The Next Step: Pine Ethan Walker

And Arnold moved back to the prairie ranges of Oyen, Alberta where he was born taking his Correll King daughters with him and Darfield Duplicate a son of Speedfield and Darla May .

Around the same time, Betty Simpson acquired Pine; she also acquired a son of Waseeka's Showtime, Society Entertainer. He was more to her liking than Pine. Consequently, she sold Pine to a family near Lloydminster, AB without transferring his papers to the new owner, Dick Willcock.

With Arnold up in Southeastern Alberta and Cuddy in Montana, it was just a hop skip and a jump for Cuddy to come up and hang out at the McKee Ranch. He was always full of advice for Arnold. They'd often ride out together and check over the breeding herd and foal crop. On one of these occasions, Cuddy let Arnold know his next step in his breeding program was to bring in Pine Ethan Walker. The herd needed a good infusion of "type" and Pine was just the stallion to do it. But where the heck was he? Nobody knew…and Betty Simpson wasn't talking. Arnold finally wheedled the information out of Betty and off he went to see Pine.

The Willcock's had been crossing Pine on Arab mares producing Morabs since 1982. Arnold talked to Mr. Willcock but was told flat out, Pine was not for sale. Arnold returned to the ranch, called Cuddy and told him no amount of money would buy Pine. He was not for sale and that was that.

Mr. Willcock, I'm told, was involved in a business venture that was beginning to look like it was going to fail. He had sunk everything he had into it and was afraid if it wasn't a success that Pine would end up at auction. He called Arnold.

Arnold didn't waste any time. He drove straight up there, cash in hand, and brought Pine Ethan Walker back home to the ranch at Oyen. His transfers were brought up to date. He was recorded with Canadian Livestock Records as owned by Arnold McKee, Oyen, Alberta, effective April 24, 1987. Mr. Willcock's business venture became a great success.

The Speedfield stallion, a Jackson Morgan Ranch Morgan, when crossed with Correll King daughters, produced superb Morgans of type and ability, but also very eye appealing.

For the next twelve years, until 1999, Pine Ethan Walker lived the life of a cowhorse and range stallion at the McKee Ranch. With a huge band of broodmares, he produced part bred Morgans, unregistered purebred ranch geldings and registered Morgan mares.

See the rest of the story on Pine's page.

IN REMEMBRANCE OF "DARLA MAY"

by Arnold McKee, Duplicate Morgans

Darla May was born in 1960 on the JC Jackson Ranch at Harrison, Montana. Her sire, Rosefield and her dam Esterzie both carry bloodlines from the US Government Morgan Farm in Vermont, and from the Roland Hill Morgan stock in California. Her bloodlines trace back to Sonfield, Querido, Mansfield, Quietude, Bennington and Artemisia, just to name a few of the famous old horses. She was sold to Gerald Weingart at Dog Creek, BC in November 1960 as a foal. There she spent eight years of her life and raised five foals. Then Mr. & Mrs. CE Norbury from Armstrong, BC (they now live in Kinsey, Montana) bought her for a broodmare where she spent seven years of her life until she was sold to Evert VanHerwarrden of Courtney, BC in 1975. Mr. & Mrs. Arnold McKee bought her and two of her offspring in 1977 from Evert. She spent the remaining days of her life at Duplicate Morgans until her death on May 16, 1980, when she died foaling.

Darla wasn't the most friendly of our horses, in fact she was very independent and stayed out of your way unless she was hurt and needed you. This was probably because she was raised on the range and wasn't handled very much as a foal. Her greatest achievement in her life was as a broodmare. She is the mother, grandmother, and the great grandmother of many Morgans in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba today. In her twenty years, she has produced fifteen foals. Ten were fillies and five were stud colts. All of them were good quality with lots of class and disposition plus. Seven of these mares are being used in various ways, one was put down with a fractured leg, one disappeared and the last one only lived for thirty hours after it was taken by Caesarian section. Of the stud colts, three were gelded, but all of them had the quality of a stallion. As one of these geldings took Grand Champion male over stallions one year in Armstrong at the IPE. There are possible two colts left as stallions from her. I am sure of one as I own him, but I don't know about the other one.

Darla was owned by Mr. & Mrs. C. E. Norbury at the time I was training colts for him. The colts with Darla May in their bloodlines always seemed to have the edge on the others. Once started they would do anything you asked of them. In fact, you had to watch you didn't ask too much of them. They were tremendous ranch horses. I wanted a filly out of Darla May but I ended up with a stallion from her instead when I bought Darfield Duplicate (Speedfield x Darla May) as a foal in 1973. Darfield Duplicate is also a good ranch horse with that great conformation and disposition. He is leaving good quality offspring, which we are very proud of. Darfield's sire, Speedfield, who died two months before Darla May, was also a tremendous horse as both Turney's and Norbury's know. Speedfield like Darla May was bred by JC Jackson of Harrison, Montana and also carries the government and Roland Hills (Horse Shoe Cattle Company) bloodlines. This is one reason they are such good ranch and stock horses as they were bred for this purpose.

Darla May's offspring not only excel as stock and ranch horses but they are very versatile and have done excellent in the show ring as halter and performance horses. It was said in the "Western Horseman" magazine in 1949 of the Roland Hills stock "In a high percentage of cases the type, conformation and performance of these horses (Querido, Sonfield) is entirely satisfactory." I can well admire this statement because I have seen offspring of these two lines place well in shows today when they are entered in various events. In fact it is a rare occasion when they don't go home with a ribbon or ribbons.

It is with great regret that I write this as Darla May was one horse I had admiration for and she was my incentive to own and breed Morgans.

Darla May may not be remembered in the future by what achievements she has made in the show ring, but as the quality and class of her offspring crops up, we can see she probably left more behind than we realize. She has left a hole in our breeding program but I look at her blood relatives and see her in them. If one of you see a good Morgan type and it happens to have her on the pedigree, I hope you will think of this little dark chestnut called "Darla May".

Darla May's foals:

Duplicate Dustin

by Faye Dobek for Simply Morgan Magazine

With halter in hand I head out to the field. Duplicate Dustin, my 21 year old, Morgan gelding meets me at the corral fence and gracefully accepts the treat he knows I've brought. Tied up to the fence a little closer to the house he relaxes as we go through the grooming routine that is so familiar to both of us. This partnership started some 21 years ago with a very inexperienced 16 year old, and a very special 3 month old colt. When I think back, we've both come a long way.

Faye & Duplicate Dustin

Duplicate Dustin (Keer's Chief Oak x Loretta King) was purchased in the summer of 1982 from Arnold McKee of Duplicate Morgans in Oyen, Alberta. Throughout that winter, and the following summer I spent time at the Duplicate Morgan farm getting to know my very first horse.

Upon moving to Calgary with my parents a year later, I took a part-time job in order to make the board payments, so that Dustin would be able to join me in Calgary. I was totally enamored with him, and spent four hours every day, regardless of the temperamental Calgary weather, brushing, braiding, grooming, and then walking to some choice grazing spots. This time was mutually enjoyable, and I can honestly say, would pay major dividends in the many years to come.

I was fortunate that the owner of this particular farm had a colt of his own that he was starting to train, and would occasionally make suggestions as to what I should be doing with Dustin at each step of his development. The other very fortunate part of this equation was Dustin's incredible temperament and willingness to please. When I look back at some of the things I did with him, and knowing now what the outcome could have been ... I am lucky he is who he is! An example of this would be, after having gotten him use to the saddle and bridle, all of which he took totally in stride without any complaint, I tied him to a fence post and got on. His response to this was to cock a back leg and practically fall asleep. It was at this point that it was suggested that he be 'tied back' first to the right, and then to the left. Again, he took this completely in stride, stopping every couple of minutes to look at me, as if checking to make sure this was really what I wanted him to do. After a few minutes of that for a couple of days, I was shown how to ground drive him. Again, he acted like he'd done this every day of his life. Our first ride came in a paddock without incident, we moved to the corral, and then finally a small field. Our only moment of panic came on our first ride out of the yard and into a larger, cultivated field around back of the farm. A few steps into this field and Dustin must have thought better of the idea. He spun and galloped back through the yard and in (thank goodness I ducked!) through the door of the barn. I was so annoyed with my perfect pony's actions that I put his halter on over his bridle and left him tied, in a tie stall, while I went out to help the owner with a horse he was having trouble getting back in her paddock. When I returned to the barn, maybe ten minutes later, he was in a sweat and quite concerned. Being as smart as he is, that was the last time he ever returned to the barn without it being a joint decision!

By the time he was four, the amount of time I had available to spend with him had dwindled to just a few hours a week. With credit going to who he is, and the amount of time that I'd previously been able to spend with him, he was always the same horse at each visit. Even though the rides had become pretty few and far between, he was the same every time. It was right about here that he was introduced to his very first baby, neither one of us had any idea what a huge roll he would play in the lives of my children.

Another move to his now permanent home on our acreage by High River, Alberta, again gave me the opportunity to spend a lot more time with him. He was accompanied by another horse we had purchased, a 12 year old Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse. They got along well. Thinking Dustin, at 15 hands, was a little big for my now three little girls, we invested in a 12 hand, Welsh/Shetland pony. My philosophy of 'I'll be nice to you, and you will be nice to me,' which worked so well with Dustin, didn't seem to have the same effect on these two. After a couple of unpleasant incidents, we decided to sell them both and stick with Dustin.

The little 12" western saddle looked very cute on Dustin, and he started his career as a kid's 'pony'. As much as I don't think he cared for this new found role, he was very kind and did an awesome job. Although he did, on occasion, take advantage of the size of the human at the end of his lead rope. He would lift his head high enough to raise her off the ground, and set her gently back down, more in the direction he wanted to go. On one occasion, I found him and my daughter visiting with our neighbor's horses and this, she assured me, had not been her idea!! He spent these middle years teaching my girls how to be gentle with his very sensitive mouth; and with his huge trot, it didn't take long for all of them to learn how to post effectively, as it is almost impossible to sit his astounding trot!

High & Mighty Candy, Flair Correll & family

At the age of 19, when some horses are thinking about retirement, he was being geared up to start a career as a Pony Club pony. Considering he had never been hauled on a regular basis, nor taken to any events, he handled the excitement of being 'out' quite well and acted, as always, like a horse half his age. It was here, with my 11 year old daughter, that he was introduced to his first jump. He did not think this was a good idea, and made an 'executive decision' (which he is on occasion inclined to do) that going around these jumps would be the best form of action to take. It did take a couple of weeks, and some frustration on my daughter's part, but he did do it, and will now jump up to two feet. This same year, during a Pony Club Play Day, they won their first ribbons, two seconds and a third. I'm not sure that my daughter was nearly as thrilled as I was!! Having shown he was capable of truly being a 'show pony,' we took him, the following year to the Millarville Fair and Horse Show, where he won two fourths. We came home very impressed with him. And here I thought he would remain a backyard horse forever

This past year he ended up doing double duty at pony club. Taking my middle daughter through her D1 Pony Club test with flying colors, and starting my nine year old daughter on her first pony club year.

I have read somewhere that 'to own a Morgan is to want to own another' - and isn't that the truth!!

Flare Correll (BDM Ellis Doll's Dandy x High and Mighty Candy)

With Dustin getting older, the thoughts of owning another similar Morgan, had begun to cross my mind. In 2001 it was brought to my attention that a full sister of Dustin's, High and Mighty Candy, was owned by Ida Liscum and Gary MacDonell of A-1 Morgans in Brooks. I phoned and had a nice conversation with Ida discussing Candy and Dustin. They sounded quite similar and I thought that one of Candy's babies might be my best bet to get another Morgan as similar to Dustin as possible. A year later, it was again brought to my attention that Candy was for sale. The thought of owning another Morgan that closely related to Dustin was irresistible, and hence the acquisition of our third Morgan. Candy presented us with a lovely filly June 4, 2002. Flare Correll (BDM Ellis Doll's Dandy x High and Mighty Candy) is proving to be very similar to her much-loved uncle. She has the same nonchalant attitude toward the blanket, saddle pad, and even the little English saddle. Although no horse could ever begin to replace the special-ness of Dustin in my life, Flare has already shown that she is very special in her own right. She, of course, will benefit from all the experience that I've gained over the last 21 years and I, as do my daughters, look forward to an exciting future with our next generation of Morgans.

As I lead Dustin back to his pasture and turn him loose, he remains looking for the expected treat that I give him, before returning to his friends.

(Copperlee)
West By Northwest
A Story of Gold: Found, Lost, and Found Again

by Bobbi Blankenship

This article is reproduced here with the permission of the author. It first appeared in The Morgan Horse, April 2004, Color Edition, Working Western Section.

Luck comes to us in many ways, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, and sometimes one will be disguised as the other. Our lives are generally a jigsaw puzzle of all kinds. The toughest part of an ill wind, as we frequently refer to bad luck, is living through the misery until we can see where some good might come from it.

Ida Marie Liscum and Gary MacDonell have been breeding western Morgans in the prairie country of Brooks, Alberta, Canada for many years. They knew from the beginning what they wanted to produce and be known for and they summarized it in their slogan, "Morgans Stamped With Western Tradition". They searched for broodstock that would give their youngsters a depth of conformation; tendency for lifelong soundness, athleticism, stable minds; and the serious work ethic that makes a superior western horse.

Choosing Morgans for their ideal was a quick and easy decision. After studious consideration of the bloodlines and history of true performance horses, they realized that keying their program on the merits of King Pine, the old Walker progenitor known for his ability as a using horse, his winsome beauty, and the ability to stamp those traits repeatedly on his get, would give then the kind of horses they sought. The figurehead of their breeding program is Pine Ethan Walker, the venerable old son of Merry Ethan and Red Princess Walker, a King Pine daughter. Along the way, they acquired BDM Ellis Doll's Dandy (Dancer's Pride x Ellis Dainty Doll) as a balancer with the intent to breed Dandy to Pine's daughters and vice versa. They adopted this plan from two well-recognized breeders of Western Morgans in Alberta. Cuddy Norbury and Arnold McKee, from whom they had gotten Pine Ethan Walker and to whom they looked for advice and information to carry on the production of good Western Morgans. These men were the pure quill, true cowboys of the Canadian West, men who used their horses working cattle long days in the mountains and on the vast prairies of the region and developed strains of Morgan cowhorses that were suited for the work. But Doll's Dandy died unexpectedly in January 2003, leaving them with heavy hearts and broken dreams.

Copperlee, Snowbird & filly

After a while they decided they would try to continue and began to look for a replacement. For some time they sifted through leads on possible sires, but none offered more than a passing appeal and again they questioned their intentions. But they continued their search, hoping to find a horse that would fit. On the Canadian Livestock Records website, Ida found a golden palomino stallion foaled in 1978 who had few progeny listed, but, "to my surprise" she says, "they were, every one of them, out of one of Pine Ethan Walker's first daughters, Snowbird (x Julie Bird), a dark chestnut mare foaled in 1979, bred by Cuddy Norbury!" That palomino, Copperlee, was by Speedramp Walker and out of RG Lynna Lee, a mare from the stalwart using horse program of Harvey and Myrna Grunden, longtime Nebraska ranchers and Morgan breeders well known for the quality of their using horses. And to prove that luck can come in bunches; Copperlee was also a paternal grandson of Merry Ethan, Pine Ethan Walker's sire, and a maternal grandson of Rusty Walker, by King Pine. Even if he had not been a palomino, this was a strike of eureka proportions for Ida and Gary.

The records showed that Mrs. Inez Wall owned Copperlee. Palominos were not widely popular at that time and the old horse had spent his whole life as a cherished family horse and had not been promoted at all. Mrs. Wall tells that she and her husband, Alvin, purchased Copperlee as a weanling from his breeder, Hugh Cozart, who had bought RG Lynna Lee and another young mare from the Grundens in 1973 and Speedramp Walker from the Walker Ranch in 1974. The Walls did not intend to keep a stallion, but he was such a pleasant, kind horse to be around that there was no purpose in having him gelded. There were four Wall children who all loved Copperlee and had great fun competing with him in gymkhana events including barrel racing, pole bending, and flag racing. By that time he also was broke to drive and enjoyed pulling the sleigh as much as the family enjoyed riding behind him.

Could this horse still be alive? Well, Pine was foaled in 1976 and he was still going strong.

Ida began contacting the owners of the few progeny and listened time and again as people told her about the wonderful horse they had purchased from Mrs. Wall and of the horses they personally knew about that were not registered, also produce of Copperlee and Snowbird. The stories were always the same: the kindest of dispositions, the athleticism, the sheer and glorious beauty, and the true rich golden palomino colour.

Then she learned that Mr. And Mrs. Wall had moved from Alberta to Nova Scotia. Ida contacted Mrs. Wall and learned that they had left the old horse with Mr. And Mrs. Adrian Bergauer. She tried several times to call them, but never received a call back.

Ida says, "Nobody, I mean nobody, could find Copperlee. I had given up entirely, thinking that he must be dead. After all, not many horses make it past 20 or so, but he is a Morgan and he is from bloodlines that have great longevity. I began looking elsewhere without much luck. The horses I found were unproven and the bloodlines we sought were so far back in them I was beginning to resign myself to the prospect that our precious Pine Ethan Walker daughters that we had been raising and collecting were not going to be bred in 2003. Then one day the phone rang; it was Tracy Hart, who I had spoken with in January. She had two daughters of Copperlee's whom she had purchased at the dispersal auction held prior to the Wall's moving from Alberta. The mares were unregistered when Tracy bought them, but she saw to it that Copperlee was DNA'd and then got the mares registered. She was sure that Copperlee was still alive, if only they could locate the Bergauers. Finally, my phone rang and a man's voice in a thick Swiss accent said, "This is Adrian Bergauer calling. I understand that you are looking for Copperlee." Suddenly I felt like Stanley when he found Dr. Livingston in deepest darkest Africa: "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" Mr. Bergauer cautioned me that Copperlee had aged dramatically and had not wintered well. Central Alberta had suffered a severe drought the previous year and what feed there was had been poor quality. Gary and I decided to take a chance and with Mrs. Wall's approval, the deal was struck with nothing more than a promise that we would take very good care of Copperlee." A week later, Gary made the trip to bring the old horse home.

Ida says, "When Gary pulled into the lane that day, I saw a beautiful golden head peering out of the trailer, his eyes bright, engaged, and full of hope. He had a long, white forelock. We unloaded him and what I saw was a very old thin horse…this was going to take some time to get him back into shape. We took him to Calgary and had his teeth floated and balanced. Most of the blood work showed that he was in low normal range, not in desperate straits, but certainly in need of better groceries and TLC. We have found that he loves attention and loves to be groomed and bathed. He is now shiny and healthy except for some arthritis in his back. We don't ride or drive him because of that. He is in a pasture across from the mares where he can see them. He is happy here.

This would be the end of this Canadian Black Beauty story, give or take a few spins of the colour wheel, were it not for a genuine trump card: three A-1 mares are carrying Copperlee foals due this spring. Perhaps they will be here by the time you read this and perhaps some of them will be golden, like their sire, glinting like little sunflowers in the grass on the Alberta prairie.

EPILOGUE

Indeed, there were palomino foals born in 2004, out of Pine Ethan Walker daughters, two big strapping sons of Copperlee.
At present (2007) A-One The Mighty Quinn stands at Arctic Morgans, Delta Junction, Alaska, and A-One Copperlee's Phoenix stands at Butte Morgans, Picture Butte, Alberta. [See Links page.]
A chestnut filly with flaxen mane and tail, A-One Ode To Copperlee remains here with us.