chris is a certified TEFL ESL English Teacher, author of seven books, freelance content creator, and outdoor travel gear designer.
