OUR BEGINNING

As a youngster, Wendy Mauer was infatuated with horses. At an early age she was riding and at the age of 9 her first horse was a grade that looked like a Morgan / Draft cross. From picture books Wendy felt her ideal horse was either an Andalusion or Morgan.

In 1980, almost a year after marrying Tim Inch, Wendy was looking for her PERFECT HORSE. She had decided on a Morgan as she felt that was the more practical choice as she liked to do everything, not just one thing. Wendy's Dressage Coach Joe Thauer had just returned from a show in Kingston where he claimed to have seen her PERFECT HORSE, a Morgan stallion who was showing Park "and looked like a Lippizzaner".

When Tim and Wendy decided to go and see the 4 year old stallion Adanac's Balios (Green Meads Rebel x Fanchon River), it was only natural that they take Grandpa Inch with them. Tim had spent summers as a boy grooming Grandpa Inchs Standardbreds at the track. They also decided to take a horse trailer. The couple didn't want to appear too eager, but neither did they want to repeat the 4 hour ride if they decided to buy him! Wendy says "As "Buddy" came off the trailer he was proud, well mannered and tractable. He was beautiful and I knew I had to have him. I thought 'This is my PERFECT HORSE' ". Wendy tried him under saddle and Grandpa Inch agreed he was a fine horse. Hours later the Murrays' had sold a horse and Buddy was on his way to his new home.

The newly married couple were living in St. Thomas so Buddy was boarded in nearby Port Stanley. Wendy started him in Dressage and trail rode him, initially with Endurance Riding in mind. However, working full time as an R.N. was not conducive to the long hours required for Endurance training. Wendy showed Buddy on the Open Dressage circuit beginning in the Spring of 1981 and has was always in the ribbons. Also in 1981, the Inchs' moved south of St. Thomas to a 3 acre farm where they build a barn, paddock and outdoor Dressage ring.

Adanac's Balios

In 1982 Tim and Wendy leased Burnt Mtn. Bridge (Green Mtn T-Bird x Ledgemere Impression), in foal to Ironbrook Sunhawk (The Airocobra x Devan Neva), from Bruce Murray. The resulting filly, Aphrodites Charm, is presently Tim's carriage horse and has produced several lovely foals. Bridget was returned in foal to Buddy with a colt, Northline Rainbird who remains a stud with the Murrays.

Buddy showed in open Dressage from 1981-1989 where he was 1989 Trillium Champion Medium I. In 1985 is was Bruce Murray who convinced the Inchs' to try the Morgan shows. Grandpa Inch was on hand to show the couple how to hitch the horse to the cart and off they went! Buddy went on to have a winning show career at the Ontario Morgan Horse Championship Classic between 1985-1989.

In 1985 Wendy was sick and bedridden for 4 months, eventually taking 1 1/2 years to fully recuperate. Buddy had a cyst removed from his back and looked to be healing well. He ended up with blood poisoning and a fever of 105 degrees. As Wendy recalls "that Easter weekend-end in '85 was so frightening; he almost died". Luckily Buddy recuperated with not ill effects.

In 1987, fate intervened in the form of Grandpa Inchs' old farm coming up for sale. Tim and Wendy relocated to the 68 acres farm, complete with horse barn and warm up track. The farm name was Sunny Acres, so the Inchs' became Sunny Acres Morgans with Samor as a prefix.

During all of this time, Wendy had been researching bloodlines in the Morgan breed. She decided to focus on the Ben Don, Ulendon, Old Government and some Lippit lines that had the temperament, type, conformation and versatility required to produce a sport horse Morgan. After a two year broodmare search, 1986 Wendy was as Jim Browns' Pennsylvania where she saw a beautiful weanling filly, JPSJP Lignite Lace (Vigilmore Cavalier x Midge of Lazy Acres) and fell in love. "Tim was quite surprised when I returned home with a weanling instead of a broodmare!" Wendy recalls "Lacey" had turned into quite the Hunter and Western Pleasure show horse and is presently enjoying her first year as a broodmare.

In 1988 following another two year search, 4 year old Windward's Indigo (Braecroft Flicker x Homeward Impression), a brown mare from New Jersey joined the Sunny Acre broodmare band. This was also the year that Tim and Wendy became involved in Carriage Driving with Buddy. Also in 1988 the Inchs' joined forces with the Thomas family and Henry TenPas to put together a highly successful Morgan demonstration at the Royal Winter Fair. They repeated this demo in 1989.

In 1989 Wendy leased MCH Cheryl Lyn in hope of crossing with Buddy to produce a Dressage gelding, which is exactly how Samor's Rio Grand came to be. Rio has done very well in this first year on the Open Dressage circuit. Also in 1990, the Inchs' bought 15 year old Joli Ms Jubilee (Saddleback Sonalect x Skyloft Desiree) from Ron& Carman Mcnulty in Sumicaro Stables in Ontario.

Since 1992 Wendy has been teaching and training Dressage in their 60' x 105' indoor arena. In 1993 the Inchs' host their first wildly successful Open Barn. Literally hundreds of equine enthusiasts have since marveled at the talent and versatility of the Morgan horses of Sunny Acres.

Last year Tim spent the winter building a combined driving vehicle as that is a new area of interest for both Tim and Wendy. Wendy is presently Zone Vice-Director of the Canadian Morgan Horse Association. The Inchs' continue to breed the popular family style Morgan with the type and temperament of the original Justin Morgan horse. Their promotion of the breed and friendly, knowledgeable ways have introduced many new people to the Morgan Horse.

-Laurie Willert

For more information on Adanac's Balios click here.