Morton Farm, home to the equestrian team and dressage club, is possibly one of Dartmouth’s best-kept secrets. Donated to the College in 1970 by William H. Morton ’32, the property, located 15 minutes from campus in the rolling hills of Etna, New Hampshire, includes not only a farmhouse, three barns, three riding arenas, numerous pastures and miles of trails, but also nine knobby-kneed school horses. Ranging in age from 8 to 22, they’ve contributed much to the athletic program, last year helping the equestrian team to its fourth Ivy title and a 10th-place national ranking. Riders practice up to four times per week, putting their charges through 45-minute sessions of walking, trotting, cantering, halting, circling and jumping. As the team wraps up its spring season, DAM takes a closer look at the unheralded heroes of the equestrian squad.

Magic
Age: 21
Past Experiences: Western competitions (he has two brands to prove it)
Watch Out: Can deliver a nasty kick when another horse gets too close
Best Bribe: Refuses to be retrieved from his field unless you come bearing treats
Long Lineage: Magic comes from a line of “Majels,” beginning with his great-grandmother, My Majels, born in 1956.

Oliver
Age: 22
Cool Trick: Escapes the barn to go outside when the weather is nice and he’s feeling frisky
Beauty Routine: Oliver needs to be tranquilized before he’s groomed for shows—the stress and noise are just too much.
Bloodlines: One of the barn’s most handsome horses, Oliver is a Trakehner, a breed with roots in East Prussia.
Two-Timer: In the summertime, a local rider borrows Oliver to compete in non-College events.

Roo
Age: 16
Identity Crisis: To avoid being confused with Mount Holyoke’s Roo while staying there for an off-season, he was temporarily called Kanga.
Freaky Phobia: Paper. Avoid crumpling it near him at all costs!
Doppelgänger: Justin Bieber, circa 2009, especially when Roo’s hair is brushed off to the side
Feedback: Roo once ate so much grass so quickly that a rider had to pull some of it out of his mouth. 

Nina
Age: 8
Special Feature: Nina has almost no hair behind her ears.
Hear No Evil: She wears earplugs to block out distractions when she’s being ridden.
Doppelgänger: Scarlett O’Hara. Hailing from South Carolina, Nina is a real Southern belle—exceptionally well trained but prone to the occasional tantrum.
Best Girlfriend: Dena

Dena
Age: 13
Culture Shock: A Florida native, Dena requires a lot of blankets to handle New England’s version of spring.
Bad Habit: Stopping short at jumps (and sending riders overboard)
Legacy: Dena was donated by Julie Dien Ledoux ’91.
Best Girlfriend: Nina

Gia
Age: 18
Preferred Activity: Lying down and eating grass in her paddock
Doppelgänger: Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls, because she’s eager to please until she bites
Making Her Mark: She still has a prominent scar on her forehead from running into a door last year.
Horse of Extremes: Gia has the tendency to be either super fast or super slow.  

Sam
Age: 19
Period of Adjustment: Sam has been on a strict diet since he arrived at the barn a few (hundred) pounds overweight.
Well Connected: His former owners also owned Tops.
Doppelgänger: “Either Hagrid [from Harry Potter] or Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant,” says walk-trot rider Katie Bates ’16
Heavy Load: It’s a barn myth that Sam was ridden to Morton from his old barn because he couldn’t fit in the trailer.

Puff
Age: 19
Notable Achievement:  Won second place last year in the Regional School Horse of the Year championship
Superlative: Bounciest of the bunch—he’s been known to bruise people
Superlative No. 2: Tallest on the team. Puff stands at 17.2 hands, meaning that his withers (the highest point on his back) are about 5 feet, 9 inches off the ground.
Hold Me Tight: Puff is great at “wrapping his neck around your entire torso and hugging you,” says rider Nathalie Ferneau ’18. 

Tops    
Age: 22
Past Experiences: Foxhunting and eventing
Notable Feature: He’s the “hairiest beast I’ve ever seen,” says intermediate rider Morgan Finegan ’17.
Biggest Fear: Having his belly clipped—he’s a bit ticklish
Hidden Talent: The ability to fall asleep anywhere, any time

Marley Marius is a DAM intern and member of the varsity equestrian team.