For a comprehensive history of the Morgan horse click here
Morgan Families
There are four widely recognized families in the Morgan breed, which are briefly described below. A family is
a group of horses from the same breeding program that have ancestors in common. The largest families are the
Brunk, Government, Lippitt, and Western Working. There are also smaller "sub-families", which are
horses descended from one horse or a particular breeding program.
For for more information on Morgan Families click here
Brunk Family
Morgans that trace to the breeding program of Joseph Brunk in Illinois are generally known for their soundness
and athletic ability. Brunk's program revolved around breeding key mares, primarily of old Vermont
breeding, to the best stallions available. Most Brunk Morgans have the mare Daisy numerous times in their
pedigree. She was crossed with the stallions Ben Franklin, Senator, Jubilee De Jarnette, and Chetco, and the
offspring crossed back to each other, creating a family linebred to Daisy.
For for more information on Brunk Morgans click here
Lippitt Family
Morgans tracing to several of the horses originating from the breeding program of Robert Lippitt Knight in
Vermont are known today as "Lippitts". Morgans bred by Knight bear the prefix "Lippitt" at
the beginning of their name and trace to the stallion Ethan Allen 2nd. The Lippitt is a distinct horse in that
it has no recent out-crosses to other breeds, resulting in the highest percentage of the original blood available
today. Therefore, Lippitts also possess more of the original type and qualities of their founder, Figure,
otherwise known as Justin Morgan. They are celebrated for their versatility, willingness to please, disposition,
type, and overall beauty that attracted Phillips, Knight and many of us as owners and breeders.
For for more information on Lippitt Morgans click here
Government Family
Morgans bred by the U.S. Government farm between 1905-1951 are called Government Morgans. The Government farm
used the stallion General Gates as their foundation sire. It is the largest of the Morgan families. The U.S.
Government dispersed the herd in 1950, with the University of Vermont purchasing many of the breeding stock to
carry on the Government program.
For for more information on Government Morgans click here
Working Western Family (sometimes referred to as 2WF)
These horses do not have one breeder or ancestor in common but have a common purpose: to work the western
ranges of the United States. Working Western Morgans drew from the Government stallions shipped out west to
improve the quality of offspring from local mares, as well as Morgans from breeding programs in Kansas,
California, Nevada and Texas.
For for more information on 2WF Morgans click here