Happy Friday! Here is your Friday Flashback, a piece that explains some about how Lippitt Morgans came to have such a big influence on the Morgans of Australia (we thought some of you might be curious, with so many Australian Lippitts and half-Lippitts in this years calendar!): Norman Marsh Dies in Plane Crash Submitted by Kay Gibson Published in LCN, Vol. XXIX, No. 5, Sept/Oct 2002 On August 15, while doing a routing maneuver in his Sailplane, Norman Marsh of Karenza Lippitt Morgans crashed into a mountain. Norman was 76 years old at the time, having given in to his one true love – flying - in his later years. For those of us who knew him, he will remain a truly great man. He loved life and its challenges. In true Norman fashion, when his interest was caught, he gave his whole focus to it, throwing time, energy and money into whatever he did. Ducks Unlimited brought him to 100 Mile House, BC in the 1980s. While developing his waterfowl refuge, Norman and his wife Anna took up riding. They bought several horses (Morgans, of course), and one thing led to another. Soon they were having foals. This led to the creation of the 1,280 acre Karenza Morgan Ranch. Norman always liked the best of the best and realized that the Lippitt Morgans were the closest genetically to the original Morgan type and so in 1991, he imported five bred Lippitt mares: Venturous Megan (Croydon Minuteman x Chebacco Nutmeg) in foal to John Ethan Ashbrook; Integrity Katanah (Ryegate Amos Moro x Tradition Becky Moro) bred to Ryegate Moro Magic; Charity Rachel Ash (Meredith Knight x Royalton Rachel) bred to Equinox Beaubrook; and Covenant Sarah May (Meredith Knight x Covenant Karah Moro) bred to Horton’s Vermont. Mira Vista Melissa (Meredith Bruce x Tradition Jenny Ash) also was included but did not produce a live foal. These five mares and the four fillies they produced in 1992 were the start of his Lippitt herd and over the next few years Norman sold all his non-Lippitt or half-Lippitt Morgans. Norman sent several of his mares to Meredith Bilirubin for breeding and two to Equinox Royalty. From these breedings he got Karenza Centurion (Meredith Bilirubin x Charity Rachel Ash) and Karenza Orion (Equinox Royalty x Integrity Katanah). These two stallions became his favorites and their foals were a constant joy to Norman. After a while, Norman realized that he missed the Morgans when he went to New Zealand as he did every October. So in 1995, he sent two mares to the United States to be bred and bought two more bred mares from the U.S. and flew all four to New Zealand to start a nucleus of Lippitt Morgans in that country. Covenant Amelia Moro was bred to Meddo’s Valiant, Venturous Melanie was bred to Madrona Sealect Lad, Okan Missed Easter was bred to Willo Pond What a Knight, and Covenant Kaelyn Moro was bred to Ryegate Syndicate. In short order, his New Zealand herd numbered thirteen, and the Karenza Morgans drew attention as far away as Australia. The last four years found Norman looking elsewhere for new challenges. Having flown Spitfires after the end of World War II, he continued flying but four years ago discovered the joy of gliding. So he turned his attention to becoming the best glider pilot he could and quickly achieved his Double Diamond and then his Triple Diamond last winter in New Zealand. Norman was a very gentle man, soft spoken and genuinely interested in those around him. He often stopped to tell a joke and could quote limericks from schoolboy days without a hitch. He loved to walk among his “lovelies,” his “pretty ones,’ and even the naughty or high strung ones were quiet around him. The Morgan breed is richer by over 60 horses that carry his Karenza prefix, most of which are pure Lippitt. This year in May, he had turned over his entire herd to Kay and Ernie Gibson. Some of these horses can be seen on the new website magicmountainlippitts. Due to his tragic death, many of these remarkable Morgans will be for sale but the dream of Norman Marsh and his Karenza Morgans will continue on in their offspring for years to come. (11/14/14 - Please note that the website mentioned is no longer active. The first attached photo is of the Lippitt mare Karenza Audrey with her 3 1/2 month old half Lippitt colt Bellemond Tomi. She and Tomi are located in Victoria, AUS. Chris Armon photo. The second photo is of the half-Lippitt gelding, Haymeron Park Moby (Haymeron Park Brock x Karenza Audrey) with Chris Armon up. Photo by Greybox Images (Albury Wodonga Photography).HMJ)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:35:19 +0000
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