Featured Rider Ian Millar

For more than three decades, Ian Millar has been at the forefront of the Canadian equestrian scene. He has made more than 80 Nations Cup appearances and has been a member of every Olympic and nearly every Pan-American Games team since 1971. With numerous medals and over 130 Grand Prix and Derby victories, Millar is one of the world's most successful riders.

Millar's greatest victories came aboard his most prized mount, the legendary Big Ben. After teaming up in 1984, Big Ben and Millar became the only horse-and-rider combination to win two World Cup finals with back-to-back victories, in 1988 and 1989. They were also the first to claim the World Cup by winning all three segments of the competition. In both 1987 and 1991, they won the du Maurier Ltd. International at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, the world's richest Grand Prix event.

Big Ben and Millar represented Canada in more than 30 Nations Cup events and were members of seven winning Nations Cup teams. They competed in three Olympic Games and won two Pan-American gold medals. Among their many other titles, Millar and his grand gelding claimed more than 40 victories in Grand Prix jumping events and collected more than $1.5 million in prize money.

Before retiring the horse from competition in 1994, Millar took Ben on a cross-country tour to bid farewell to his loyal fans. Big Ben then settled down at Millar Brooke Farm near Perth, Ontario, where he lived out a happy and active retirement until a bout of colic led to his death in 1999.

"Big Ben is ours in trust," Millar said. "He really belongs to Canada. He touched the whole country." Big Ben will be remembered not just as a successful show jumping horse but as a national icon and a Canadian treasure.

For his achievements, Millar received the Order of Canada in 1986. He was also named Ontario's Male Athlete of the Year in 1989.

Career Highlights By Date

1984:  Demonstrating exceptional talent, Big Ben went from a small jumper class to preliminary, intermediate, open and then grand prix in one season.
1984:  Los Angeles Olympics, fourth-place Canadian Team
1986:  Ian Millar awarded the Order of Canada, and the first Canadian rider to ever be ranked #1 in North America. He was the leading international rider at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
1987:  Won the $ 250, 000.00 1987 du Maurier International
1987:  Individual and Team Gold medalists at the Pan-American games 1987 Indianapolis US. Ian Millar ranked first in the world in show-jumping by l’Annee Hippique
1988:  Participated in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and then won the World Cup Finals in Goteborg, Sweden
1989:  First in the World Cup in Tampa, Florida. Big Ben the first horse to win two consecutive World Cup Finals back-to-back. Big Ben and Millar were the first horse-and-rider combination to win all three phases of the World Cup. Ranked first in the world in show jumping by l’Annee Hippique again.
1990:  Ian Millar suffers a head injury with concussion that prevented him competing in the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Big Ben suffers two bouts of life-threatening colic.
1991:  Ian Millar and Big Ben win the CN International (formerly the du Maurier)
1994:  Big Ben Retirement Tour
1999:  Big Ben passed away
2005:  Sunday May 22, Big Ben Sculpture to be unveiled.

Ian Millar Site

Featured Breed The Morgan

The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility.

Breed characteristics

The Morgan horse is compact and refined in build, with strong limbs, an expressive face, large eyes, well-defined withers, laid back shoulders and a well arched neck. There is officially one Breed Standard for Morgan type regardless of the discipline or bloodline of the individual horse.

Registered Morgans come in a variety of colors although they are most commonly bay, black, and chestnut. Less common colors include gray, palomino, roan, cremello, perlino, dun, buckskin, and silver dapple. Also present are three of the pinto color patterns: sabino, frame overo, and splash overo. The tobiano pattern has not been noted in Morgans. The breed standard ranges from 14.1-15.2 hands (1.45 to 1.57 meters) with some individuals over and under. Morgans under 14.2 are eligible for registration with the National Morgan Pony Registry and can be shown in open "Pony" competitions, even though they are technically horses, regardless of height, and are usually exhibited as such.

Breed history

Justin Morgan

All Morgans trace back to a single foundation sire, a stallion named Figure, who was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts in 1789.. He was at one time owned by a man named Justin Morgan. The horse later came to be identified by the name of this particular owner, and "the Justin Morgan horse" also gave its name to the breed.

Figure is thought to have stood about 14 hh (1.42 m), and to have weighed about 950 lb (430 kg). He was known for his prepotency, passing on his distinctive looks, conformation, temperament, and athleticism. He died in 1821 at the age of 32 and is now buried in Tunbridge, Vermont.

Many myths surround Figure and Justin Morgan. The popular children's book, Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry, perpetuated some misconceptions about the breeding of Figure (called "Little Bub" in the book) and his early life. A movie about the pair was also made by Walt Disney Studios in 1972, which also took liberties with the depiction of events.

Continuing the Breed

The breed's trotting ability made it a favorite for harness racing in the 1840s. Morgans were also used in the Civil War as cavalry mounts, including Sheridan's "Rienzi" and Stonewall Jackson's "Little Sorrel". In the post-civil war era, Morgans were also used in the Pony Express and as mounts for the cavalry in the western United States. The only survivor of the Custer regiment from The Battle of Little Bighorn was the Morgan-Mustang mixed breed horse Comanche.

The first volume of the Morgan Horse Register was published in 1894. In 1907, the US Department of Agriculture established the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm in Middlebury, Vermont on land donated by Colonel Joseph Battell for the purpose of perpetuating and improving the Morgan breed. The breeding program aimed to produce horses that were sound, sturdy, well-mannered, and capable of performing well either under saddle or in harness. The Morgan Horse Farm was transferred from the USDA to the Vermont Agricultural College (now the University of Vermont) by Public Law 26 (S. 271), approved by Congress on May 7, 1951.

More than 132,000 Morgan Horses have been registered. The stud book was closed in 1948 in an effort to preserve the breed. The Morgan has also influenced several other breeds, including the Standardbred, Tennessee Walker, American Quarter Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Racking horse, and the American Saddlebred. Nearly 90% of Saddlebred horses today have Morgan blood.

The Morgan Horse has a horse show circuit for that breed only. It consists of all levels of riding and all disciplines. Wins at regional championships qualify competitors to compete in Oklahoma City at the Morgan Grand Nationals. The first national Morgan Horse competition was held in 1973 in Detroit, and is now held each October in Oklahoma City, OK. In addition to the Morgan Grand National, there are 10 regional championship shows and many other official (referred to as "Class A") shows. Morgans also compete in all-breed shows, 4-H shows, and other events.

At class A breed shows, Morgans compete In Hand, English Pleasure, Park, Western pleasure, Carriage Driving, Pleasure Driving, Hunt Seat (including hunter and jumper classes over fences), Trail, Roadster, Parade, Reining, and Dressage. In under saddle classes, performance is the primary judging criterion, though in some classes conformation may also be considered. In-hand classes only consider conformation.

The Morgan is also able to perform in the Olympic and internationally-recognized FEI disciplines, which include (show jumping, dressage, eventing), and combined driving, making the Morgan a versatile breed of horse.

State Symbols

In 1961, the Morgan horse was named the official state animal of Vermont. In 1970, the Morgan horse was named the official state horse of Massachusetts.

Vermont Morgan Horse Association Site