• How Morgan Families Were Traditionally Named
• What is a Lambert Morgan?
• A Summary Of Lambert History
• How Do Lamberts Differ From Lippitts, and Woodburys?
• Where Are These Lamberts?

How Morgan Families Were Traditionally Named
In the early days of the Morgan breed, individual Morgans often took on the names of their owners. Batchelder Horse, Charlie Watson, General Hibbard, and even the breed's founding stallion, Justin Morgan, originally called Figure, are just a few examples. When it came to naming Morgan families, which are the branches in the Morgan family tree, however, it was traditionally a different matter. Morgan families, by traditional custom, are patriarchal in nature; that is, they were named for their founding sire. Thus it is that the Morgan breed is named for Justin Morgan the horse, not Justin Morgan the man.

This custom was followed in naming the families begot by Justin Morgan's three most famous sons: the Shermans, the Woodburys, and the Bulrushes. And each of these stallions continued on in siring families of their own. Sherman, for example, produced the Black Hawks; Woodbury the Giffords; and Bulrush, through his grandson the Jennings colt, the Morrills. And so it continued through the generations to our own Lambert family, founded by Daniel Lambert 62, a great grandson of Sherman.

Over the years, the distinct identity of many old Morgan families died out as the blood of various families was mixed and certain sire lines ceased to exist. For example, there are many Morgans today with Knox Morgan in their extended pedigrees, but there is no distinctive Knox Morgan family remaining. The Bulrushes, Golddusts, and Morrills are just a few of many more examples.

In the 20th century, there being so few of these old Morgan families remaining, people began to depart from the traditional way in which Morgan families were named. Thus, we now have the so-called "Government family" named after the former federally-sponsored Morgan breeding program in Middlebury, VT; the "Brunk family" named for a prominent Illinois breeder; the "Lippitt family" named for a Vermont breeder's prefix derived from his mother's maiden name; and the "Western Working family", an amalgamation of Morgan bloodlines used on early western ranches. While all these names are now commonly accepted within the Morgan breed, they do represent a departure from Morgan tradition. That isn't to say there aren't many fine Morgans in each of these "families" -- there are. However, history and heritage being so important in the Morgan breed, the first equine breed to originate in America, it seems most fitting to remain true to family naming traditions established by the breed's earliest caretakers.

Today, the Lamberts and the Woodburys are the only remaining clean-blooded, traditionaly named, Morgan families. These families are defined in the sections that follow.

What is a Lambert Morgan?
In defining the Lambert family, a distinction must be made between "Lambert" and "clean-blooded Lambert". In keeping with naming traditions, a Lambert should have a direct sire line to Daniel Lambert 62. Numerous crosses to Daniel Lambert are also highly desirable. There are Morgan horses with many crosses to Daniel Lambert but without the direct sire line to him. Some people call these horses Lamberts, and indeed they are rich in Lambert blood.

The term "clean-blooded Lambert" refers to a family of Morgan horses whose sire line goes directly back to Justin Morgan 1 through Sherman Morgan 5 and Daniel Lambert 62 and whose ancestors trace back on all branches of their pedigrees to the foundation horses in Volume One of the Morgan Horse and Register and none of whose ancestors were registered under Rule 2. (Rule 2 allowed the registration of horses although one parent was not itself a registered Morgan. This rule was rescinded January 1, 1948.) Because this definition encompasses a very small breeding population of horses, it is important for the preservation of the Lambert family that as broad a genetic base as possible be maintained while still meeting the intent of the definition. Therefore, a limited number of exceptions to the clean-blooded Lambert definition have been made to include particular horses and their offspring with extraordinary potential to contribute to the Lambert family. These exceptions are as follows:

1. Lippitt Trixie X-04695. Although Lippitt Trixie was registered under Rule 2, her unregistered dam was of old Morgan breeding. Lippitt Trixie is one of the 25 foundation horses of the Lippitt Club.

2. Towne-Ayr Gay Cindy 010571. By Jubilee's Courage and out of Lippitt Gaiety, this Jubilee King granddaughter and half-sister to Criterion was a classic Lambert in every respect. She had one cross to Bennington in the fifth generation of her pedigree. Bennington's dam, Mrs. Culvers, was not a registered Morgan. But she did contain at least 3/8ths Morgan blood from her maternal grandsire, Cabell's Lexington 1223, and great-grandsire, King William 67, both Registry Volume 1 foundation Morgans. Consequently, at a minimum Towne-Ayr Gay Cindy was 251/256ths clean-blooded Lambert.

3. Delilah Vermont 025717. This mare was by Legend of Caven-Glo (Cavendish x Jubilee's Gloria) and out of Dina Vermont (Red Vermont x McDonna). With five close crosses to Jubilee King, she was the highest percentage Lambert in existence until her death in 1995. She had one cross to Sunny Hawk 7456 in the sixth generation of her pedigree. Sunny Hawk's dam, Whitefoot X-04377, was registered under Rule 2, though her sire was the registered Morgan Hercules 4166. This made Delilah Vermont 127/128ths clean-blooded Lambert.

It is doubtful that there are other living Morgans with as few as one outcross and such a high percentage of clean blood as defined above. However, if others are identified, they could be considered for addition to the clean-blooded Lambert exceptions list.

A Summary Of Lambert History
The great great grandson of Justin Morgan 1, Daniel Lambert 62; was bred by William H. Cook of Ticonderoga, NY and was foaled in 1858. H.C. Merwin commented on the sire line leading to Daniel Lambert in the 1893 publication Road, Track and Stable. “Justin Morgan’s finest son was Sherman 5....Sherman was the sire of Vermont Black Hawk 20, and Vermont Black Hawk founded a trotting family....[Black Hawk’s] most distinguished son was Ethan Allen 50, a very beautiful little bay horse.... The best son of Ethan Allen was Daniel Lambert, who became the most distinguished progenitor of trotters that has appeared in the Morgan family.” Merwin went on to describe Daniel Lambert and the Morgan line originating from him: “The Lamberts are intelligent, spirited, speedy, and courageous. Perhaps it would be no exaggeration to say that the finest gentleman’s roadsters bred in this country have been of Lambert stock....Daniel Lambert himself was a horse of commanding style and of magnificent carriage.”

S. W. Parlin wrote in the American Horse Breeder in 1905: “The Morgans were the handsomest horses in the world, and Daniel Lambert in his prime was the handsomest of Morgans. Few horses have ever lived that possessed greater power of stamping their offspring and imparting to them the ability to perpetuate their good qualities through succeeding generations, than did this renowned son of Ethan Allen.. . No other horse of his day did as much to improve the beauty, style and road qualities of the horse stock of New England as Daniel Lambert....As a broodmare sire he was far superior to any other stallion that has stood in New England, and, opportunities considered, will rank high in this respect among the best that ever lived.”

No wonder, then, that interest in perpetuating the Lambert family has continued to today. During the 20th century, this family has been preserved in its clean-blooded form by only a handful of dedicated breeders. One of the earliest and best known of these, Joseph C. Brunk of Cotton Hill Farm in Springfield, IL, initiated his Lambert breeding program with the purchase of Chetco, a Daniel Lambert grandson, and a group of high-percentage Vermont mares in 1893. In 1927, Brunk produced a Lambert which is said to rank among the greatest Morgans of all time -- Jubilee King 7570. Mabel Owen stated in 1965, “Jubilee King rates easily the highest in this century who’s sons have also been top breeding horses.” Jubilee King passed through the hands of several owners before finally coming to Meeting Waters Farm in Springfield, VT at the age of 17. There he served as herd sire for the next great perpetuator of the Lambert line, Frances Bryant. Jubilee King produced many exceptional offspring before his death at age 29. However, it is through only one of his Lambert sons, Jubilee’s Courage 8983, that the clean-blooded Lambert sireline descends today.

One Jubilee’s Courage son, Cavendish 10200, was herd sire of Eve Oakley’s Caven-Glo Morgans in California. Only a few clean-blooded Cavendish offspring carrying the Caven-Glo prefix remain in existence today. Another Courage son, Criterion 13371, was to be the sire to continue Mrs. Bryant’s breeding program. However, in 1973, after dispersing most of her herd, she sold the 12 year old Criterion to Shannon and Susan Hanley. Under the Hanley’s ownership he was destined to become senior stallion at their Quietude Stud in Hillsboro, WV, and during his 34 year lifespan he became, progenitor of most of the clean-blooded Lamberts in existence today. The Hanleys have sold clean- blooded Lamberts throughout the United States, Canada, and as far away as New Zealand.

The history of the clean-blooded Lambert Morgan attests to the greatness of this very special equine. Once among the most numerous and respected horses in America (Daniel Lambert himself once served 1,040 mares in a 12 year span and commanded stud fees unheard of in that day), today there are fewer than 190 clean-blooded Lambert’s in existence.

How Do Lamberts, Lippitts, and Woodburys Differ?
All clean-blooded Morgans existing today can be categorized into three groups or families: the Lamberts, the Lippitts, and the Woodburys. Each contains a high percentage of Justin Morgan’s blood, and each traces in direct sire line to one of two Justin Morgan sons. As noted earlier, the Lamberts trace to Sherman Morgan through his great grandson Daniel Lambert. The Lippitts and Woodburys trace in sire line to the Justin Morgan son Woodbury. Sire lines aside, Lamberts, Lippitts, and Woodburys all share many common ancestors, with numerous lines to both Sherman and Woodbury found in each family. This is understandable given that the offspring of Justin Morgan were crossed upon one another from the earliest generations of the breed. Therefore, it is each family's distinctive sire line which makes it unique.

The Lippitt family was founded on a group of 8 stallions and 17 mares selected as foundation stock by the Lippitt Club in 1973. The term "Lippitt" was borrowed from the breeding prefix of Robert Lippitt Knight of the Green Mountain Stock Farm in Randolph, VT. While the Woodburys have the same sireline as Lippitts, in all other respects their family definition is identical to the Lamberts'. That is, their pedigrees trace on every branch to horses registered in Volume One of The Morgan Horse and Register. The Woodburys are not limited to the 25 foundation horses of the Lippitt Club. Rather, like the Lamberts, their pedigrees may contain any of the foundation Morgan blood in existence when the Registry was established by Joseph Battell in 1894. It would be accurate to say, then, that Lippitts are a sub-set of the Woodbury family.

Although Lippitts are more narrowly defined than either Lamberts or Woodburys, there are over 800 Lippitts in existence today compared to less than 190 Lamberts and an additional 30 Woodburys.

Where Are These Lamberts?
Nearly half of all clean-blooded Lamberts reside in the state of West Virginia. The remainder are spread throughout the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Click HERE to see a map of the geographical distribution of clean-blooded Lamberts. To see a full listing of Lamberts, including owner's names and addresses, request a copy of the Lambert Directory.