Author: geadmin

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.

by A. Hartung – as printed in The Western Horseman, Nov. 1950

SOMETIME PRIOR to 1880, the late Richard Sellman left his birthplace in the state of Maryland and drifted southwest into McCollough county, Texas. Here he acquired a foothold and, being industrious, prospered. In the early days of the present century, when the writer first met him, Mr. Sellman said that he had 40,000 acres of good Texas land, every acre paid for. He was carrying 8,000 sheep, 4,000 registered black polled Angus cattle and 400 registered Morgan horses. In fact, he was, even at that date, the largest breeder of registered Morgan horses in the world.

He was soon able to ship Morgan mares by the carload, with a stallion of suitable Morgan blood to mate with them. He stated in his 1912 catalog that he could show more genuine equine beauty and quality in his herd of registered Morgan horses than any breeder in the United States.

Dick Sellman was alive to the fact that Morgan breeders were rapidly losing the original type of Morgan horse. He informed the writer that the Morgan horse breeders had for years been infusing too much of the larger, coarser blood of the Standardbred. They were thereby losing the original type of Morgan horse, according to Mr. Sellman, who was always looking for stallions of the original true type and blood.

He purchased, in the north and east, the best representatives he could find, shipping them to his Texas ranch for breeding purposes. Among them were the handsome stallions Red Oak, Major Gordon 4924, Gold Medal 4840, Golden 5691, Golden Rod 6674 and Major Antoine 4776.

Then came the Admiral 4871, his top stud. This fine chestnut stallion was sired by Jubilee De Jarnette, then invincible in the show ring. The Admiral’s dam was by the show stallion Winnebago Chief 16585 by Mountain Chief. Admiral’s second dam was Olive by Monegram 1378 by Fearnaught. Admiral’s third dam was a daughter of Drew, a Thoroughbred. His fourth dam traced through Sherman to old Justin Morgan. Benjamin Thurston, who owned old Vermont Black Hawk 5, the great, great, great, grandsire of the Admiral, considered the Admiral as having all the good qualities combined in old Black Hawk.

Dick Sellman raised many fine Morgan stallions from the Admiral, including Texas 5889, The Corporal 5991, Dexter 6004 and Red Bird, who was the top stallion at the Swenson SMS ranch near Stamford, Texas. Other noted sons of the Admiral were: Sunny South, Admiral Gordon, The Raven, Mazeppa, Black Prince, Red Boy, Mountain Vale and many others.

From Gold Medal 4840 came Golden 5691, Medal 6675, Golden Rule and others. His beautiful band of Morgan mares and fillies were by the above stallions. Morgan horses, at this time, became a great hobby with Dick Sellman. He loved the Morgan horse and was then financially able to buy the best representative stallions.

Previous to 1911, the Morgan Horse club of America had selected Hales Green Mountain as nearest to the original Morgan type, giving him the silver cup. About the turn of the century there appeared another outstanding stallion, Headlight Morgan 4863, in the New England states. He was awarded the silver cup as the best living representative of the original Morgan type. Headlight Morgan was sired by Ethan Allen 2nd 406. His dam was by Hales Green Mountain by Gifford by Woodbury by Justin Morgan, founder of the Morgan family.

Hales Green Mountain was the true type of old-time Morgan horse which Dick Sellman was trying to save for posterity. Headlight Morgan was an inbred Green Mountain, and almost an exact replica, in form, of old Justin Morgan.

It was remarkable how the true Morgan type held through the Green Mountain branch of the family. Headlight Morgan was the last winner of the silver cup as the best type of original Morgan. He was often referred to as King of the Morgans.

This famous stallion was purchased by Dick Sellman and taken to the Mountain Vale ranch when 21 years old, but he was well preserved, strong and active. Mr. Sellman then selected a band of his choicest fillies and broodmares for Headlight’s harem, and the next spring was delighted with an excellent crop of fine Morgan foals. At this time the health of Dick Sellman was failing fast, and a short time later, his death ended his efforts to preserve the Morgan breed. His Mountain Vale ranch was broken up, and his fine Morgans were scattered, California absorbing the greater part of them. Today the Golden State produces more Morgans than any other state in the Union. While the Morgan horse family originated in 1789 near the Atlantic Coast, today its its stronghold is on the Pacific Coast, 3,000 miles away. It is reported that Headlight Morgan lived to be 32 years of age.

It was in the early 1920’s that Mr.Sellman passed away. Sad it is that this fine Southern gentleman could not have lived to enjoy the fruits of his many years’ labor. With the passing of Dick Sellman from the ranks of Texas stockmen, the Nation lost an able, far sighted and accomplished ranchman, a man of executive ability. His beautiful Mountain Vale ranch, with its fine Morgan horses and black polled Angus cattle, once the pride of central Texas, is today no more.

Article found on Morgan Stock Horse Association.

For more information on the Sellman History.

My earliest memory of Mr. Carter was traveling from Ramona, Ca to Sanger, Ca in the early 60’s my mom would pack the us up in the car with horse trailer in tow. We would leave at night so that we would sleep & not bug her. I remember waking up going over the grapevine back then it was a two lane road long, step & winding it seem to take forever it get over it.

My parents leased Farceur Morgan (Kings River Morgan x Royce’s Falcon) & a band of mares from Mr. Carter he had so many beautiful Morgans.

Mr Carter was a purest when it came to breeding he did his research keeping the lines as close to Justin Morgan as possible. My mom & he talked & wrote about the bloodlines to keep the Traditional Family Morgans going that was the goal. I have Mr. Carter volume 5 of the breeders book with all of his notes. I would love to think he would be proud of what my mom & I accomplished; A Midnight Special & Farceurs Falcon Morgan is the combination of his breeding with Ramona Brave ( Otto McClure x Jean Mary) bred by E.W Roberts. My mom had told me that Mr. Carter didn’t like something in Brave’s Pedigree she just wasn’t sure what it was. All I know is that the cross of Farceur Morgan & Ramona Brave produced the Morgans I have today & love very much!

He also raised Shetland ponies we had two, Linda May my brother Tom’s pony & Tina May my pony. Tina was 32 inches tall I would sneak her into my room when it was storming my brother & I rode them all over Ramona it was all fun that two kids could possible have.

I am very grateful for the partnership he had with my parents they are the Morgans I have today, the decades of fun & the people I have met over the years. W. T Carter was an extraordinary man.