The Beginning with Farceur Morgan

The Hazelwood’s involvement with Farceur Morgan came as a result of a lifelong desire to raise horses, seeing the two yearling colts, Ramona Brave and Ramona Warrior at the Eagle Ranch in Ramona California. As a result of some serious soul searching, Richard and Marjorie set a goal of raising Morgan horses and doing so in California. They then returned from Ohio, where they had gone to visit Richard’s family, to California where Marjorie was born as were the four Hazelwood children. As a result of this decision and a lot of hard work the Hazelwood’s did re-locate in Ramona, CA in a ranch adjacent to the Eagle Ranch, purchased the aged broodmare, Daisy Sonfield (Sonfield x Raisy D x Querido with a breeding to Ramona Brave (Otto McClure x Jean Mary) and were on their way to raising Morgan horses. This beginning led to a subscription to The Morgan Horse Magazine.

In one of the editions was a half page ad offering a package lease deal to people who were dedicated to raising Morgan horses. W.T. Carter of Fresno was the long time Morgan breeder who was making this offer, so a date was set to visit Carter, and the Hazelwood family traveled to Fresno in the heat of the summer, including the four young children James, Nancy, Mary and Thomas. An older man was changing a tire on a vehicle as the visitors drove up and Richard finished the job for the white haired gentleman who was W.T. Carter. From there a short drive to the Kings River pastures where there were many beautiful mares and foals. After spending most of the day tramping around looking at mares and foals, all returned to Carters home, where the stallions were stalled.

The Hazelwoods had visions of Morgans dancing through their brains, and now came the real stumper, which stallion might they make a deal to lease. Carter showed first, Kings River Morgan, elegant and gorgeous with a wonderful floating trot, and gleaming chestnut coat, then Black Bart the recently named champion Morgan stallion at the Sacramento Valley Morgan Horse Show. Of course he was an outstanding individual as well and the one Carter was thinking of leasing. Lastly, Carter said he had some colts to show the Hazelwoods and he went and opened up a shed door and three young stallions came leaping out. One of those stallions was the bright bay colt with a metallic sheen to his coat and showing extreme atheticism, named Farceur Morgan (Kings River Morgan x Royce’s Falcon). Both Richard and Marjorie were mesmerized instantly by Farceur Morgan, only to be told he was not for lease or sale, or anything. Carter considered him to be the best he had ever raised and that was that. All went inside to discuss what possibilities were going to be considered, if any. Carter had all the registry books for the Morgan breed, including some duplicates, all The Morgan Horse magazines and a great deal of research material. He had done extensive research on horses in general and Morgan horses in particular. After much discussion and exchange of information, Carter asked which mares did the Hazelwoods want to lease. The answer was, the ones that would be best to breed to Farceur Morgan. With little hope of getting the desired and gorgeous Farceur Morgan, much to the amazement of the young couple (and many other people later), Hazelwoods headed home with the promise to return to get Farceur Morgan and four mares of Carter’s choice, including the Sonfield/Querido mare, Alane. Carter also sent them home with a copy of Volume 5 of the Morgan Horse Register and a lot to things to think about.

During the course of the discussion about Farceur Morgan, Carter explained that he had raised Belgium Horses for many years and when the imported Belgium stallion, Jay Farceur, came up for sale, he had put an offer on him. He said that stallion, the most perfect horse Carter had seen, had gone for over $60,000 and he was unable to purchase him. When the bay Morgan colt was born of Royce’s Falcon, Carter decided he was the quality of that famous Belgium stallion, the best, and therefore named him Farceur Morgan.

The Hazelwood children grew up with Morgan horses and most particularly with the stallions, Farceur Morgan and Ramona Brave, both of which proved themselves as individuals in the show ring and as sires of outstanding foals. Although the Hazelwood family felt very privileged to have these outstanding individuals in their lives, Carter maintained his attachment to Farceur through all of the years of Carter’s life and would not sell Farceur Morgan, even though he was willing to allow the Hazelwood family to keep him and become so bonded with him so as to have him become a huge part of all of their lives. Hazelwoods used the name “Farceur” as a prefix during early years, at which time once anyone used a name twice it became an automatic prefix. Although the rules were changed over the course of years, the Hazelwoods were never notified of that fact and continued to use it with no knowledge of rule changes.

Among the many things Farceur Morgan did in his life, a trip down the Pomona Rose Parade was one of them. This entailed finding and buying a silver mounted saddle for Richard and a parade outfit from Nudie’s of Hollywood, as well. Carter was considered by many to be very eccentric and one of the things he did not have nor want to have was a television set. Just a day or two before the January 1968 Rose Parade, Mrs. Carter was very surprised to see a van pull up to their new home just outside of Fresno, and in came a very large color T.V. Carter was going to see Farceur Morgan in the Rose Parade! Carter passed on in 1968 with Richard Hazelwood being one of the pallbearers at his funeral. After the tragedy of Richard’s passing in 1969, Ethyl Carter did finally sell Farceur Morgan to Marjorie and the children, James, Nancy, Mary and Thomas Hazelwood, who were still very young. Those children continued to grow up with the Morgans.

Mary Hazelwood has two sons of Farceur Morgan that have been competing successfully and standing at stud. These are Farceur’s Falcon Morgan out of Braves Faith x Ramona Brave and A Midnight Special out of Richwood G.D. Marj x Ramona Brave. She also has a large herd of Morgan mares with some young stallions coming along. Morgan horses have been a part of the Hazelwood family since the 1950’s and became of major importance to them in 1961, with the purchase of Daisy Sonfield and later the birth of the colt, Richwood Morgan by Ramona Brave. In the world of Morgan horses the Hazelwood family has had a large impact, having raised many traditional family Morgans since 1961 and looking forward to the continuation of this tradition, featuring the blood of Farceur Morgan and Ramona Brave.