By Jessica Grutkowski
Portraits by Sophia Donahue
As a pint-sized pony camper in Traverse City, Michigan, 10-year-old Morgan Kennedy had big dreams of a life with horses. “My dad wanted me to take lessons with the barn’s top trainer,” Morgan said. “Kelly only taught the ‘big kids,’ but he was persistent, and so she finally agreed to teach me on one condition: I had to groom, tack-up and ground mount a school horse of her choosing without any help.”
Black Forest Hall trainer Kelly Langs Gregg didn’t take Morgan seriously. “She was a tiny little thing, maybe four feet tall, and 60 pounds soaking wet,” Kelly said. “A few days later, I walked into the indoor arena and was shocked to see her on top of Rags, a 17-hand horse. I thought I had given her an impossible task!”
Kelly admired Morgan’s “chutzpah” and recognized her natural talent, and agreed to take her on as a student. She gave Morgan a solid foundation in horsemanship and equitation. “Kelly got married and moved out of state, so I went to train at Northern Pines Farm in Maple City, Michigan,” Morgan said. “I began showing on the ‘A’ circuit, mainly in the jumpers with a friend’s pony, Tigerlily, and gladly took any catch ride I could.”
When Morgan was 12 years old, she purchased her first horse—a 4-year-old gelding that she named Zaboomafu, to bring along in the hunter ring. “I named him after the children’s television show ‘Zaboomafoo’ that stars a puppet lemur with the same name. The announcers had a field day with that one!” she said. “We won the Children’s Hunter Finals at the Washington International Horse Show when he was 7, but I missed the rush of the jumper ring.”
Jumper at Heart
Morgan sold Zaboomafu and purchased a 6-year-old gelding to help take her up the levels in the jumpers. Building on her theme, she named him Zaboomerang, after the Olympian Eddie Macken’s horse Boomerang. “I put my own twist on it by adding the ‘Za,” she said. “He was supposed to be a Low Junior jumper, but he had way more scope. We ended up jumping in the U25 and 1.50m Grand Prix. We got very lucky!”
Zaboomerang and Morgan competed in the National Grand Prix and the High Junior Jumpers on the Midwest circuit. “Everything was so spread out, and we had to drive all over to compete at a higher level,” she said. “It was eight hours to Lamplight and Ledges, or 10 hours to Kentucky.”
Morgan feels lucky to have spent her childhood in such a special place. “Traverse City is absolutely beautiful—especially the sunsets,” she said. “I try to get home at least once a year. It’s my happy place.”
On her 18th birthday, Morgan became a professional and made the tough decision to leave Michigan. “I moved to Illinois to have better access to upper-level riders, training and horse shows,” she said. “I had the wonderful opportunity to work under Nancy Whitehead as a freelancer, mainly breaking babies and riding young horses in her program, and was fortunate to bring Zaboomerang, too.”
That winter in Wellington, Florida, Nancy introduced Morgan to Olympic show jumper Nona Garson. “I rode her auction horses at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) and was offered a full-time job to work with her at her farm in New Jersey after the circuit ended,” Morgan said. “Anyone who was anyone was showing on the East Coast at that point, so I decided it would be a smart move for my career.”
Solving Puzzles
Nearly 15 years after leaving her beloved Great Lakes State, Morgan has made countless industry connections. “Working for Maarten Huygens Horse Sales was especially rewarding,” she said. “I started as a groom on a Tuesday, and one week later, I was in the saddle, riding and showing. I rode seasoned jumpers, green horses and everything in between. Each horse was a puzzle that you had to figure out quickly to get them sold in their best individual markets.”
One of the most memorable ‘puzzles’ that Morgan solved was a 5-year-old gelding named Ilan, aka The Dragon. “Originally, we planned to make him into a Children’s Hunter horse,” she said. “Spoiler alert: He didn’t like people. It was going to be difficult to find him a Junior rider if he couldn’t bond with his rider.”
Morgan focused on making Ilan feel safe. “I was able to take my time with him and unlock his personality. I gained his trust, and showed him that we could have a relationship,” she said. “I adored Ilan; he was incredibly special.”
Ilan went on to have a winning international jumper career. “Before he was sold, I had the opportunity to take him up to 1.50m,” Morgan said. “I would never have imagined he would have given me that privilege when I first met him.”
While working for Marty, Morgan also met the love of her life, Spencer O’Donnell, who was pinch hitting as their farrier in Wellington, Florida. “It was love at first sight! We’ve been together for nine years and engaged for five” she said. “Working in the same industry allowed us to connect in a special way. We know this crazy horse world brings long hours and travel, but we get to enjoy it together.”
On Her Own
Morgan has made the most of every opportunity in the industry, adding to her proverbial horse-training toolkit along the way. “I freelanced for three years, networked and worked hard to make a name for myself,” she said. “When the COVID-19 pandemic changed the industry landscape, the demand for freelancers declined. I took a position at Twin Oaks Ventures where I trained, prepped and showed horses for clients, as well as sales horses.”
Four years later, Morgan decided she had the experience to establish MK Sporthorses LLC, her first solo venture. “I have a business partnership with a German contact who provides me with a few horses at a time to develop for the American market,” she said. “I do all the care and training myself, so I keep the numbers limited to ensure each horse gets my full attention.”
Morgan travels to Germany twice a year. “It’s an amazing facility; there are about 100 horses on site at any given time,” she said. “It’s rare to have so many horses to try at one location. I typically ride a bunch, and then narrow it down to between two and four horses, depending on my current inventory back home.”
Her sweet spot is the 1.10m to 1.45m jumper market. “Sometimes I’ll have one horse that is a bit younger or greener, and I can take more time to develop it,” she said. “I really enjoy that process; it’s the most rewarding.”
Secret Recipe
Morgan credits the success of MK Sporthorses LLC to her experience learning how to properly develop young horses from an early age. “Learning how to read a horse and figure out their personality is all part of creating a special bond,” she said. “Just like my students, all horses learn differently. Understanding those nuances is key.”
Aside from the horses she sources from Germany, Morgan often accepts sales horses into her program from other professionals. “Once in a while, I have the opportunity to take a horse that needs more time,” she said. “You can’t rush the process, but a horse will show you his trust in small ways. He might reach down to be bridled, or pick up his feet without assistance. With horses, small wins can be big.”
The true test, she says, is when everything a horse learns carries over to its new owner. “That’s the biggest reward.”
Having happy horses is Morgan’s number one goal. “Everyone always asks how you know if a horse is happy in his job,” she said. “They can’t feel forced; horses should feel relaxed, have soft eyes and perked or floppy ears. You should be able to exit the show ring on a loose rein.”
She finds that doing all the work herself is fulfilling. “I’m equally invested in my horse’s turnout and performance,” she said. “Success in the ring is the cherry on top.”
MK Sporthorses LLC is based in Wellington, Florida, but Morgan and Spencer spend the summer months in North Salem, New York. In her downtime, Morgan and Spencer spend time with their two Bernese Mountain Dogs, Enza and Evy. They recently welcomed a new puppy, Lenny, to make three.
In their shared “crazy horse world,” the ultimate reward, in Morgan’s eyes, is when a horse nickers at her. “That’s my whole heart! Having a bond makes it so special,” she said. “A good portion of horses want a job, and to use their brains. Each horse learns and develops differently, so it’s our job as horse people to figure out how they learn best, how to keep them happy and enjoying the process.”
Follow Morgan on Instagram @mk.sporthorses.llc and on Facebook at mksporthorsesllc
Photos by Sophia Donohue, sophiadonohuephotography.com, unless noted otherwise
