He is steel grey in colour, stands at 14.1 hh and will be six years old in December 2004.
He is the most special pony I have ever known and he is also the cleverest. I can take him anywhere and do anything with him- I am really lucky to have him.
Samba loves doing stuff so we are always out and about either competing or just riding for fun.
He especially loves eventing and this coming season will be moving up to "open" level for pony club events( novice level at NZEF events)
This past season Samba & I were lucky enough to be selected for the National Pony Club Showjumping Championships held at Cambridge in January. There are only six selected from each area, so it was a big achievement for us. After suffering from nerves (me) we finally nailed the last event and came 1st (there are 5 classes held over 2 days). Samba loved it (huge crowds, you see) and thought it a great opportunity to show off his latest dressage moves going into the ring - I had to remind him that we were jumping today.
We also had one of his paddock friends with us as she was also selected to compete and while she was jumping he broke loose and came screaming and galloping across the grounds to the ring. I caught him and I think all he wanted to do was watch her jump! Luckily the commotion didn't put her off.
Another big event was the Horse of the Year held in Hastings in March. Samba was a star- he won a 2nd ribbon for jumping at 1.05m and he won a 3rd ribbon for jumping at 0.95m. Once again he felt as if he belonged where the big crowds were and performed as if everyone was there just for him and he was competing at Grand Prix! I am so proud of him and love him to bits - so does everyone who knows him. At the local level we came 3rd overall in the Wellington Showjumping circuit, competing in the last few shows at heights of around 1.15m and one was 1.20m! He sure can jump.
To finish off the season we did some eventing and we also went to a hunt in the Manawatu. Samba decided this was the thing for him- lots of galloping without being told to stop! Mum was watching from a 4WD on top of the hill and said all she could see was the Master at the front with Samba right behind him, head and tail held high, obviously having the time of his life!. One of the ladies riding commented ' goodness, he's a handful'. I suppose he can be, but I am never scared riding him as he never does anything nasty - he just has 'high spirits'.
Samba has been enjoying a well earned break for the past 3 months and has only been out occasionally if it is a nice sunny day and we decide to go on a trial ride. We are now thinking about getting fit again ready for the new season and Samba is looking forward to it - need to lose a few pounds anyway as he is a ' good doer' over winter.
I would recommend a Morgan to anyone wanting a beautiful natured horse that can do anything. Samba is real cool and he knows it - its nice to ride a hugely confident pony and I know he trusts me just as I trust him. I think this is because of the way he was handled from the day he was born at Limerick Morgans . John and Janice use natural horsemanship and this has helped him to have good manners around people . Well, sometimes.... like the time the fencer came to fix his paddok fence and he stuck his head in the window of his car and ate some of his lunch. Then when he was bent over tightening the wires Samba bit him on the backside and took his hammer out of his pocket and ran off with it. The fencer told Dad " that*#@!% grey horse is a bit cheeky" . My Grandad also said Samba chased him when he was trying to fertilise the paddock and my grandad isn't very fast. I didn't see it but it must have looked funny!
Samba is a real character, like all Morgans, and I love him more than anything
By Natasha Muollo - aged 14 years
( I'm told that when Samba first went to Wellington he was boarded at a riding school where all the horses are sent up the hills at night and brought back in the next day. Samba arrived in one day without his cover, so a search was made for it , expecting that it would be shredded, but there it lay on the ground complete and in one piece all done up. not a bit of damage. Somehow nobody was surprised!. He also used to get tied up by a hay net and if he didn't get attention quickly enough he would put a hoof into the hay net and then calmly stand there looking around for someone to "rescue" him.- Janice)