International Morab Breeders’ Association
International Morab Registry
24 Bauneg Beg Road
Sanford, Maine 04073
www.morab.com
Muscular, beautiful, proud, and genuinely loving—that is the Morab. The refined, sculpted beauty of the Arabian, joined with the Morgan’s dramatic natural style and stamina, creates an elegantly powerful horse for use in the show ring, as a working horse, or on the trail. Indeed, most Morabs comfortably and quickly switch from any one of these activities to another.
Those who like Arabians or Morgans are often attracted to the Morab because of the unique combination of these two treasured breeds. It expresses the beauty, spirit, and endurance of the Arabian with the strength, power, and common sense of the Morgan. The fusion of these characteristics is genetically complementary and gives the resulting Morab enhanced strength and depth from the Morgan with Arabian refinement and sensitivity. “Muscular, yet refined,” best describes the Morab.
It is easy to see why Morab owners treasure their horses and usually keep them for life. They love the Morab disposition and personality; it is eager to please and easy to be around. The combination of its high intelligence with a dependable, affectionate nature is prized by all.
Morabs have excellent conformation that consistently meets the ideal. Even newborn Morab foals are balanced and truly athletic, working naturally off their powerful hindquarters. They are easy keepers and outstanding athletes, performing whatever is asked of them.
This Morab stallion moves easily and effortlessly. Pam O’Connell
Foot and leg problems are a rarity in the breed. Farriers are consistently impressed with the durability of Morab hooves. Most owners choose to leave their Morabs unshod, and their hard hooves require little maintenance. A high percentage of equine veterinarians have chosen to own Morabs, citing the overall perfection of Morab legs and hooves.
The sculpted beauty of the Morab head, denoting both strength and refinement. Pam O’Connell
Morabs are graceful, free-flowing horses that can conform easily to any type of riding. Many owners report that all they need to do between show classes is to change the gear from English to Western or dressage, and their Morabs transition easily. Mature Morabs seem to welcome the change and stimulation of performing.
The Purebred Morab
Crossbreeding between breeds of horses can produce desirable qualities, but often resulting foals, even from the same breeding, do not always show many consistent traits. This is not true of Morabs. Their qualities are based on foundation lines producing the purebred they are today, answering the question most often asked regarding their status as a breed. Well-bred Morabs have proven over six generations that they have transmitted their genes with a high degree of certainty to their progeny. In fact, a comparison of first- and fifth-generation foals of the same lines will show almost no changes; Morab breed characteristics remain strong.
This dressage Morab is stylish and graceful. Casi Lark
One example of this is the Morab’s inheritance of the Arabian skeleton, which is unique from other breeds in that it has seventeen ribs (other horses have eighteen), five-lumbar vertebra (others have six), and sixteen tail vertebra (others have eighteen). This skeleton finds its way into the Morab, too, so there are two such breeds with this defining characteristic. It is this ability to transmit like traits to their progeny that makes the Morab a distinct breed, rather than just a nice crossbred horse.
History
The desire to unite the best traits of the Arabian and Morgan into one superlative horse has inspired breeders since the 1800s.
In the 1857 book, Morgan Horses by Morgan historian D. C. Linsley, there is a great deal of background information about Arabian outcrossing. A major part of Linsley’s book was concerned with perpetuating and improving the Morgan breed, and states that if mares of Morgan blood could not be obtained, mares possessing a strain of racing or Arabian blood could be considered. Linsley specifically recommended one-eighth to one-quarter Arabian blood. Many of these Morgan/Arab crosses (Morabs) were registered in the American Morgan Horse Association prior to the 1948 abolishment of Rule 2 that allowed outcrosses.
Linsley’s book contained information about the first volume of the Morgan Horse Registry, written by Colonel Joseph Battell, which included an entire chapter devoted to a stallion named Golddust, a horse of great merit. This stallion’s bloodlines reveal he was a Morab, registered as #70 in the Morgan registry. He was foaled in 1855 and was bred by Andrew Hoke near Louisville, Kentucky. His sire was Vermont Morgan, and his dam the unregistered Hoke mare. The latter was said to be sired by Zicaaldi, a chestnut Arabian stallion presented by the sultan to the U.S. consul, Mr. Rhind, who imported him to the United States.
Morabs transmit their characteristics with a high rate of certainty. Clare Plehn
Golddust became an important sire of the time. He was described as being pure gold in color and 16 hands high. He consistently outperformed any other horse bred before him in Kentucky. He reportedly was never defeated in the show ring at the trot or flat-footed walk; at the flat walk he could do six miles an hour. In 1861, Golddust raced and defeated Iron Duke in a match race, best three out of five heats, for a purse of $10,000.
Besides being an animal of great beauty and refinement, he was noted for endowing his offspring with extreme speed. Although the Civil War and his own untimely death curtailed his stud career, he sired 302 foals and left 44 trotters of record. In “getting” speed (his progeny’s racing records), he outranked even the great Hambletonian (foundation sire to racing Standardbreds). In addition to their speed and racing quality, his “get” also illustrated the style and beauty of their Morgan and Arabian lineage. No stallion of his day produced larger, more handsome show-quality horses or more winners in the show ring and trotting races than Golddust.
A search through the International Morab Registry (IMR) records finds more than one hundred of today’s Morabs can trace their ancestry back to Golddust.
Early Arabian/Morgan Crosses
Concerning early Arabian statistics with Morgan crossing, History of the Arabian Horse Club Registry of America, written in the early 1900s, states a provision for the get of Arabian/Morgan crosses in the early Arabian Horse Club Registry. This reference was discontinued around the time of World War I.
Little more was found until the 1920s when famed publisher William Randolph Hearst had a superior Arabian breeding program as well as a short-lived, but important, Morgan breeding program, which included breeding Morabs. Through the 1930s and 1940s, he bred Morabs by crossing his Arabian stallions of mostly Crabbet- or Davenport-based lines to his Morgan mares and used them for work on the rough mountainous terrain of his ranches. Hearst is credited with having coined the word “Morab,” even though some of his Morabs were registered as Morgans in the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA). To date there have been twenty-five of the IMR-registered Morabs whose ancestry have been traced back to this breeding program.
Another significant early Morab breeding line was also developed by the world-famous SMS Ranch in Texas. The purchase of two Morgan stud colts, along with a band of seven Morgan brood mares just prior to 1920, marked the beginning of the SMS expansion into Morgans. A few years later, three U.S. Remount Arabian stallions were added to the stock, and fine Morab cutting horses evolved.
In 1956, another original program of first-generation Morab breeding was begun by Martha Doyle Fuller of Clovis, California. She wanted to produce a horse that could successfully compete on the open show circuit. After experimenting with several breeds, she found that the Morab was the only one that could consistently fill the bill generation after generation.
It was from her Morab breeding program that the first Morab registry was established. Her daughter and son-in-law, Ilene and James Miller, founded the first Morab association, the American Morab Horse Association, incorporated in 1973, as well as the first Morab registry, the Morab Horse Registry of America (MHRA), often called Clovis for the town where they lived.
Ilene Miller was often referred to as Mrs. Morab for her efforts to locate all existing registered and unregistered Morabs, and for her ongoing, professional promotion of the breed. At the time of her untimely death, it was estimated that she had registered approximately five hundred Morabs in Clovis and sponsored several Morab clubs nationwide. It was due to her efforts and her registry that records of the earliest Morabs were preserved, providing a tie from the past to some of today’s Morab breeding programs.
Distinctive Morab characteristics are evident in this foal.
The gentle eye and eloquent head of this mare is inherited in her foal. Pru Critchley
The Morab Registry
In 1987, the International Morab Breeders’ Association (IMBA) was incorporated, and by 1992, it had instituted the first fully computerized Morab registry, the International Morab Registry (IMR). In an effort to protect breed history and maintain breed continuity, the IMR rules stated that all Morabs registered with a previous Morab registry would be accepted for IMR registration. Thus, bloodlines from the early registry foundations—Golddust, Hearst Morabs, SMS stock, and the Clovis Registry—have been preserved.
In 1978, Ilene Miller and the MHRA established the criteria that a registered Morab cannot exceed the percentages of 25/75 of either Arabian or Morgan bloodlines. This standard is still the rule for today’s registered Morabs. All registered first-generation Morabs today are from purebred Morgan and Arabian parents, making them 50 percent Morgan and 50 percent Arabian. Succeeding generations of Morabs can still be bred to one purebred parent Morgan or Arabian, as long as the percentage does not exceed 75 percent of either parent’s breed, thus ensuring Morab traits are not lost. Morab-to-Morab breedings are encouraged and there are now third-, fourth-, and even fifth-generation Morab-to-Morab foals recorded and registered in the IMR.
First-generation Morabs and others with one or two purebred parents are eligible for double and triple registrations with the Half-Arabian Registry of the Arabian Horse Association, the Half Morgan Registry in the Archival Morgan Record, and the American Warmblood Registry. Plus, all Morabs have the added possibility of registration with various color and pattern registries, offering many award programs and showing opportunities, in addition to the popular IMBA Lifetime Achievement Award Program (LAAP), which offers incentives and special awards during the entire lifetime of an IMR-registered Morab.
The IMR does not have any marking, color, or pattern restrictions. Morabs can have a rainbow of colors and overo patterns (pinto spotting), as well as gaited movement. IMR is accepted by the Palomino Horse Breeders of America and the International Buckskin Horse Association, and is pending with the Pinto Horse Association of America.
All Morab foals born after January 1, 2003, must be DNA tested and “parent verified.” The registry offers these services as well as color testing.
Sport, eventing, combined driving endurance, show, endurance riding, and dressage are events now common to the breed. Morabs qualify for Partners ’N Performance award affiliations with the U.S. Dressage Federation, American Endurance Ride Conference, and U.S. Combined Training Association; others are pending. Recent years have brought a new appreciation of the Morab breed for its own fine qualities. With its great disposition and way of moving, it is also desirable as a family and pleasure riding horse.
Standards
The Morab body should be compact, medium length, well muscled, smooth, and stylish; it should display distinct refinement. The degree of refinement will vary with the breeding, but it should always be apparent in the head and legs.
Morab refinement isn’t the only inherited Arabian influence. The Arabian has often been called the “drinker of winds” for its powerful lungs and endurance capacity. Combining that respiratory makeup with the broad, powerful chest of the Morgan provides the Morab with a naturally superior breathing system.
The Morab possesses a shorter back than that of other breeds (one vertebra less, like the Arabian). This shorter back, combined with the longer croup of the Morgan, endows the Morab with great strength and a smooth, graceful way of moving. It has a natural action or a lower action, depending on the breeding of the animal.
Morabs have a free-flowing gait, working off their powerful hindquarters with natural athletic ability and carry themselves collected. This enables them to excel in competitive and endurance riding, as well as dressage, jumping, and cutting.
Morab hooves and legs hold up well to excessive stress, since the Morgan trait contributes wonderful formation of bone and a medium-length pastern; the Arabian parent adds the broad, hard hoof and lower heel. This accounts for their almost nonexistent foot and leg problems, and many breeders report that their Morabs are never shod, requiring only minimal hoof trimming.
The Morab head may be straight or slightly dished, with a big, powerful jaw that contrasts to the small muzzle, which has large, bold nostrils. The large, dark eyes are set off by a wide forehead. Morabs have thick, luxuriant manes and tails that balance out their muscular build.
Morabs are late to mature, often not reaching their potential until the age of seven, but they remain in top condition for many years.
Despite all the other highly prized Morab traits, most owners and breeders will cite the Morab’s intelligent, dependable, and affectionate nature as its most valued quality. When the spirit and people-loving nature of the Arabian is added to the Morgan’s compatible character, the resulting breed is a horse that cannot be beat in temperament, intelligence, and willing attitude. That is why mature Morabs are popular as mounts for children, amateur riders, and senior citizens.
Muscular, yet refined, describes the ideal Morab. Pru Critchley
Height: A mature Morab will generally range from 14.3 to 15.3 hands.
Weight: 950 to 1,200 pounds.
Quality: Should have dense bone with sufficient substance, well-developed joints and tendons, and a fine, silky coat. Overall appearance of the Morab is always pleasing, showing great strength, but is never coarse.
Disposition: Calm, affectionate, intelligent, and dependable are the best descriptions of the Morab.
Colors: May be any color and exhibit the white markings typical of a Morgan or Arabian: star, blaze, white stockings, and similar markings.
Eyes: Large, dark, expressive, bright, clear, and wide-set eyes.
Ears: Set wide apart, characteristically curved in at the top, finely pointed and carried alertly.
Mane and Foretop: Full and silky in texture.
Throatlatch: Clean and well defined; never thick.
Neck: Heavy in appearance, but refined and of good length, displaying a natural arched appearance. It should be smoothly joined to the shoulder and deepest at the point of the shoulder. Stallions tend to have a more fully developed crest than either a mare or gelding.
Chest: Has good depth and width. A mature Morab is broad in the chest, which is quite noticeable through the heart and back ribs: also slightly wider through the hip. This room and compaction of body structure gives the Morab stamina, as well as great speed.
Withers: Defined and not too high, but should be slightly higher than the point of the hip.
Shoulders: Muscled and have good length and slope.
Back: Short, broad, and deep in the girth.
Forelegs: Long, sound, with flat bones and large joints; broad forearms; short cannon bones free of meat. Tendons should be squarely set and well apart; when viewed from the front, they should appear thin and must be straight; when viewed from the side, they will appear wide and strong.
Fetlock: Large, not round, but rather wide.
Barrel: Large and round with well-sprung close ribs; deep and full, yet with a trim flank.
Hip: Muscled and of good length with a horizontal pelvic build that endows the Morab with a full, unsloped croup. The shape of the hindquarters and the pelvic angle is the most apparent difference between the Morab and other breeds. Hipbones never show on adults.
Hind Legs: Squarely set and so placed that the Morab turns on its hindquarters with its legs well under it.
Hocks: Neither close together nor wider apart than the fetlocks when viewed from the rear. Should be wide, deep, and clean.
Hooves: Medium sized, nearly round, open at the heel, smooth and dense, but never brittle.
Pasterns: Clean, strong, medium length; should match the slope of the shoulder.
Tail: Set fairly high and carried gaily.
Way of moving: The Morab in action has a free-flowing gait, working off its strong hindquarters, and carries itself collected. A Morab can possess a natural action or a lower action, depending on its breeding.
Credit: International Morab Breeders’ Association and the International Morab Registry