GILROY
– A ranch with 100 acres of rolling pastures in Northeast Gilroy
that has endeared itself into the hearts of politicians and horse
aficionados alike is now in the hands of new owners.
GILROY – A ranch with 100 acres of rolling pastures in Northeast Gilroy that has endeared itself into the hearts of politicians and horse aficionados alike is now in the hands of new owners.
Red Fox Stables played host to famous politicians, from Bobby Kennedy to former governor Jerry Brown. Over the years, Gilroy residents have attended events such as the annual Labor Day picnics and horse sales renowned from coast to coast, or purchased a Morgan horse from the owners, W. Robert and June Morgan.
“It was a great place, a great tribute to the Gilroy community,” the deceased owners’ son Robert Morgan said. “A lot of people that live in Gilroy worked there over the years or bought horses from us.”
The owners were no less prominent in the community. W. Robert Morgan, was a well-respected lawyer who founded the Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County and an avid art collector who created the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.
Red Fox Stables was put up for sale after the death of June Morgan a year ago, and two men from Palo Alto purchased the property on New Avenue in May.
“We’ve been looking for something like that for a couple of years,” said Al Larsen, of the Palo Alto firm Larsen Hoffman Inc. Contractors. “There’s a couple of barns, three or four houses, wide open spaces, rolling hills. It’s gorgeous, just gorgeous.”
Larsen is using the acreage as a horse stabling and training facility. Because of the historic name, he and his partner have only changed its name slightly to Red Fox Farms, Inc.
“I agreed to give up the name,” Morgan said. “I consider the name belongs to the place.”
The Morgans, who lived in Saratoga, purchased an Angus cattle ranch in 1960 and named it Red Fox Stables. The family waited to move to Gilroy until 1968 after their son and daughter completed high school in Saratoga.
“We used to spend all our weekends and summers down at the ranch before they moved there full time,” Morgan said.
In 1963, his father started a breeding program with Morgan horses. The Morgan horse is the first documented American breed and is known for its athleticism and good disposition, he said.
More than 450 Morgans were born at Red Fox Stables since its inception. The registered Morgan horses were shipped across the United States, as well as to Europe and Mexico.
The elder Morgan’s expertise with the horses led to a partnership with Disney on the made-for-TV film “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” in 1972. W. Robert Morgan was the technical adviser for the movie, in charge of finding horses to play the role of Figure, the father of the Morgan breed.
His love of horses and art mingled at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. Red Fox Stable’s first horse, or foundation sire, and three-time California State Fair champion Lippitt Pecos is cast in life-size bronze and on display at the museum, which W. Robert Morgan founded in 1965.
“He loved art and he loved horses,” Morgan said.
His father also donated several paintings to the city of Gilroy. He and his wife traveled the world together, collecting art which he donated to the city and the Triton.
“He thought that people should have more to their life than just going back and forth to work,” Morgan said. ”They should have some culture.”
In addition, Morgan’s father ran a thriving law practice. Morgan joined him in the practice once he completed his law degree.
“He did the work of three lawyers,” Morgan said. ”Then he would always have his charitable stuff going on.”
His father was injured in an auto accident in 1983.
”It was ironic he was struck down so hard,” he said. “A drunk driver ran a red light and just about killed him. It took a big toll on him and his general quality of life declined.”
While recovering from the accident, he wrote a book called “Morgan Horse of the West.”
“I get requests for that book all of the time,” Morgan said. “His longtime legal secretary helped him prepare the book, and it was published in a very short run of books. I could sell a lot more if I had them.”
W. Robert Morgan’s health continued to deteriorate over the years until he died in 1999 at age 75.
His son continues to breed with Triton Morgan Horses at the ranch he and his wife, Suzy, share in Hollister. Some of the young horses he couldn’t safely move are still at the old stables in Gilroy.
For details on the essay contest, visit www.tritonmorgans.com.
