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A Tribute to:
River Riders Rich (Winloc Major Gifford x Motif Hill Mismotif)

Lippitt Stallion
Foaled: 05-28-1998
Death: 08-07-2024
Bay, no white markings. Brown eyes.

From: Bruce and Diane Orser
Richey's story really begins at LCS of 1991, his sire Winloc Major Gifford handily won his class and the championship of his group and older. At that show we met the Rivers of River Riders Morgans. A friendship followed and the Rivers expressed an interest in Major for their program to cross with their mostly Moro Hill bred mares. We felt this to be a perfect situation for Major. In 1994 the Rivers purchased Major and eventually Richey was foaled in 1998 sired by Major and the high-headed mare, Motif Hill Mismotif.
Jon sent us videos of all their foals that year in 1998 and 1999. We saw Rich and River Riders Ready running together in the pasture with their other colts and fillies. We liked their looks! To us Rich seemed slightly better than Ready, but barely. We learned from the Rivers later that he and several others were sold to a lady in Kansas who evidently had no use for stallions so not long after he and Ready, Rogue and Renoir were taken to a large stock auction in Ohio.
From the beginning we had a keen interest in Richey so Diane and her friend Brenda Norris went to the auction with $1700 in hand, in hopes of bringing him home. We lost him to an Amish man and the ladies returned home empty handed. After a couple of years, we contacted the Morgan Horse Registry and found that Richey was in the hands of that same Amish man who had purchased him and was living in Ohio. Richey's owner's name was Mose J. Raber. We contacted him in August-September of 2002. We still wanted Richey and through correspondence Mose Raber invited us to his farm. Diane again traveled from Tennessee to the Raber farm to see Richey and came home with photos. He was the best thing we had seen! Writing letters back and forth, we asked if we could buy him. He wrote back a quote of $10,000. Well worth it but more than we could afford so we declined. He quickly replied with another quote of $5500. It was still a pretty stiff amount for us but the decision took no time to make and in October of 2002 River Riders Rich backed off the trailer at Winloc Farm! Mose told us he drove Richey a few times a week and to meetings. Mose would unharness and tether Richey, but one time, after church, he found Richey had slipped his halter and gone to visit neighbors nearby. Wherever he went Richey would always draw a crowd of people as he did at the LCS 2003. He was a people magnet and we have always found that to be true. He was always the favorite stallion of both our veterinarians and farriers. They said so on more than one occasion. He was always a perfect patient.
Plans for Richey to attend the 2004 LCS began almost immediately after we brought him home. We had never seen the likes of him. Our plan was to enter him in the Standard class and nothing else. He was already trained to drive so his saddle training began in the summer of 2003. He was tacked up and ridden 12 separate times to keep him in good condition so he would look his best for the show. Most of those workouts were kept to about 20 minutes but a bit longer as the show approached. The long trip to Vermont ensued with a stopover to show him to the Ashby's at Ashwood Morgans. This was the home of Ashwood Majestic. The Ashby's really liked Richey and were pleased to see how really good he was.
Eleven hundred miles later Richey arrived at the show grounds in Tunbridge the friday before the show. When taken off the trailer exhibitors came to see who the horse was and where he was from. It was sometime before he would be able to enter his designated stall due to the unexpected reception of people that had gathered to see him. Diane had to bring him back out for others several times during the weekend.
While all this was going on Richey was a perfect gentleman around all those who had gathered to see him. There was never a moment that he was upset or agitated and he enjoyed his moment as the center of attention. During the show he had many visitors at his stall.
Richey was richly honored for his appearance at the show by both the spectators and exhibitors plus the judge Art Perry, but the greatest honor was in placing ahead of two former Standard Class winners. Both former winners were well respected in their own right. The former winners were Randallane Genesis and Mint Black Jack. The rest in the class of about 10 were highly praised by both the judge and Marilyn Childs.
A word on Richey's temperament. In the 16 years he graced our farm there was never a single incident of ANY sort of bad behavior. Both our farriers and veterinarians were unanimous in praise for his willingness to stand for any handling, treatment, or shoeing. Three of them actually stated to us that he was their favorite stallion to work with or on! A more willing, kinder horse never stood upon this earth. He was perfect. We loved him, and as we have learned, so it is with his new owners.
This is an exact quote by the judge, Art Perry: "As we look down the line here, all of these individuals could be representative of the foundation head. It's all a matter of preference, but the horse I have chosen for today, I think, best represents the look we're all so familiar with. This horse (River Riders Rich) best represents Justin Morgan in his day. I don't think I've ever seen a group of Morgans so closely resembling one another and still have the traits we love in the Morgan horse."
Richey has had nothing short of a pampered life until he was taken to be collected for frozen semen service in 2016. After 5 days at the facility, we went to visit him and it was apparent he had lost about 70 lbs. He had not been eating and had an on and off fever. At the facility he had contracted a form of strangles. We brought him home and our vet recommended we send him to Cornell Equine facility. The diagnosis was strangles. They did what they could and we brought him home where he underwent protracted recovery. It was not fun for him or us as we could see how he suffered. After many weeks he felt himself again; full of life and always running to a chosen spot in his pasture to graze.
Richey's stud career was a grand total of three Morgans until he went to Heather and Trent Smith in Maine. We sold our horse trailer a few years after the Lippitt Country Show as we found no field day parades for him. Most no longer allowed horses. After that he was mostly a stable and and trail horse for Diane. Something of a trail road was made for him on this 8- acre farm and he was driven on it several times a year in good weather. He was our greatest source of eye candy every single day! Truly, just his presence was a comfort and our joy. That presence is no longer, but we do know he had a loving home and was happy. We knew Heather and Trent were the right people because we had gotten to know them through communication. If it is possible, he was loved even more at his new home in Maine. Nah! Most horses are givers, River Riders Rich was anything but an exception.

Richey, Thank-you!!!

Richey at 1 1/2 years

River Riders Rich at LCS 2003