Pat is calm by nature. As a foal he discovered a great way to cool himself off on those hot Georgia summer days- the sprinkler! July 1990.


He grew into those ears! In fact, he now has some of the smallest, cutest ears I've ever seen on a horse! Pat was about two weeks old here, July 1990.


Pat (age 2 months here) and his half sister Mimi had great fun with the big box our new washer came in


Pat, all grown up, at his first dressage show. Bar-Lyn Farm's Evening Dressage Show, summer 1994.


Another picture taken at Bar-Lyn Farm's Evening Dressage Show, summer 1994.


My niece Abby Atkins stayed with us for a week in August of 1999. She had been taking huntseat lessons in her home state of New York since February 1999. Dressage and the influence of the rider's seat was a totally new thing for her! This was her second lunge lesson on Pat.


Pat gets a pat! This is Jessica Hecker, age two, up on Pat during the Southern Model Horse Convention, October 1999. My friend Lisa Algarin (of Claywood Morgans in SC) is holding Pat and proud father David Hecker is with Jessica.


One of the blessings of having so many sweet, calm, and reliable Morgans is that friends can come over and ride too! Here is Cassidy Evans on Pat and Laura on Topaz, November 2000.


Cassidy and Pat again, November 2002. Pat looks so very much like his dam.


Pat is very out of shape as I've been too busy to ride him much, but he is a generous soul and puts in a good effort anyways! Cassidy is in college so she doesn't get to ride much either. Our beautiful fall weather is too nice to waste however!


A warm and sunny February ride, 2004.


We've been enjoying a warm, pleasant fall but I know those days are numbered. So I try to get out and enjoy the horses as often as possible. Pat's motto is "will work for food"; so, I bring him carrots, he totes me around, and everyone is happy! Late October 2004.


Pat and his half sister Mimi working off a few pounds (I hope!), October 2005.


Another shot from the same day, October 2005.


The first Saturday in October brings our annual model horse event at the farm. Begun in 1988, the Southern Model Horse Convention introduces model horse hobbyists to the wonderful Morgan Horse.  During the show's lunch break everyone was given the opportunity to ride. Old faithful Pat is the mount of choice. Left is Valerie Hussain and right is Katie Zajdel  at the 2006 show.


Lisa Algarin took these pictures of Pat and I at SouthCon 2006.


I always enjoy seeing kids and Morgans interact but since we have no children of our own I have to borrow some from time to time ;-) A few days before Christmas, my brother in law and his two young children visited us. Josie is 8 and loves animals, but was very scared of the horses at first. Still, she was drawn to them, a good thing for overcoming fear! She wanted to ride so Pat was pressed into service. Josie has a rider's build and a good seat. Here she is getting instruction from me before we start.


Josie and Pat again. She looks pretty good up there, and has forgotten all about how scared she was an hour or so earlier! This was an exercise where she was to stretch out one arm at a time. She was amazed when she could get Pat to stop just by sitting deep in the saddle.


No one rides for free! If you want to ride, you must groom the horse before and after. It is empowering to a timid child to move a horse around in the crossties with just a touch. Pat was quite obliging about his feet, too, which was the hardest part for Josie because those feet are heavy.

The smile says it all, doesn't it?


September 2007- Fellow Georgia Morgan owners Susan Visi and her hubby Bill visited in late September to see Charli. Susan brought her brand new custom JJ Maxwell Wade saddle to show me. I needed to mop up the drool- what a beautiful thing! A true work of art :-) It is all hand tooled with a floral pattern, definitely a woman's saddle, and the seat has inlaid padding. Susan told me how comfortable it was. Then they asked if I wanted to ride in it.

I did not need much persuasion.

So we saddled Pat up- well, they did most of it because I did not know how to girth the durn thing up, it is a special type of rigging (not like my western show saddle). So here is Pat and Laura gone buckaroo- well... sort of ;-)

And YUP... it is VERY comfortable.


After I rode I asked Susan if she wanted to try Pat. She wasn't dressed for riding but she did have her helmet with her, so she was game.


October 6, 2007 was the 20th Annual Southern Model Horse Convention, held here at the farm. The Friday evening before the show anyone who wishes can come and ride a Morgan. In recent years we've used Pat for this very important task. One of our regular SouthCon attendees is Paula Hecker from Tallahassee FL. This year Paula brought her 10 year old daughter Jessica to show at SouthCon. Paula has three girls but only Jessica is horse crazy like her Mom :-) Jessica has been on Pat before (see the picture earlier on this page, from the 1999 show) but since she was only 2 then, she didn't remember. She groomed Pat and then got a lesson on the lungeline. By the time we finished it was getting dark, but she had figured out how to use her seat to get Pat to halt, walk and was gleefully urging him into a trot- just a grinnin' away. She had no fear and was a very quick study!


November 2007- My sister Aimee was here for a visit from Ohio. She is the only other "horsey" sibling I have (there are 6 of us) though I have another sister who is a small animal vet, so she too got the "creature loving" gene :-) Aimee is also artistic and loves to take pictures. She has the Nikon D-80 with a wonderful zoom lens (I want!). She took a bunch of pictures of my horses. Here is a kind of artsy one of me on Pat.


Aimee thought Pat looked very elegant standing all parked out in the cross ties. I taught him to park out years ago with food as "bait", so now after a ride, when he's in the cross ties getting untacked, he "begs" for a treat by parking out ;-) So here is a pic Aimee took of him doing his pose in good light, and a close up of his cute face.