As people, many of us know the challenges of modern job paths and careers: we can get buttonholed into a position, and even when pursuing continuing education and burgeoning excellence in our abilities, no next step is open to us; or even we take on the “side hustles,” multitudes of unique additional opportunities, to increase our income and to additionally encourage our minds to stay sharp and capable. Even when the option of a promotion or additional responsibility is available to us, it does not always become ours, and much as we are more than capable to do our jobs, excellently, we are stagnant and unproductive.

In my experience, people do not generally become stagnant and unproductive without first being brilliant, hard working, industrious, and having the world beat us down a bit, so to speak, so we are, to put it bluntly, bored.

It is no different for the Morgan horse.

While many other breeds may also have this phenomenon in their lives, I am most privy to the exceptional mind of the Morgan breed, and in comparison to the other breeds I have worked with, it is the most true for them.

A Morgan horse thrives on work, creative and engaging and diverse work.

For many, the career changes and transforms as they grow. As a baby, the work is ground handling, manners, politely interfacing with human beings. In their adolescent stage, the work can grow to driving, basic commands, and the like – much as it should for any horse. Adult Morgans is where I see the big difference come between the Morgan horse and other modern breeds. A Morgan can work themselves into a world champion athlete in one discipline, take some time off, and then do a complete turnaround and become a true professional in a new discipline – and even a third and fourth after that. Morgans I know work well into their thirties, and when they become bored, or tired, or just are done with their first job, because they have done it to its natural end, they relish the next career. Where I see some horses retired in their late teens, I see Morgans getting their second or third wind, and continuing on as if they were ten or fifteen years younger.

For other Morgans, they pick up the side hustles. I have heard now of three New England Morgan horses who simultaneously event, drive, work cows, and one also does side saddle – and in each of these they excel. There is no chance for boredom here, and the horses understand the difference in their tasks, adjusting as necessary for each.

We sometimes forget that these horses are as much “people” as we humans are. Morgans have always been the ultimate “jack of all trades” horse, as Marguerite Henry fictionalized in her children’s novel about Figure, called Lil Bub in the book. If we get bored and unstimulated at our job and crave a vacation or a career change, doesn’t it make sense that our horses would to some degree get that feeling too? These guys were bred to do it all, were made into a breed in the first place because the look and feel of the animals was so desirable – handsome, compact, strong, with a sweet and loving disposition.

We made them to be this way – we owe it to them to give them the same job satisfaction we all desire. It takes a lot of work on our part to help these amazing horses to have the lives they deserve, but with mindful attention they give us so much back when we do. It delights me to no end to see the great number of interdisciplinary Morgans and Morgans on their third career path in the beautiful photos on social media in the aftermath of 2021 Morgan Grand National and World Champion competition.

If you feel your horse isn’t engaged, or is unhappy, maybe think about their routine, your routine, and how you can switch things up for both of you, to dispel the boredom, and invoke your – and their! – brilliance.

Photo is Ancan Eye Candy in 2016, a mare who had been showing in English Pleasure before I purchased her, who I trained in dressage and show jumping, and now does all of these things and more with the young lady with whom I placed her.