Hadley, MA – June 13, 2016 – UMass Hadley farm announces its newest arrival, “Bay State Legacy,” a Morgan filly named in memory of alumni and long-time supporter Susan B. Roberts, who passed away unexpectedly last year.
The Bay State Morgan line was established in 1951 when the U.S.
government disbanded its cavalry horses. The University of Massachusetts acquired 11 mares and 2 stallions, including stallion “US Panez”, from the U.S. Calvary remount station in Middlebury, VT.
Bay State Legacy and her mother Bay State Distinction can trace their bloodlines all the way back to those original cavalry horses including US Panez and broodmare Optic, carrying on the government tradition.
Using donations from the Susan B. Roberts memorial fund, the university bred Distinction to USEF Horse of the Year “GKB Coal Magic” owned by Dr. Lucy Tidd of Maryland. “This is a phenomenal cross” says Dr. Cassandra Uricchio, Director of the UMass Equine program, “and will help revitalize the university’s Morgan breeding program.”
Susan’s 10 year-old granddaughter, Audrey, decided on the name “Bay State Legacy” in honor of her grandmother. “It’s a perfect fit,” said Susan’s son, Patrick, “I know my mom would have been very proud.”
The UMass Equine program is part of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students can earn their A.S. degree in Equine Management and the school is proposing a new B.S. degree in Sustainable Equine Industries. For more information about the UMass Equine program or Bay State Morgan horses, please contact //curicchio@umass.edu">Dr. Cassandra Uricchio at 413-345-0183.
