Copied from our Lippitt Club Facebook page – posted 2/17/2014:
This administrator has been re-typing up old pieces from past Lippitt Club publications to share for our Friday Flashbacks. I came upon this piece by Mant Horton this morning, and just want to share how grateful I feel for the people behind the preservation and promotion of the Lippitt Morgan over the years. Lyle and Mant Horton, who registered their Lippitts under the “Horton’s” prefix, were two of the greats of Lippitt Morgan-people-dom. Mant told stories with such wit, I was honestly giggling at times as I re-typed this story of hers. I decided I’d share it today, instead of wait for a Friday. Enjoy!
“Fred Weir’s Grandson”
by Mant Horton
Those people who knew my husband will remember that he had a very short fuse as far as his beloved horses were concerned. He selected his breeding stock with great care, culled carefully, and bred outside to what he felt were the best “nicks” with his bloodlines.
One sunny afternoon, we were happily engaged tracing pedigrees. The living room was covered with books of the Morgan Register and the Stallion Register as we searched for a certain mare or stallion.
There was a knock at the door and I went to answer it. The tall, very stern looking man standing there said, “I’m looking for Lyle Horton. I understand that he raises Morgan horses.”
Lyle had appeared beside me and he said, “I’m Lyle Horton and I raise Morgan horses.” Still stern and unsmiling, the man said, “I’ll tell you whether you do or not.”
I looked at Lyle and hastily looked for the man’s wife. She filled me with great confidence! She was cowering behind their car. This had all the earmarks of an interesting afternoon!
Finally Lyle said, “Let’s go to the barn and see them.” As we reached the barnyard gate, Lyle called “Johnny” and from behind the barn our stallion John Moro came at a gallop, doing a beautiful sliding stop at the gate. The man’s face barely cracked a smile, but he said, “That’s it! That’s the same horse my grandfather raised!” He was Fred Weir’s grandson. He did not remember his grandfather. (Not to wonder at – Fred Weir died before Mr. Richards was born.)
Of course, Lyle started bombarding him with questions about the famous horses Weir had bred and owned, but he knew nothing of pedigrees, etc., only the many, many pictures of Morgans in the home. He and his sister had spent their childhood in that house as their mother (a musician or singer – I forget which – my mind was on the Weir horses) went on tour. I never saw anyone so completely devoid of a sense of humor. Much to my surprise, I grew to like him and understand him. He and his wife came each summer after that until his death a few years ago.
We asked how he found us and he said he went to Weybridge to the UVM Morgan Farm. He had the woodcuts that had belonged to Weir and had intended to give them to the farm, but was so dissatisfied with the horses he kept them.
He told us that he drove to the barns at Weybridge where men were grazing some stallions on the huge lawns. He approached one man and asked where he should go to see Morgans. He was told he was looking at them. He couldn’t believe it. “You call that a Morgan with that long neck? And that one? Don’t tell me these are the same Morgans Vermonters used to raise!”
One man holding a horse nearby said, “You sound like Lyle Horton, why don’t you go visit him?”
A few weeks later, we were at a horse show and saw Bob Baker, one of the few people we knew at Weybridge. Lyle asked him if he was the one who sent Mr. Richards to see us. “Bob said, “Hell, no! I never admit to anyone that I know you!”
(Published in Lippitt Lore II, p. 67.)
(Photo of Horton’s VT Standard and Lyle Horton from Dave Carr’s collection. Horton’s VT Standard is by Lippitt Rob Roy and out of Royalton Nekomia.)
