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“Blue Spruce Morgans”
Gary & Jacquie Raymond, Sagola, MI

At this time, I would like to introduce our farm, the “Blue Spruce Morgans,” located in the North Woods of the U.P. in Sagola, ME, owned by Gary and Jacquie Raymond.

Backing up in years, my experience with the purebred Lippitt Morgan began in the year 1961, when I met the Mccains of Crivitz, WI. They had purchased a colt, Moro Hills Magician, from Chester Trefct of Silver Lake, WI. They had heard of my ability to train and break horses, and asked me if I would train Magician to drive and ride under saddle, as they were up in age and were not knowledgeable enough themselves.

I picked up Magician in a home-made single axle trailer and headed home. Upon arrival to Niagra, WI, a car pulled in the yard behind me. A gentleman and his family stepped out of the car and informed me they had to see this horse that they had been following for over 35 miles. I took Magician out of the trailer and explained that he was Purebred Lippitt Morgan, foaled on the Moro Hills Morgan Farm. Needless to say, they were impressed by his long flowing mane and tail, his size and conformation.

After they left, I began breaking this 7 year old stud, that had never been as much as halter broke, and trained him to ride and drive in two weeks. At the end of those two weeks, the McVains returned and could not believe how well he did in such a short time.

Magician’s temperament and willingness sold me on the Lippitt horse, and I made a trip to see Chester Trefct. Chester was a renowned horseman, judge and breeder of the Lippitt Morgans, and he never walked the fence. He was sincere and steadfast in his dreams and desire to promote and preserve the Lippitt Morgan horse. He not only taught me, “A Morgan is a Morgan, all else is not,” but he also schooled me on words such as Purest, Presence, countenance, conformation, soles to the sun, short rapid steps and versatility. What I learned of the Lippitt Morgans deepened my love for them to the point I decided to purchase Moro Hills Mariner the day he was born. Mariner was foaled out of Lippitt Royal Margarita by Dyberry Ethan.

I began sitting in Mariner’s stall the day he was born, and developed a relationship and bond with him that has continued to grow at the age of 28. I trained Mariner to ride both Western and English, and drive under harness. After winning the Grand Champion Stallion award in hand at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas, WY, in 1976, I was forced to sell Mariner at the age of 12, to Everett Smith; but kept contact with him until Everett’s death in 1990, at which time I leased him back for the remainder of his life.

In 1986, my wife Jacquie and I decided to begin a breeding program of our own. We began correspondence with Barbara Trefct, Chet’s wife, who has carried on and devoted her life with the same values and preservations of the pure breed since Chet’s death in 1984.

With Barbara’s help, ingenuity, and experience, we were able to purchase three mares: Moro Hill’s Micholette, Moro Mills Mamosa, and Moro Hills Marta, and a young stallion, Moro Hills Messiah, and fulfill our life long dream of playing a small part of the preservation of the “original,” “pure” Morgan blood of Figure.

Because of Mariner’s age, we hope that our first year in the breeding program, he will be able to settle our 3 mares. If Mariner blesses us with fillies, our 2 junior stallions, (Moro Hills Messiah and our newest stallion Woodmoro Cavalier) will be bred to Mariner’s fillies.

The Blue Spruce farm will do all we can to continue on the Moro Hill tradition.

I need to express my deepest appreciation to the memory of Chester Trefct, who unselfishly shared the knowledge of the Morgan horse with me.

I will always be mindful of his favorite saying, “A Morgan is a Morgan, all else is not.”

(Facebook page administrator’s notes/additions: Gary Raymond kept his word to carry on the Moro Hill tradition, and has bred many beautiful, versatile, and true-to-type Lippitt Morgans over the years that trace back significantly to the Moro Hills lines. About two years ago, Gary Raymond made the decision to disperse his herd, and, if interested in obtaining a Blue Spruce Lippitt Morgan, you can contact Gary via his Blue Spruce Morgan Farm Facebook page.)