When Steve was a young man, someone told him
"find something you enjoy doing, and do it well enough that some one will pay you to do
it." Thirty plus years ago, Steve Smith made a decision that horses would be the center of his livelihood, and that decision has paid off. Up until
five years ago, Steve was a full-time farrier and a part-time breeder
and trainer. Now, he has reversed these roles, and invests the
majority of his energy into training and promoting the youngsters at Ultra Morgans.
Today, at Ultra Morgans, Steve Smith along with his wife Annette
have a 25 acre farm located in Ohio about 10 miles south of the
Michigan state line and 20 miles west of Toledo. In the past eight
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expanded from 14 to 70 stalls and includes a 48 x 218 foot indoor
riding arena. Anyone that has gone from not having an arena to
having an indoor arena knows what is being referred to when it is
called a "godsend"! Starting the young stock during the winter is
crucial for their continued success. And young stock is the name of
the game at Ultra Morgans. If you look at the sales list, the
majority of horses are 4 years and younger, mostly younger! The goal
is to sell half of each foal crop each year. With 20+ foals born
each year, the goal is steep, but one that is necessary to continue
the breeding operation! It is important to have inventory when an
individual is shopping for a prospect, and Ultra Morgans can provide
a large number of options! |
We are one of the few breeding
operations that derive the majority of our income from our horse
operations. Our business consists of breeding, sales, and training. We
are becoming more technologically advanced with respect to our foaling
operations with stalls and mares being monitored around the clock at the
time the mares are due to foal. This has allowed us to accept outside
mares for foaling and opens up an additional line of business for us.
Ultras Special Agent is our favorite child! In 2002, as a 2 year old he
was the Sire Auction Sweepstakes Champion as well as the World Futurity
Champion! He produces a consistent product that we are very proud of.
Along with Ultras Special Agent,
Whitmorr Law and Order, an extremely talented son by Cedar Creek
Legality is near and dear to the heart. He was purchased as a yearling,
sold as a five year old and repurchased several years later. We have the
good fortune of the bloodlines of these two stallions being very
complimentary of each other. We love the outcome of breeding Agent
daughters to Law and Law daughters to Agent.
Breeding the Pinto is a completely separate mentality. We are attempting
to reach out to those individuals that are looking for something
different. The quality of the stud is good enough, that "we are
investing in mares that will compliment his breeding and produce a
quality morgan." Flash Dancer is producing better than 50% pinto after
his first two years of breeding, so we are very excited about where this
may go.
Though this is a labor intensive choice of professions, we maintain
our"spirit of play" as one of the most important priorities of our life.
Our work is basically our play and we try to impress upon others that
play should be highly valued!
Steve encourages Annette to fall in love with the horses, because the
moment she "picks" a horse to fall in love with, that horse seems to be
the one buyers come looking for! Steve sees it as a great marketing
tool. The more you hold something dear, the more value it tends to have
to others as well! And... Annette cannot hide her enthusiasm for the
horses. "It is such a high to sell a horse that is successful in the
show ring. Even though it belongs to someone else, you still feel
connected!"
Steve compares himself to a toy maker. The greatest joy there is in life
is creating. Together, Steve and Annette are providing these wonderful
toys called horses for people to play with. It is a tremendous sensation
and it provides the energy to continue to build the dream.
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