"He Completed My Life"

....That's what Cheryl Orcutt told me when I interviewed her about her grand red stallion, UC Ringmaster.

Did you know that UConn has a TWO TIME WORLD CHAMPION Morgan stallion residing in its barns?

Did you know that the horse that re-defined English Pleasure competition lives in Storrs, Connecticut? He is, as Horse World Magazine wrote, The Great Red Horse. It was standing room only whenever he entered the show arena. He was called the English Pleasure Horse of the Century. And he is alive and well and living at UConn.

Did you know he loves to talk? Yup. If you walk up to his stall and say hello to him, he'll saunter right on over to you and tell you his stories of his youth and his many victories. He'll press his muzzle against the stall bars and snuffle and whicker and snort away. He's adorable!

If he's out in his paddock, I like to call out to him, "Who's your biggest fan?" And do you know what he does? He holds his head up high, opens his nostrils wide and trumpets right back at me: YOUUUUUUUUU! Every time. *heart goes pitty pat*

He's 32, (not a typo!) and he looks and acts like a playful colt. The Morgan breed is famous for its longevity and UConn Morgans are no exception. Just last summer Ring was trotting around the arena to claps and cheers, just like he did when he was a much younger World Champion.

Don't believe me? I have video evidence (thanks to Carolyn Stearns):



What an honor it was to write this amazing stallion's biography. When Cheryl Orcutt told me his story, I could hear the love in her voice; clear as a bell. I felt my eyes well up with tears as I took my notes.

"He is a person, he's not a horse," Cheryl told me. "I never met a soul like him."

UC Ringmaster's chapter in My Horse, My Heart features a photograph of him winning his second World Championship with his rider, Les Parker.

above photograph of UC Ringmaster by Helen Scanlon.