Point Reyes Morgan Horse Ranch

SVMHC Supports the Preservation of this historical morgan landmark

Our club is dedicated to assisting Pt. Reyes Morgan Horse Ranch in its operation and the continued use of our Morgan horse.

History of the Morgan Horse Ranch

The Morgan Horse Ranch was established at Point Reyes National Seashore as a breeding and training program to provide horses for the National Park Service. The ranch was dedicated in 1970 with the help of the Northern California Morgan Horse Association. A select breeding program was set up with stud services provided by private owners. At its height, the ranch maintained a herd of approximately 35–40 horses, and bred 73 horses over the life of the breeding program. As foals were born, mature animals trained at the ranch were transferred to other parks. For many years classes were also held at the ranch to train park rangers in horsemanship.

Currently, there is no need for a centralized breeding program because individual parks maintain their own stables. In July 1999, the last filly was born at the ranch. They named her Los Reyes Liberty Rose, Rose for short. Today (May 2018), there are only seven horses at the ranch. They are used primarily for trail patrol by park rangers and volunteers. Biologists also occasionally use the horses when they do a census for the tule elk. The horses allow the biologists to get close enough to the elk without scaring them. The horses are also used to count harbor seals out on Tomales Point.

For more information check out these links:

"End of the trail: Treasured North Bay tradition in limbo," by David Templeton, Pacific Sun, January 20, 2016. Available at http://pacificsun.com/feature-end-of-the-trail/ (accessed 21 July 2016).

"Past and Present: The Point Reyes Morgan Horse Ranch," by Brenda L. Tippin, The Morgan Horse Magazine, April/May 2016