ONE of Australia's long-time Morgan horse breeders is calling it quits.
Bill Powell, 76, is privately dispersing his Mt Tawonga Morgan Horse stud, at Upper Gundowring in North East Victoria.
Mt Tawonga is believed to be the oldest working Morgan horse stud in Australia.
Bill first came across Morgan horses in a book in 1954, and has been fascinated with the American saddle and harness breed ever since.
He bought one of his first purebreds, Aura Dell Charlie Brown, from George and Mary Reed, in Orangeville, NSW.
George was an American from Vermont, and with his first wife, Pamela, imported Morgans to breed the horses he knew and admired.
As an animal health officer in Wodonga, Bill helped establish the Australian Morgan Horse Association.
He bought several foundation stock from George Reed's estate.
During its formative years of 1988-1998, Mt Tawonga was the main supply for Morgans in Australia.
Progeny contain the names of such notable horses as Upwey Ben Don, Brown Pepper, Anna Darling and Dyberry Bob.
Mt Tawonga was also the first Morgan stud in Australia to use artificial insemination.
Bill has aimed to breed a horse to suit Australia's future needs - a blend of height, intelligence and all-round ability.
Ill-health has forced him to disperse his herd of pure and part-bred stallions, colts, fillies, broodmares and saddle horses, bred on two lines for endurance.
Although he has been dogged by ill health in recent years, Bill continues to handle his own horses at 76 years of age.
He said buyer interest in the dispersal had come from as far as Western Australia.
