Dick Sellman
and His Morgans
by A. Hartung,
printed in The
Western
Horseman, Nov.
1950
SOMETIME PRIOR to 1880, the late Richard Sellman left his
birthplace in the state of Maryland and drifted southwest into
McCollough county, Texas. Here he acquired a foothold and,
being industrious, prospered. In the early days of the present
century, when the writer first met him, Mr. Sellman said that he
had 40,000 acres of good Texas land, every acre paid for. He was
carrying 8,000 sheep, 4,000 registered black polled Angus cattle
and 400 registered Morgan horses. In fact, he was, even at that
date, the largest breeder of registered Morgan horses in the
world.
He was soon able to ship Morgan mares by the carload, with a
stallion of suitable Morgan blood to mate with them. He stated in
his 1912 catalog that he could show more genuine equine beauty
and quality in his herd of registered Morgan horses than any
breeder in the United States.
Dick Sellman was alive to the fact that Morgan breeders were
rapidly losing the original type of Morgan horse. He informed the
writer that the Morgan horse breeders had for years been
infusing too much of the larger, coarser blood of the
Standardbred. They were thereby losing the original type of
Morgan horse, according to Mr. Sellman, who was always looking
for stallions of the original true type and blood.
He purchased, in the north and east, the best representatives he
could find, shipping them to his Texas ranch for breeding
purposes. Among them were the handsome stallions Red Oak,
Major Gordon 4924, Gold Medal 4840, Golden 5691, Golden Rod
6674 and Major Antoine 4776.
Then came the Admiral 4871, his top stud. This fine chestnut
stallion was sired by Jubilee De Jarnette, then invincible in the
show ring. The Admiral's dam was by the show stallion
Winnebago Chief 16585 by Mountain Chief. Admiral's second dam
was Olive by Monegram 1378 by Fearnaught. Admiral's third dam
was a daughter of Drew, a Thoroughbred. His fourth dam traced
through Sherman to old Justin Morgan. Benjamin Thurston, who
owned old Vermont Black Hawk 5, the great, great, great,
grandsire of the Admiral, considered the Admiral as having all the
good qualities combined in old Black Hawk.
Dick Sellman raised many fine Morgan stallions from the Admiral,
including Texas 5889, The Corporal 5991, Dexter 6004 and Red
Bird, who was the top stallion at the Swenson SMS ranch near
Stamford, Texas. Other noted sons of the Admiral were: Sunny
South, Admiral Gordon, The Raven, Mazeppa, Black Prince, Red
Boy, Mountain Vale and many others.
From Gold Medal 4840 came Golden 5691, Medal 6675, Golden
Rule and others. His beautiful band of Morgan mares and fillies
were by the above stallions. Morgan horses, at this time, became
a great hobby with Dick Sellman. He loved the Morgan horse and
was then financially able to buy the best representative stallions.
Previous to 1911, the Morgan Horse club of America had selected
Hales Green Mountain as nearest to the original Morgan type,
giving him the silver cup. About the turn of the century there
appeared another outstanding stallion, Headlight Morgan 4863, in
the New England states. He was awarded the silver cup as the
best living representative of the original Morgan type. Headlight
Morgan was sired by Ethan Allen 2nd 406. His dam was by Hales
Green Mountain by Gifford by Woodbury by Justin Morgan,
founder of the Morgan family.
Hales Green Mountain was the true type of old-time Morgan
horse which Dick Sellman was trying to save for posterity.
Headlight Morgan was an inbred Green Mountain, and almost an
exact replica, in form, of old Justin Morgan.
It was remarkable how the true Morgan type held through the
Green Mountain branch of the family. Headlight Morgan was the
last winner of the silver cup as the best type of original Morgan.
He was often referred to as King of the Morgans.
This famous stallion was purchased by Dick Sellman and taken to
the Mountain Vale ranch when 21 years old, but he was well
preserved, strong and active. Mr. Sellman then selected a band
of his choicest fillies and broodmares for Headlight's harem, and
the next spring was delighted with an excellent crop of fine
Morgan foals. At this time the health of Dick Sellman was failing
fast, and a short time later, his death ended his efforts to
preserve the Morgan breed. His Mountain Vale ranch was broken
up, and his fine Morgans were scattered, California absorbing the
greater part of them. Today the Golden State produces more
Morgans than any other state in the Union. While the Morgan
horse family originated in 1789 near the Atlantic Coast, today its
its stronghold is on the Pacific Coast, 3,000 miles away. It is
reported that Headlight Morgan lived to be 32 years of age.
It was in the early 1920's that Mr.Sellman passed away. Sad it is
that this fine Southern gentleman could not have lived to enjoy
the fruits of his many years' labor. With the passing of Dick
Sellman from the ranks of Texas stockmen, the Nation lost an
able, far sighted and accomplished ranchman, a man of executive
ability. His beautiful Mountain Vale ranch, with its fine Morgan
horses and black polled Angus cattle, once the pride of central
Texas, is today no more.