Major was originally acquired by the Ashby family to serve as a riding horse, and there were never grand plans of showing or breeding Major.  For fun, Jerry did show Major nearby - in Syracuse, Buffalo and other regional events - under both western and english tack. 

As he matured - it was by word of mouth that talk of the spirited black stallion spread, and people came to seek out this fine Morgan.

In the following clip, listen to Anne and Donna talk about Major covering topics from his big show at Harrisburgh (with some commentary by Ayelien Richards) on through his ability to adapt to riding lessons with the children.

As Anne and Donna say, Major was a proud horse, with animation and extreme presence - you couldn't help but notice him.  At the same time, put a bunch of Ashby kids on his back and he'd "walk on eggshells" and when one or two little Ashbys slid off his back, he'd stop in his tracks and plant his feet.

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