The quintessential model of the American versatile family horse
SEYMOUR, MO. – Chris Nerland was born in Iowa in 1954. His family moved to South Dakota and purchased a dairy farm, which he collectively owns with his siblings. Nerland graduated high school in 1972 and joined the Navy one year later. Nerland was introduced to his future wife, Susan, through his sister a the couple married in 1977.
“When I married Susan, I married her horses,” Nerland says. While he was no stranger to equines, as his mother raised draft horses, his wife was a fan of Morgans and had raised them since 1959, when South Dakota University dispersed of their Morgan herd in favor of Quarter Horses. Nerland reminisced of his mother’s love for horses as she was raised in a family that bred draft horses. She gifted him a half Morgan filly at the age of 13, which he trained himself. “Morgan horses have the common sense of a Quarter horse and are almost as pretty as an Arabian,” says Nerland.
Nerland currently resides on 18 acres in Seymour, Missouri. He owns 6 horses, 3 are older, 1 is a yearling, and 1 is a 7-year-old gelding, named Rsurene Paladin. (a compilation of Art Sue and Irene, forms the prefix Rsurene. Some Morgan farms utilize a prefix as part of the registered names of the horses produced).
In the heyday of Nerland’s horse breeding business, he bred 8 – 9 colts a year for U.S. and Canadian sales. He currently has a yearling filly and is planning to breed her mother (22 years of age) to the same stallion this spring. Nerland prefers natural cover for breeding. While he and Susan utilized Artificial Insemination until recently, he now prefers natural cover, especially with an aged mare.
The highlight of Nerland’s horse breeding career is synonymous with his late wife’s love of Morgans. She bred a mare 11 years ago, producing a half-brother to Rsurene Paladin. This gelding was named Rsurene Kamtamos. His beloved wife, Susan, with her Kantamos, won a regional championship in Illinois. She went on to the Grand National Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City the following October. While she did not win the national championship, she did place in the top 10, which is quite a feat. This particular championship was special as it was his wife’s last chance to show her horse prior to the health issues incurred from Covid. The horse was sold to a Pennsylvania native who is still showing him. He is well-loved in his new home. Nerland remembers that his greatest thrill in the many years of owning horses was seeing his wife compete at the Grand National with the horse she raised, loved, and devoted so much time and attention to.
Nerland worked as a Farrier for a number of years. “Most Morgans have excellent feet, straight legs, a pretty head, wide set eyes, an upright neck and well-sprung ribs with plenty of room. A well-rounded horse has a nice trot with no gait, although there are Morgan families that gait,” says Nerland. Morgans are generally 14 – 15 hands tall, though some have reached 16 hands.
“Morgans possess a solid and intelligent mind. I have worked with Arabians and Quarter Horses. Morgans and Arabians are the smartest horses I have ever come across,” says Nerland. He went on to share: “They are easy to train, but you cannot cowboy them, which they will resent. You must have patience with this breed.”
The Morgan’s silhouette as seen in a pasture will appear distinctive and proud, with an upright neck and well-rounded solid bone structure under the body and legs. When the Quarter Horse was introduced, there was a noteworthy measure of Morgan blood in the early families. The U.S. government sent the Morgan horse across the west, to advance Native American school pony herds and state colleges, as well as remount stations. The purpose was to improve the existing quality of horses in the west so as to make more available for the U.S. Cavalry Remount Service. Almanzo ‘Manly’ Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s husband, received a Morgan stallion from the government re-mount service.
Morgans were originally raised in New England where the pasture quality is poor. Due to their history, they were bred to thrive on poor pasture, but they tend to gain weight very quickly on rich pasture. Nerland recalled a riding school in Rogersville, 20 years ago, where he and his wife had a variety of breeds for the school, including Thoroughbreds and Morgans. “You could feed three Morgans the same amount a Thoroughbred would be thin on. They are efficient eaters. A Morgan will work all day and require a surprisingly low abundance of food,” says Nerland.
On Nerland’s 18 acres in Seymour, Missouri, he refers to his farm as unimproved Ozark mountain pasture, with native grasses on flinty soil, which makes for rough eating. Yet he claims the Morgans do just fine. In addition, he will supply a cup of StableMate 12% feed supplement, which he would increase if his horses were competing.
“Most horses are grossly overfed. Morgans are easy keepers.”
His maintenance is best described as old-fashioned, which includes worming twice a year if needed and using Spalding Fly Predators to keep the stubborn stable flies to a minimum.
Nerland’s record-keeping is self-described as old-school. He keeps a breeding book to track heat cycles and breeding dates. At 72 years of age and with 30 years in the horse breeding profession, Nerland prefers the simplicity of a journal with hand-written notes over the technological advances offering computer-based programs for agriculture tracking. He tracks weights, measurements and activities in a separate journal.
Nerland’s current horse, Rsurene Paladin, whom he rides, drives, holds a special place in his heart. At seven years of age, Paladin has calmed down and the two enjoy a symbiotic relationship on their small slice of heaven in Seymour, Missouri. “Someday, perhaps I will enter Paladin in a horse show with a combined age of horse and rider at 100,” laughingly says Nerland.
Nerland enjoys sharing information on the Morgan breed. He frequents events like Meet the Morgan and Farm Fest at the Ozark Empire Fair.
“Farm Fest is three days. Older people love to come by and see the horses. The horses are eager to meet folks for two days. By the last day, they are ready to go home,” says Nerland.
Nerland feels the Morgan horse is the quintessential model of the American versatile family horse.
“The Morgan is a horse that chooses you. As a longtime breeder, I can walk through the stable with various breeds represented. I can tell right away which horses are Morgans. They are interested in people, curious, outgoing, intelligent, family-type horses,” says Nerland. A Morgan breeder once said “The Morgans come to the front of the stall”. They want to have a relationship with people.
The Morgan can plow gardens, pull timber from the woods and give playful rides and drives to children and adults. The Morgan is a versatile animal that will suit most needs for someone interested in equine ownership. Many Amish communities use Morgans for transportation purposes. Nerland joked, “If gas prices get much higher, I may resort to that as well.”
