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ASHBROOK – (Croydon Prince X Nancy) – AMR 7079
The following content was published in the 1996 Lippitt Club Directory and was written by Bruce Orser and Nancy Plimpton. Foaled on May 15, 1916, Ashbrook was a chestnut and stood 14.1 hands high. He was bred by A. Fullerton Phillips of Windsor, Vermont. Ashbrook was sired by Croydon Prince, by Ethan Allen 2nd 406, by Peter’s Morgan 405, by Peter’s Vermont 403, by Gifford Morgan, by Woodbury Morgan, by Justin Morgan. Ashbrook’s dam was Nancy 03553, a chestnut bred by A. Fullerton Phillips. Nancy was by Ethan Allen 3rd 3987, by Ethan Allen 2nd 406, by Peter’s Morgan 405, by Peter’s Vermont 403, 2nd dam Dew of June 05258, by Pete Morgan, by Peter’s Morgan 405. Mr. Phillips described Ashbrook as being the nearest in type to the ancient Gifford and/or Woodbury Morgan that he had ever seen. And he had never seen Ashbrook’s equal in exuberance of spirit. He also said that an artist could not paint a more perfect picture of a horse. He was the ideal the Mr. Phillips had strived for. He said that Ashbrook possessed every ideal point of perfection of a Morgan Horse. In his own words he put Ashbrook’s description this way. “He has a short back, good loin, short jointed, extremely short cannon bones and fetlocks, wonderfully oblique shoulder, small ears almost hidden by his heavy mane and forelock. He has an extremely broad forehead, full eyes that set out prominently like a pure bred Jersey’s. his large, thin, trumpet-like nostrils show when inflated, the pink nasal membrane. He has a game cock throttle. He never stands a moment when shown to bridle. Yet with all the exuberance of spirit, he is gentle as a lamb. He contains much more blood of the Old Gifford than any horse living.” Several qualities of Ashbrook that Mr. Phillips does not mention can be seen in the various photographs existing of him. The breadth of his chest, the excellent muscle and bone, his full quarters, long underline, and overall breadth and depth. In 1927 Mr. Robert Lippitt Knight acquired Ashbrook from the Phillips estate, along with Moro 7467, and four mares that were subsequently to become the primary foundation for the Lippitt Morgan Horse as we know it today. In Ashbrook’s later years, he became stiff and sore-jointed and would endure much trouble getting up onto his feet. So the men at the Green Mountain Stock Farm would assist him to his feet and turn him loose to roam at will in the farm’s dooryard. Once he had loosened up and got rid of some of the stiffness he would be his old self and move on over to the mare’s paddock and talk up a storm. At the age of 34 years Ashbrook was led to his final resting place. All the way to that spot he never walked a step, exhibiting the exuberance of spirit right to the end, that Mr. Phillips so loved and we all have come to admire in a truly great Morgan.
