AMHA Breeders Hall of Fame: Fortune Morgans – Jerry and Peggy Hatfield
Monday, February 10, 2020
Established in 2004, the AMHA Breeders' Hall of Fame Award is given to a breeder who has produced Morgans that have had a significant impact on the breed.
Jerry and Peggy Hatfield’s young daughter, now Kelly McFaul, was relentless wanting a horse. They bought her a Quarter Horse and kept it at a friend’s nearby. Through another friend, the Hatfields discovered the beautiful Morgan breed when they saw a Funquest-bred Morgan.
They drove three hours to Stuart Hazard’s Funquest Farms and while walking the pasture they were surrounded by beautiful mares and friendly, inquisitive foals.
They were hooked and soon bought a young gelding. On a subsequent trip to buy one horse they made the mistake of bringing a two-horse trailer, so naturally they came home with two Morgan mares.
“We bought a young show prospect, and an older gentle mare with a gorgeous head and huge, kind eyes, that just happened to be in foal,” they recall. With the anticipation of their first foal and the thrill of watching the birth the Hatfields were addicted. They decided to use the Fortunes prefix because Jerry and Peggy felt so fortunate to be involved with this wonderful breed.
It wasn’t long before the Hatfields outgrew their small farm, west of Wichita, Kansas. They bought 26 acres north of Wichita, built a house and barn and have been there for 45 years.
The Hatfields really admired Stuart Hazard’s mare band. They were typey, had beautiful heads and good substance, and were athletic. Over the years Jerry and Peggy studied the lines of those mares and which they felt were the best individuals and the best producers, so they acquired these individuals. Over the years they purchased 31 Funquest-bred horses.
At horse shows they fell in love with Mr. Breezy Cobra, and through the help of Renee Page, they found and purchased one of his sons, Dove’s Airon, as a weanling. They eventually bred him to their Funquest mares so their breeding program was primarily Flyhawk and Senator Graham lines. This cross was very successful for Jerry and Peggy. They also bred to other Funquest stallions and stood Equinox Musician at stud in partnership with Ray Gifford.
They Hatfields enjoyed everything about breeding Morgans, from planning the breedings, and anticipating the foalings, to watching the foals run and play. Another big plus to breeding Morgans was the wonderful association they made with fellow Morgan horse lovers.
Jerry and Kelly showed many of their horses at local shows and fairs, all-Morgan shows, and even the first Morgan Grand National.
The Hatfields are proud that they’ve been able to continue the Funquest lines. They feel that horses with the Fortunes prefix scream “Morgan”, and are good representatives of the breed. To punctuate the end of their breeding program, the last horse with the Fortunes prefix, Fortunes Penny Lane, was the 2019 World English and Western Trail Horse Champion.
We welcome Gerald and Peggy Hatfield with their Fortune Morgan breeding program into the AMHA Breeders Hall of Fame.
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