I have always loved horses and everything about them; smell, touch and feel. Our trip to the 2011 EKKA took us straight to the Breed Expo Pavilion where RanchBoss Cortez was doing a demonstration. He took my breath away! I asked Greg Lyons what type of horse he was and, of course, the answer was “A Morgan”
Our Morgan journey began from that moment as I went home and began searching the web, over and over, until eventually we came across a beautiful grey colt (SFG Drayton) in America.
Leambro Morgans began when Drayton arrived at our property here in Rosewood, Queensland. He was just two years old. Our next purchase was the beautiful Lippitt mare, Haymeron Park Winmay Star. She came to us in foal to Baptiste Levis Strauss and produced a beautiful buckskin colt, Leambro Somelikeithot.
Somelikeithot has been the young stallion who has carried the Leambro prefix into lights, with the help of Wendy Brown of Signature Show Services. Together they have excelled in the show ring! Somelikeithot is a multi-supreme champion in Open company as well as in the Morgan breed ring.
In 2018 Leambro Somelikeithot became the only Australian born Morgan to have the title of ‘Champion Open Show – In Hand’ in the American Morgan Horse Association. We are so very proud of his achievements. He has started his ridden career and we look forward to watching his achievements under saddle.
Winmay Star is again in foal to Baptiste Levis Strauss so we are hoping for a little “Somelikeithotter” all going well later this year. Wilga Park Kachina is in foal to Somelikeithot so we will also have a grandbaby of Cortez in the mix.
SFG Drayton sired eight foals for us and two to outside mares before tragically being taken from us in a paddock accident in February 2017. His last three foals were born later in that year. All were fillies which was a great blessing for us.
With the purchase of another Lippitt mare, Haymeron Park Ruby Jane, in foal to Ragtime Oro Blanco, our next champion came into our lives with the birth of Leambro Centurion; another buckskin, albeit a lighter shade. At two years old he travelled to Young for the 2018 Australian National Morgan Show and was sashed Champion Led Stallion.
Centurian will be standing at stud this year. He has an outstanding nature and, once again thanks to Wendy Brown, he has excelled in the show ring.
In a very short time, our small stud has grown. We have eight Morgan mares and were fortunate enough to purchase Somelikeithot’s sire, the lovely cremello stallion, Baptiste Levis Strauss in 2017. We also have an 18 month old colt by Drayton who will carry on his sire’s legacy as the only grey stallion in Australia.
Both Steve and I like the Lippitt style of Morgan and like to produce horses with that type of look and conformation. We usually breed three foals a year but this year we are expecting four: three by Levis and one by Somelikeithot.
Though I have a great love of horses, I have never handled horses or learnt to ride. I cannot be of much assistance to Steve but I do my best … the official photographer!
We often look out over our Morgan herd and think, if not for fate that led us to that breed display and RanchBoss Cortez that year, we would never have had the pleasure of owning and breeding our very own Morgan horses.
Leonie Smith
August 2018
