From the Cutting Room Floor: Fox Movietone Newsreel Outtakes of the Kellogg Arabians

Important: Your computer or other device will need to run Adobe Flash to see the digitized films below. Please adjust your settings accordingly!

W. K. Kellogg and friends, late 1920s

As I conduct equine history research, I sometimes find information in unexpected places. 

Recently I discovered that the University of South Carolina's Moving Image Resource Collections Digital Video Repository is a treasure trove of old film footage relating to horses, particularly horses in the public eye.  And some of the horses and their humans lived in California. 

Antez and W. K. Kellogg

The MIRC website describes the Fox Movietone News Collection, Moving Image Research Collections:

The collection contains seven million feet of nitrate motion picture film and four million feet of safety motion picture film documenting the national and global politics and culture from 1919 through 1934 and from September 1942 through August 1944. Paper holdings provide detailed notes generated by original camera crews as well as ephemera related to individual stories.

Within the collection are elements from two distinct newsreel products. One is a silent newsreel, Fox News, which ran from 1919 into 1930. The other is the original sound newsreel, Fox Movietone News, which ran from 1927 through 1963. The majority of films in the collection are outtakes that were not used by the Fox Corporation as part of a released newsreel. The collection does contain over 200 released newsreels from 1942 to 1944.

Fox Movietone camera.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.

(Sidebar: What was a newsreel? It was a short documentary film with news stories and items of topical interest, shown at movie theaters between the 1910s and the late 1960s. They were a source of news, feature stories, and entertainment for millions of moviegoers. Before the feature film started, patrons would see a newsreel. Remember, most people didn't have televisions until after World War II, so newsreels allowed people to put moving faces and places to the stories they read in the newspaper and heard on the radio.)

Back to equine history: Among those "outtakes" at the MIRC are three films showing the Kellogg Ranch in its heyday, from 1929 to 1932. Apparently, these film clips were never seen by the public.  But now, thanks to this digital archive, we can.

Shemseh and an unidentified woman
at the Kellogg Ranch

So -- let's go to the movies! While you're making the popcorn and filling up the 64-ounce drink cups, the website for W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center at Cal Poly Pomona provides us with some background information on the Kellogg Ranch:

The W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center was established in 1925 by the cereal magnate Will Keith Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan. In his quest to fulfill a childhood dream, W.K. Kellogg sought out the finest Arabian bloodlines of the day to begin a breeding program at his winter home in Pomona, California. He acquired horses from within the United States and abroad, importing several horses from Lady Wentworth’s famed Crabbet Arabian Stud in England.

The ranch became a popular destination for 1920s Hollywood stars to visit rare Arabian horses, and Kellogg’s horses appeared in several films. The ranch became so popular that a show was established on Sundays in order to better showcase the Arabian horses.

W.K. Kellogg presented the ranch to the state of California in 1932 with the stipulation that the Arabian breeding program and the Sunday Shows be maintained.

The Kellogg Ranch was a major hub of equestrian activity in Southern California, and the blood of the Kellogg Arabians still appears in purebred and part-Arabians today.

And now to the newsreels. Sound on!  You can enlarge the screen by clicking on the lower right corner of the screen. (And remember, you must have Adobe Flash enables on your viewing device.)

The first newsreel footage was shot on April 26, 1929. 

It begins with sculptor Annette St. Gaudens with *Raseyn. (Similar footage of this interview has been shared on YouTube in the past.)

Artist and subject, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1929

Pomona Progress-Bulletin,  May 1929.

Next, a number of the Kellogg Arabians are led into the stable yard by men in white uniforms, walking counterclockwise. A young woman in riding attire tells the camera crew about each horse in turn. She is only identified as "Miss Edwardson." I did a quick search online and found a couple of references to a Miss Ilean Edwardson, who rode with an equestrian unit in the 1930 Tournament of Roses Parade in nearby Pasadena, so perhaps this is she. The Kellogg Arabians were often pictured for promotional purposes with celebrities and young women during this time. It is interesting that Miss Edwardson was a commentator for the film, rather than just being a "pretty face."  It's also good to hear her pronounce the horses' names.

The horses are:

*Raseyn
Jadaan
Rifla
Ferdin
Amham 
Pep
Antez

Pep welcomed visitors to the Kellogg Ranch on this postcard

Next -- foals! A number of Arabian  youngsters run at liberty around the stableyard, encouraged by adults and two unidentified children.

Finally, the two children, a boy and a girl, talk for the camera about one of the foals.

See it here:  

https://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A25796
___


A film crew returned to the Kellogg Ranch on October 22, 1929).

Antez and *Raseyn

This amazing digitized film shows:

 *Raseyn (misspelled "Racine") under saddle

Antez under saddle

The Kellogg Arabians in their stalls, neighing. (Perhaps it was feeding time?)

Several of the Kellogg Arabians being led clockwise around the stable yard by men in white uniforms. The speaker identifies them as:

*Raseyn (age 6)

Antez (age 8)

Hanad (age 7)

Pep, "a two year old raised on this ranch"

Ferdin, "a two year old raised on this ranch"

Montefik, "a two year old raised on this ranch"

Shemseh, a yearling filly

Then the film cuts to footage of an unnamed harnessed Arabian with a wide blaze and four white stockings pulling a cart.

After this, the newsreel outtake shows *Raseyn and Antez being ridden in a large paddock.

And finally, outtake footage of mares and foals running in a pasture. 

Here's the link:

https://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A29888?fbclid=IwAR0KlPmUonUutse-ms28kAwntm_jN4HmmUMRcT797CNYIcmBTuprfa8spXw
___

Henry O'Melveny, Will Rogers,
California governor James Rolph, and Captain Banning.

The third and final digitized film provides us with outtakes from the ceremony of W. K. Kellogg turning over the Kellogg Ranch to the state of California on May 18, 1932.

First, Mr. Kellogg, humorist Will Rogers, and others speak briefly in front of several microphones. 

Then, to the accompaniment of a small orchestra, the Kellogg Arabians are paraded before the huge crowd.  We see mares and foals, led by men in costumes.

Next, Jadaan is ridden past the crowd wearing his costume from the Rudolph Valentino film "Son of the Sheik."  (Valentino had died, tragically young, in 1926.)

Jadaan with Valentino

A band plays while officials get out of a stagecoach pulled by four horses.

Then, film shows the Ranch's famous Drill Team with trainer Mark Smith in which eight chestnut horses perform, spelling out the word "Kellogg's."

Mark Smith with the Kellogg Arabians

More of Will Rogers and other speakers. (Disclaimer: Rogers uses a racial epithet common for that era at 10:21. Viewer discretion is advised. If you wish, you can scroll past the footage to get to the next section, which shows more horses.)

And finally, Arabian mares and foals at pasture.

Kellogg Arabians in the Los Angeles Times, late 1920s.

Here's the link to the third film:

https://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A25220

Jadaan's costume is in the collection of the W. K. Kellogg
Arabian Horse Library at Cal Poly Pomona.

Seeing these digitized films, shot so long ago, adds depth to our understanding of the importance of the horse in California during the early twentieth century.

The old Kellogg Ranch stables still stand on the Cal Poly Pomona campus. 

Capturing the Eagle in Flight: *Orzel++, by Gladys Brown Edwards

            Equine History News: A major work by California equine artist Gladys Brown Edwards (1909-1989) has become part of the collection of the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library (WKKAHL) at Cal Poly Pomona. Edwards’ large painting of the chestnut Arabian stallion *Orzel++, completed in 1970, was commissioned by Orzel’s owner, Ed Tweed of Brusally Arabians in Scottsdale, Arizona, It was donated in February 2020 to WKKAHL by Tweed’s granddaughter Shelley Groom Trevor.

            Katie Richardson, head of Special Collections and Archives at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library, said:

“We are so grateful to Shelley for entrusting this rare Gladys Brown Edwards piece to the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library. As the home for Gladys’ archival collection which includes much of her research, writings, and artwork, acquiring this painting helps round out the life and work of this remarkable woman. It also adds important context to the other materials we have in the library thus enhancing our understanding of the importance of the Arabian horse in US history.”

            Foaled in Poland and imported to the US by Tweed in 1967, *Orzel was famous for his versatility as a race horse, halter horse, performance horse, and sire. 

            Edwards was one of the twentieth century’s best known authorities on the Arabian horse. Her writing was widely published; she was also well-known for her equine art. This painting has never been on display in a public setting before.

           The W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library is one of the world’s largest public collections of Arabian horse materials, including Gladys Brown Edwards’ papers.

Here's more on this story....

I only saw one Arabian horse race as a child. And what a race it was: I was there at Arizona Downs at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Arizona, on the late March 1968 day when two legendary stallions faced off, and the chestnut *Orzel (Pietuszok x Ofirka), carrying 142 pounds, defeated his arch-rival, the favorite Kontiki (Camelot x Almiki).

            At the time, I didn’t know the stories of these famous Arabian athletes. But I still have the fragmented but clear memories of an eleven year old child: Hearing the track announcer at start of the mile-and-a-half Arabian Invitational Race. Losing sight of the field from my vantage point not far from the rail, where I insisted on standing (despite my patient father’s suggestion that I could see better from the grandstand). 

            Then two more very clear images move through my mind: the chestnut stallion crosses the finish line. He is moving in slow motion, floating above the ground as he flew past, ahead of his gray rival.  And finally, the scene in the winner’s circle, where several members of *Orzel’s human family surrounds him, including a slender young blonde woman, Tweed's granddaughter Shelley.  

The chestnut stallion’s name means “eagle” in Polish, I later learned. How appropriate, that in my memory *Orzel flies.

            Fast forward to mid-February 2020, and I am driving back to California from a visit to Scottsdale (before the effects of the coronavirus had spread worldwide, limiting travel). Cactus and mountains roll past me on the left and right. And in the back seat of my Volkswagen, carefully secured in a large flat box, *Orzel flies past the finish line, ears pricked, his bright chestnut coat gleaming.  His hooves do not touch the ground. 

           I am taking Gladys Brown Edwards’ striking portrait of *Orzel to the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, where Gladys’ papers, research notes, and some of her artworks are held, important parts of this unduplicated mother lode of equine history. The painting was donated to the Horse Library by Shelley Groom Trevor, who trusted me to transport it.

Two multi-talented legends in the world of the Arabian horse -- artist and subject -- came together in this painting. Edwards was one of the twentieth century’s most prolific and renowned authorities on the Arabian breed. Her painting of *Orzel underscores the versatility of the Arabian horse and its importance during the twentieth century.

Orzel, from the Brusally Ranch archives. Used with permission.

An advertisement for *Orzel in a 1977 Arabian horse magazine noted the stallion’s accomplishments:

Standing 15.3½, *ORZEL+ is a unique combination of size, refinement, action and intelligence.

His superb bloodlines are acclaimed in Poland, where his full sister ORLA is one of the most celebrated mares in racing history. *ORZEL+’s sire *PIETUSZOK was a leading sire of race winners for many years, and his dam OFIRKA was a featured Outstanding Mare at the 150^th Anniversary of Janow Podlaski Stud.

Imported by Ed Tweed in 1967, *ORZEL+ won the title of U. S. Arabian Racing Champion. He was retired from the track in 1968, and went on to win major Grand Championshps in both halter and performance classes. His National wins include the following:

U.S. National Arabian Racing Champion, U.S. TOP TEN Stallion, Canadian TOP TEN Stallion, U.S. TOP TEN English Pleasure Horse, U.S. National Champion Sidesaddle Horse, and Legion of Merit.

            Gladys admired *Orzel, noting that he was a “magnificent red chestnut [with] as grand a forehand as one might ever see, with long shoulder, arched neck, and breedy head.” Her painting capturing *Orzel in flight on the racetrack is dated 1970, when she was becoming increasingly well-respected as an authority on the Arabian as well as a popular artist and trophy designer. To this day she is known to many simply by her initials, GBE.  (There's even a Gladys Brown Edwards Facebook fan page.)

Arabian US National Champion trophy designed by Gladys Brown Edwards in 1968.
This particular one was awarded to Khemosabi in 1973.
It's in the collection at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library.
Orzel once beat the younger Khemosabi in a halter class
in Santa Barbara (see below).

           The finding aid for the collection of her letters, sketches, and more at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library summarizes her life and career:

Gladys Brown Edwards was born Gladys Melvina Brown in Portland, Oregon, on June 3, 1908.... As a child, Gladys became fascinated with horses and carved tiny horse models. She attended Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, where she was awarded an honor in art for "individual and excellent studies of the horse." After graduation, Gladys received a four-year scholarship to the Chouinard School of Art. At Chouinard, she studied under painter Millard Sheets and Arthur Millier, who was art editor for the Los Angeles Times. While still in art school, Gladys worked as a professional artist and contributed illustrations to Sportologue magazine.

Gladys began working as a secretary at the [W. K.] Kellogg [Arabian Horse] Ranch in 1932. She was hired not for her clerical skills, but for her extensive knowledge of horses. At the Kellogg Ranch, she continued her studies of horse conformation and expression and soon became known as a master of equine anatomy. Many of her early works focused on the Arabian horse and she was recognized as an authority on the breed.

…Gladys' career flourished throughout her life. In addition to sculpture, she produced paintings, etchings, wood carvings, dry point engravings, drawings, and pastels. Her art found an audience beyond the horse community and has been featured in art galleries, museums, magazines, and multiple books. Gladys was also a prolific writer, contributing articles to horse magazines and authoring several books including Anatomy and Conformation of the Horse, The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse, and A Photographic History of the Polish Arabian. She co-authored the book The Kellogg Arabians with Kellogg Ranch manager H.H. Reese and illustrated his books Arabian Horse Breeding and Horses of Today.

            Gladys periodically took out ads in Arabian horse magazines for her commissioned horse portraits and other artworks. An ad for Brusally in Arabian Horse World in May 1970 shows the artist at work on the portrait of *Orzel. In the painting, the stallion’s ears are pinned back, but Tweed explained to the artist that *Orzel raced with his ears pointing forwards when he was in the clear. Gladys changed the painting to show the horse with his ears pricked forward. 

The finished painting graced the cover of Arabian Horse News magazine in July 1975.

In her book Orzel: Scottsdale’s Legendary Arabian Stallion, Tobi Lopez Taylor notes that some have called Orzel the “Secretariat of Arabian racing,” with a Triple Crown of his championships in racing, halter, and performance.  When *Orzel retired from racing, he was trained as a halter horse, earning the Top Ten awards mentioned above. One of his halter wins came at the 1969 Arabian Horse Association of Southern California Horse Show in Santa Barbara, where the charismatic *Orzel won the stallions six and over class and was then named champion stallion over a younger stallion, Khemosabi. (Khemosabi went on to win multiple national championships and sired more than 1,200 foals.)

Next, *Orzel was trained as a lady’s mount for owner Ed Tweed’s granddaughter, Shelley Groom Trevor, and the pair represented Brusally Ranch in performance classes in the show ring. The connection between horse and rider was evident to observers. One of them, Walter Farley, the author of the popular Black Stallion book series, called Shelley “so dedicated, so competent, beautiful on and off a horse,” and observed: “[I]f you take Orzel, paint him black, add a little height and speed, you’ll have my Black Stallion.” In February 1973, *Orzel was awarded the coveted Legion of Merit, recognizing his achievements as a show horse.

Orzel and Shelley, from the Brusally Ranch archives. 
Used with permission.

Between 1969 and 1985, *Orzel sired 98 purebred Arabian foals, including 6 national winners (in halter, Hunter classes, Stock, Western Pleasure, dressage, and Sidesaddle), 9 race winners, and 5 stakes winners. His grandget included 136 race winners, 25 stakes winners, and 5 National winners (in halter, Hunter Pleasure, Hunter over Fences, and Show Hack).Taylor notes that *Orzel’s name “can be found in the pedigrees of horses throughout the world, in disciplines that require speed, agility, and stamina.”

*Orzel’s “triple crown” of achievements – in racing, in halter, and in performance -- is testimony to his amazing versatility, to say nothing of his legacy as a sire.  I believe *Orzel can be recognized for his contributions in another area: he served as an ambassador to the public for the Arabian breed. Brusally Ranch used to host open houses for the public to see their horses. This amateur photo of *Orzel,  taken in 1972,  was in the collection of my late friend Kay McCue.

Orzel, photo by Kay McCue.
From the collection of Tobi Lopez Taylor. Used with permission.

Writer/editor Julie Campbell also visited Brusally in the 1970s, when she was a student at Arizona State University.  She told me, “Before I saw Orzel at Brusally in the late ’70s, I’d thought of Arabians as a delicate, though hardy, breed (the Black Stallion notwithstanding). When I met Orzel, however, I was struck by his commanding presence, his size, and his strength. What a horse. And the clear bond that he and Shelley Groom Trevor shared was a pleasure to see.”

Arizona State University students visited
Shelley Groom Trevor and Orzel
at Brusally Ranch in Scottsdale in the 1970s.
Photo by Julie Campbell (used with permission).

In her book on *Orzel, Tobi Lopez Taylor shared Shelley Groom Trevor’s memories of *Orzel. Shelley called him “the horse of a lifetime:”

“His tremendous power is coupled with balance and sensitivity. A rider has only to communicate clearly. He listens, responds, learns with amazing ease. He does not become angry or resentful. Above all, Orzel has heart: that bottomless reserve of inspired energy that thrills rider and spectator alike. In Polish Orzel means ‘eagle,’ and the eagle is strong in him. He is proud precise, secure in his supremacy—a study of immense power and perfectly synchronized motion. Our favorite place to work is the track, where he soars on a natural high and never fails to draw me into his spell.”  

Gladys Brown Edwards’ portrait shows *Orzel on the race track, captured for a moment in time, soaring above the ground. Because the painting is now part of the WKKAHL collection, *Orzel, the “eagle,” will continue to fly and represent the Arabian breed to the public for many generations to come.

Thanks to the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library for allowing me to "break" this story! WKKAHL's web page is here:  https://www.cpp.edu/library/kellogg-arabian-horse-library/services/index.shtml

Here's some wonderful video footage of *Orzel and Shelley:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJPSAzurlbY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3xPPSTxQ1VcWaEbXo_nlEGDH9A7vC3lc29VIhpASFhi--g46sDx-5AIzI

Many thanks to Tobi Lopez Taylor and Shelley Groom Trevor for their invaluable assistance in writing this story. 

For further reading:

Here’s a link to Tobi Lopez Taylor’s book Orzel: Scottsdale’s Legendary Arabian Stallion: https://www.amazon.com/Orzel-Scottsdales-Legendary-Arabian-Stallion/dp/1626199620/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tobi+lopez+taylor&qid=1585883580&sr=8-1

And The Polish and Russian Arabians of Ed Tweed's Brusally Ranch:  https://www.amazon.com/Polish-Russian-Arabians-Tweeds-Brusally/dp/0978774612/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tobi+lopez+taylor&qid=1585883628&sr=8-3

A Riding Life: Memories, Dreams, Art, and Love, by Shelley Groom Trevor with Tobi Lopez Taylor: 

https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Life-Memories-Dreams-Love/dp/1072505932/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=tobi+lopez+taylor&qid=1585883628&sr=8-2

*Orzel fan Julie Campbell’s book The Horse in Virginia can be found here: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/1814?fbclid=IwAR3UZMRWPsbr_kBG-tGyk7yDi9tEcqA8dWkU6coCV1NfK6-P23U5hPK4zus

           

           

Lippitt Morman

I spent a lot of time thinking about which California horse should be the subject of my first long blog post here, and decided I could do no better than to tell you about the chestnut Morgan stallion Lippitt Morman (chestnut, 14.3hh, 1939-1962).  

His story underscores the popularity of the versatile Morgan, and serves as a reminder of just how "horsey" a place Southern California was in the decades after World War II.

Lippitt Morman (AMHA #8211) was bred by the legendary Robert Lippitt Knight.  The stallion's name was a combination of the names of his sire, Mansfield, and his dam, Lippitt Kate Moro.  (I sometimes see his name misspelled as "Lippitt Mormon.")

Knight sold him to a Canadian, W.A. LeBoeuf, in 1943, and in 1946 LeBoeuf and Lippitt Morman became famous for winning the Hundred Mile Trail Ride in Vermont.  

LeBoeuf sold Lippitt Morman to California Morgan breeder Roland Hill in 1947, and shortly thereafter Hill sold the chestnut stallion to his friend, horse rancher Merle Little, whose family was active in their local Southern California community. At Little's El Rancho Poco, near what is now the intersection of the 210 Freeway and Mountain Avenue along the border between the towns of Monrovia and Duarte, California, Lippitt Morman was a multi-champion show horse, parade horse (in the Tournament of Roses and other Southern California events), and sire.  

Lippitt Morman, Merle Little, and Merle's mare Senorita Morgan were featured
on the cover of the March 1953 issue of The Morgan Horse magazine. 

Members of the Little family on their Morgans, preparing for the 1949 Tournament of Roses Parade. Edna May Little rides Lippitt Morman on the far right. This photo appeared in the December 1948 issue of The Morgan Horse magazine.

Lippitt Morman was Horse of the Month in the March 15, 1949 issue of the Western Livestock Journal.

Like so many of the best horses, the handsome chestnut stallion was also, most definitely, a friend of the Little family, who called him "Lippitt." Folks who knew him well back in that day described him to me a horse who was "just Himself" -- a charismatic, self-possessed creature with a twinkle in his eye.  

My first encounter with Lippitt Morman's legacy came in about 1970, years after the stallion had died.  My fellow model horse collector penpal in Vermont told me about the exceptional ceramic Morgan figurines produced by the California pottery Hagen-Renaker, Inc. It turned out that one of them, designed by artist Maureen Love, was based on the real Lippitt Morman. 

This was not coincidence; the Hagen-Renaker factory was within a few miles of Merle Little's ranch in the town of Monrovia.  Maureen spent years visiting ranches and stables, race tracks and horse shows, documenting what horses looked like in post-war California. She turned many of the sketches into realistic three-dimensional designs for Hagen-Renaker and for her own sculptures. (H-R licensed several of Maureen's designs to Breyer starting in 1975; Breyer mass-produced them in plastic. (You're going to see references to model horse figurines fairly often in this blog. Horse figurines are one of the "gateway drugs" to the appreciation of real horses.) 

I've talked to several people who lived in Monrovia in the early 1950s and are fortunately still here to tell their stories. They have very clear memories of Maureen Love sitting in the pasture at El Rancho Poco with her sketchbooks, day after day, prior to the summer of 1954.  They also remember what an important part Merle Little and his family played in the community life of the adjacent towns of Monrovia and Duarte back then. Horse shows, trail rides, "Monrovia Day" celebrations, parades, holiday festivities -- the Little family was involved. Merle Little was one of the founders and officers of the Morgan Horse Association of the West, which in the late 1940s included members from 11 western US states. 

Model horse hobbyists have written that Maureen identified Lippitt Morman and many of the other horses she drew on the covers of her sketchbooks. 

Head study of the Hagen-Renaker "Lippet" Morgan stallion, 
produced in the late 1950s. This is the chestnut colorway.

The Hagen-Renaker "Lippet" (as the company misspelled it) was first issued in Spring 1959 through Spring 1974 in matte chestnut and matte palomino, then again from Fall 1983 to Spring 1986 in matte and gloss dark bay/brown.  

Many variations of the Hagen-Renaker "Lippet" Morgan stallion. These, photographed in 2018, came from the estate of model horse collector extraordinaire Karen Grimm.

The Hagen-Renaker figurine was advertised in The Morgan Horse magazine in the 1960s.

Many of Maureen Love's original sketches of Lippitt Morman were sold by her estate on eBay in recent years. A small licensed reproduction of one of them from Dawn Sinkovich's Share the Love, along with one of my own H-R "Lippet" figurines, was part of the exhibit "Miniature Menageries: The History and Artists Behind Hagen-Renaker, Inc." at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library (WKKAHL) at Cal Poly Pomona in 2018-2019. 

A  touching written tribute to Lippitt Morman came from his former owner, W. E. LeBoeuf, to Merle Little.  The letter is dated January 17, 1948, and is now in the collection of WKKAHL, only a few miles from the site of El Rancho Poco.  It reads, in part:

"Of all the horses that I have own[ed] and will, He will always be the One that I will remember, never again will I have a Horse that I will love so much as I did Morman, not only because he won the hundred miles but because of the so many good qualities in Him that I appreciated so much... As the old saying goes, You could cut the end of the road with him...."

This photo of Lippitt Morman and Merle Little appeared
in the 27 January 1950 edition of the Monrovia News-Post. 

_______________________________________

For more information:

The Morgan Horse magazine, March 1953, is archived here. Lippitt Morman, Merle Little, and the mare Senorita Morgan are on the cover: https://www.morganhorse.com/upload/photos/76726_March1953TMH.pdf

Don McDaniel's excellent article "Merle H. Little: The Man and His Horses" appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Morgan Horse magazine. I wasn't able to find a copy online.

 
The W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, part of Special 
Collections at the University Library at Cal Poly Pomona, holds some of Merle Little's papers:
https://libguides.library.cpp.edu/wkkahl

I wrote a model horse hobby blog post with more information on Lippitt Morman, with links of interest to horse figurine collectors. If you click on this link, it will give you another link to Dawn Sinkovich's article on Lippitt Morman, with many examples of Maureen Love's sketches of him:  
https://modelhorsehistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/happy-birthday-lippitt-morman.html