Our Horses & Bloodlines

The Horses of SAX Morabs

El Serniga

SAX Morabs has its heart in a Morab gelding named El Serniga.  Foaled in 1984, El Serniga has taught its owners what the Morab breed is all about.  Started as a child’s horse in 4-H, to just being a fun reliable horse for kids. Serniga was the “all around” type of horse. When Serniga was 3 years old, a 5 year old party guest rode him alone bare back with a hackamore in our back yard. He had been heavily shown in Wisconsin in Morab classes and on the class A Arabian/Half-Arabian circuit. When he was 3 years old he took first over the then leading Morab Stallion in Wisconsin under a Arabian judge and a Morgan judge and took the 3 year old Morab Futurity. He continued his class A show career in Kentucky and surrounding states in western and huntseat until the late 1990’s. He is retired from Class A and generally shows at the PMHA Morab Nationals held at the Kentucky Horse Park every October. Serniga has been the mount for the next generation of children and for house quests as far away as Japan. Currently, El Serniga has turned into a chocolate brown and is utilized on the trail. He is re-learning a ‘hidden’ gift, the smooth riding ‘single foot’ inherited from his Morgan bloodlines. Serniga is my version of the Rocky Mountain Walking Horse.

After 20 years of showing, Serniga  was retired to trail rides. At the age of 24, he suffered a lower right leg (canon bone) injury that crushed his tendons.  Though this made his stride a bit shorter, with ‘high’ heeled shoes, he enjoyed single footing on trail rides for a couple more years.

During the winter of 2011, he broke through and fell on ice and broke a bone in his left front knee and wrenched his pastern.  The bone healed, much to the surprise of the vet, but the pastern bones were fusing and becoming arthritic.  At the age of 28, this last injury left him permanently lame.  

El Serniga moved to Stamping Ground the fall of 2012 and did well through the winter. Unfortunately, at the ripe age of 29 his heart gave out and passed away on April 28, 2013 just months before his 30th birthday. He is buried in the shade of a grove of trees in his pasture. Rest in Peace.

SX Starfix

SX Starfix was the broodmare I was looking for with considerable *Serafix blood. She was already bred to a Morgan, at purchase as a maiden mare, and produced a very large and leggy 1999 Morab filly. The filly was returned to the former owner of Star and has since been sold to others. ‘Star’, as shown here, has the tall, sleek, leggy, full hip and slender neck qualities that I wanted from the Arabian. She is very feminine and has very good Arabian type. She is a SX Staley’s Gemini (*Serafix) x SX La Quinta (*Serafix) cross.

Eager to proceed with my breeding program, I had explored the world of Morgan stallions. I had seen an attractive cremello stallion at the Tennessee Horse Fair in the mid 1990’s and thought that some day I would go this route. Now that I was ready, I searched the Morgan Sire Directory and found a cremello that would be a possible match for ‘Star’. I viewed the video tape, got information of his get already on the ground and had input from my trainer, Jennifer Hudson. MEMC Tequila Cuervo had the Morgan phenotype that would complement my Arabian, SX Starfix, in hopes to produce that ‘complementary’ blend of both equine worlds, the Morab. MEMC Tequila Cuervo had already put several very nice Morabs on the ground and was becoming a noted Morgan sire for color Morabs.

Star foaled a beautiful Palomino Morab colt in May, 2000. This youngster, who is a very out-going, energetic and athletic will now take me down another path of Morabs.
As of June 2012, Starfix is owned by Suzanne Sheppard of Hazel Green, Alabama. Star is reunited with her half sister (same sire) from when she was a youngster. Suzanne is knowledgeable of the *Serafix bloodlines and Susie Ernest is planning on showing ‘Star’ in the near future.

Our Bloodline Linage

*SERAFIX
Bloodline

*Serafix was an imported Arabian Stallion from the Crabbet Stud of England and hailed from an impressive pedigree.  His sire was Raktha, a British Champion in 1948 and sire of numerous champions and National winner producers.  *Serafix’s dam was *Serafina, a highly regarded mare of the Crabbet Stud farm of the post-World War II era.

*Serafix was bought by John Rogers and brought to Walnut Creek, California, in 1954.  The young stallion, homesick for his groom in England, went off feed.  Mr. Rogers resorted to nearly living in the stallion’s stall.  Rogers would feed, groom and feed *Serafix and sleep in his stall between work hours and family commitments to gain his trust.  Time would bond the two together.  From this effort, *Serafix and Mr. Rogers would develop a lifetime friendship.  When Mr. Rogers had to be away on business for weeks at a time, *Serafix would greet him with nickers of joy upon his return.

*Serafix was shown in 1954 at the Cow Palace and at Pomona, California, winning Reserve Champion at both shows.  In 1955, shown by Bob Smith of the Kellogg breeding farm, *Serafix earned Grand Champion and Champion Stallion at Pomona.  In 1957 and 1958 *Serafix was only shown once each year and was pinned Champion Stallion each time.  He was never shown again. *Serafix became best known through his progeny.  Mr. Rogers bred and showed most of his own horses and he states that his biggest and best year of *Serafix’s career was in 1962.  That was the year four of *Serafix’s mares and one of his sons each won a Top Ten Ribbon.  These winnings comprised 1/4th of the 20 Top Ten ribbons of the Estes Park Show.  Of those winnings, there were: Chloette—National Champion Mare; Fixette—Reserve National Champion Mare; Silver Dawn and Starfire were Top Ten Mares; and Royal Magic was a Top Ten Stallion.  Later on, Starfire was lost to hepatitis, but Silver Dawn went on to be twice Reserve Champion Mare, then National Champion Mare.  There were other mares such as, El MalikaSX Genii’s Pride, and Gioia that also showed well.  John Rogers may be the only person who still holds the longest winning record of horses shown at the National level.  He states, “One statistic I kept in mind always, from the first National classes held in 1958 through the Nationals in 1974, was this: a horse of my breeding or ownership, (most of whom were by *Serafix) placed in the Top Ten ribbons at halter in each year.  Only one Top Ten mare in 1975, Overlook Seratifa, was not owned by Mr. Rogers, but was of the Overlook Arabians of Nevada.” (The Arabian Horse, September 1976.)

Raktha was foaled in 1934 at the Hanstead Stud and was purchased by Lady Wentworth in 1939.  Raktha and Indian Gold (sire of *Serafix’s dam *Serafina) were regarded as two of the most important stallions at the Cabbet stud during World War II.  Raktha traces back to Naseem and Skowronek and was an extremely beautiful dark dapple grey, slightly heavy in body but still deserving of the British Champion Stallion Title at age 14 in 1948.  Raktha was regarded as being very different in temperament from his sire Naseem.  Raktha was quiet and easy, a type of horse that was good to take to a show.  This stallion was regarded as one of the very few perfect types of Arabian stallion.  (The Cabbet Arabian Stud, Its History & Influence by Rosemary Archer, Colin Pearson, Cecil Covey).

Raktha is also known for his progeny besides *Serafix, such as his famous sons General Grant out of Lady Yules’ Samsie, and Indian Magic out of Indian Crown.  Famous daughters were Silverlet (out of Silver Gilt) who went to South Africa along with Bint Razeena.  Another daughter, *Silwa, is an American Halter Champion and dam of four champions.  *Silwa produced *Silwara, a dam of four National winners including the Canadian National Champion Stallion Tornado.  Other famous sons include *Silver Drift (full brother to *Serafix) and Indian Magic, a British National Champion Stallion.

*Serafina was foaled in 1945 and was considered one of the great mares that led to the resurgance of the Crabbet Stud after the war. *Serafina’s sire, Indian Gold, was one of Crabbet’s premier stallions.  Lady Wentworth’s breeding program was rooted on the crossing of the Mesaoud and Skowrenek bloodlines whenever possible.  Not all of Lady Wentworth’s stallions were shown to gain notoriety.  Travel was largely by rail and to risk valuable bloodlines to injury or worse was not worth it.  One of those stallions that was not shown was Indian Gold, being a tail male descendent of Skowrenek through *Raswan and Ferhan, this stallion gained his value as a sire through his offspring and particularly through his daughters.  *Serafix was *Serafina’s first foal and *Silver Drift was a full brother, both were sired by Raktha and imported to the United States.  *Serafina was over 15 hands which was felt to be due to several crosses to *Nureddin.  She was a brilliant, iridescent chestnut which she bequeathed to *Serafix.  She had very little white.  A quote out of The Arabian Horse, September 1976, an article by Dick Warner, comments on *Serafina: “She is exceptionally good up front with a very long neck, well joined on; good withers and a typy head.  She is elegant.  She has a deep hip and good legs and a splendid top line.  In short, she is an excellent Arabian mare, with few obvious faults of conformation or type.”

*Serafina was sold in 1960 to Mr. S. G. Bennett of Georgetown, Ontario and foaled *Bright Gold in 1961. Mr. Bennett continued breeding *Serafina on his Arabian farm and she was later purchased by Mr. Paul Brown in 1970.  *Serafina had her last foal in 1972, she lived to be 31 years old and died July 12, 1976.

SX Starfix is a double *Serafix
granddaughter
making her
50% *Serafix. 

Several requests have been made to lease SX Starfix as a breeding mare. This is possible with the condition that ‘Star’ remains on the owners’ premises for the breeding and foaling. When the foal is ready to be transported, the owner makes arrangements for transport.

MEMC Tequila Cuervo
Bloodline

MEMC Morgans was founded as an opportunity to showcase and promote our existing and future quality Morgan horses. Several EXOTIC and unique Morgans do make up our modest, yet prepotent, Morgan breeding program. Our foundation stallion, the incredible “old world type” cremello sabino Morgan stallion, MEMC Tequila Cuervo, maintains the front-line of our breeding program and is 100% foundation Morgan breeding.

Now breeding and making a statement in the colorful Morgan world is our other adult stallion, MEMC Crown Royal, a very glamorous refined buckskin who is also sabino and a proven splash white Pinto. Our two junior stallions are sons of MEMC Tequila Cuervo and Crown Royal. MEMC On Target is an extremely rare *homozygous* splash sabino buckskin Pinto, and MEMC Magnifico, a full foundation bred young horse who is the only double cream dilute son of my foundation sire, Tequila, and by the dream mare, Kee Lady Aphrodite. It is hoped that their future produce will define and validate the next decade of our colorful Morgan breeding program.

Other stallions that we have previously owned, such as the high white sabino pinto, High White Revolution, the lovely cremello trick stallion, Nashboro Sir Galahad, and “My Hollywood Horse,” the palomino sabino, Indigo Go Gold, have all been a part of our colorful breeding program in some way. The home-raised cremello stallion, MEMC Grandeur, an exceptionally talented and extravagant moving baroque type cremello sold to Belgium in 2008 and is a son of Nashboro Sir Galahad as well as a grandson of MEMC Tequila Cuervo and my foundation mare SFG Passion Flower (now residing in Germany as a child’s horse) . Grandeur’s fun personality and fairy tale *white horse* beauty is greatly missed but his legacy will live on here in the US with his three 2009 MEMC foals. Favorite photos of these formerly owned Morgan stallions can be seen on the Reference Stallions page.

Our stallions are followed by the necessary support of our selectively chosen quality Morgan brood mares to produce our small but distinctive annual foal crop. Please visit out Mare page to see our beautiful girls who have given us so many fine Morgans, as well as our up and coming younger fillies. We believe in Mare Power here and I’d rather have a few select special girls than a field full of average ones. I spend a great deal of time deciding on possible breedings for our mares and it is the mares who are the ones that bring home the glory every Spring with their new babies.

 

Best wishes
to all of you
in your Morgan
pursuits!

We hope you will enjoy your visit to our web site. Many of my closest friends have come from sharing the love of the Morgan horse and my very best friends are also the horses themselves. Please check back with us from time to time for updates and new items of interest. 

A balanced
Morab,
SAX Gold Dust

SAX Gold Dust is the foundation stallion of SAX Morabs. He is no accident. His being was carefully planned through his dam, a double *Serafix mare, and an athletic, typey Morgan. Evaluation of the Arabian and Morgan conformation was to complement these two breeds for a balanced Morab. Each parent gave the conformational attributes designed in the ‘plan’.

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