Happy Friday! Here is your Friday Flashback, an article about River Riders Ranch from 1994 (we will do this article in two installments, part one today and part two next Friday):
“All in the Family” A Tradition at River Riders Ranch
by Tricia Jumonville
Visiting Jon & Sherry Rivers at River Riders on the Northern Plains of Texas is like entering into a fairy tale – albeit a very down-to-earth fairy tale. What you have actually entered into is a dream of Jon Rivers, inspired by a very special horse and carried out with the hearts, minds, souls, and bodies of Jon and Sherry and exquisite herd of Lippitt Morgans.
Jon was first introduced to Lippitts when he received a phone call from his daughter in 1987 telling him of a picture she had seen in “The Morgan Horse” – a picture just like Figure”. This horse belonged to Ken Telford. Jon called Ken, who directed him to the closest Lippitts to Texas – Moro Hills in Arkansas. Along with his brother, Keiffer, Jon went to visit Barb Treftc at Moro Hill. In his own words: “They were like some sort of mystical vision in which you find the last herd of fairy tale unicorns standing at the edge of a forest about to vanish at any second. With their chiseled exquisite faces, large uncanny eyes, that long mane hanging to their knees and their beautiful bodies, all exhibiting perfect Morgan type, the kind of read about in books and “judging standards”, but rarely if ever see.”
Jon met and fell in love with Moro Hill Manito (Moro Hills Micah x Moro Hill’s Michele) on this trip – and the feeling was mutual. Rarely is such love and communion seen between man and beast – and when it exists, miracles happen. At his brother’s insistence, Jon bought Manito in 1987. At about the same time, he was introduced to Brenda McNenny, who shared with him her information and vast collection of photos and videotapes of Lippitts and Bob and Jacquie Schaumberg who furthered his education in Lippitts.
In 1989, two things happened to push the River Riders breeding program on its way – Jon and Manito met and married Sherry, and they leased Moro Hill Melinda with her 30 day old foal, Moro Hill Mohave (Moro Hill Manito x Moro Hill’s Melinda) at her side. Their first foal with the River Riders prefix was River Riders Revelation (Moro Hill Manito x Edgewood Charette), now owned by Pam Michella of New York.
In 1990, they purchased Moro Hill Mozart (Moro Hill Manito x Moro Hill’s Muffet) and Moro Hill Magnolia (now owned by Gail Robertson of The Colony, Texas). River Riders Raincloud (Moro Hill Manito x Moro Hill’s Melinda) was born that year and Moro Hills Melinda, having been leased for two years, was purchased.
In 1991, Moro Hill Motif joined the herd and she produced River Riders Romeo, the Rivers’ beautiful bay stallion by Manito, the following year.
(From LCN Volume XXI, Vol. 2 Versatility/Western Region/Canada July-Sept 1994, pp 25-27. Photo of Moro Hill Manito and Sherry Rivers.)
