Morgan Lybbert
Morgan Rex Lybbert is a cowboy and horseman with international experience as a world-class horse trainer, judge, clinician, and World Champion horseman.
Lybbert is originally from Beaver Crossing near Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. Morgan’s paternal grandfather Waldemar Lybbert, who was a cowboy in Utah, a rancher, and a frontier lawman chasing members of the Wild Bunch Gang, emigrated to Alberta where he was a blacksmith and the town constable.
Morgan’s father Lloyd Lybbert, was a rancher, cattle buyer, horse dealer, and rodeo producer. His brothers were excellent horsemen.
By the time Morgan was nine years old, he had trained ponies for sales demonstrating their ability in the sale ring. Later Morgan’s dad managed an 85,000-acre ranch called the V-V. There were long days with a lot of work to do. Morgan was able to continue riding, working cattle, roping, and learning more about horses, preparing them for the Calgary horse sale.
As a teenager, Morgan showed an extraordinary aptitude for both training and showing horses. By the time he was eighteen years old, he was training professionally on his own.
Morgan’s horsemanship came to the attention of Mr. Jerry D’Arcy, then president of the Calgary Stampede. D’Arcy hired Morgan to train and show his quarter horses that were raised on his ranch. This gave Morgan the opportunity to show in many classes including working cowhorse, reining, cutting, trail, pleasure, roping, and halter to name a few. He learned to have appreciation for excellent horses in all events. He went on to become “one of the most celebrated horse trainers in Alberta.”
D’Arcy decided to sell his horses and recommended Morgan to train and show for his friends Scobey and Sissy Hartley, the owners of Deerwood Quarter Horses. Morgan also had the responsibility as manager of the breeding program at Morgan’s ranch in Cardston. He had several other clients also.
A special honor in 1986 was earning the Alberta Achievement Award as Morgan had previously won the World Champion Senior Working Cowhorse award in Oklahoma City. It was presented by the premier of Alberta.
Morgan continued competing in numerous horse shows, derby, and snaffle bit futurities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, while also being a director and supporter of youth programs.
Morgan with his wife Larue and five sons moved to Gainesville, Texas in 1993. After moving his operation to Texas, Morgan won first at the Fort Worth Livestock show and at the Dixie National, and was Reserve World Champion in Senior Cowhorse in 1994.
In Europe, Morgan won championships in Vienna and Munich, as well as winning the European championship in Aachen in two events, the Senior Working Cowhorse and Senior Reining.
At the 2018 American Quarter Horse Association’s World Show in Oklahoma City, show horse history was made. For the first time ever, three members of the same family were finalists in the Senior Working Cow horse class—Morgan Lybbert, Danielle Lybbert, and Christian Lybbert, with Christian winning the Reserve World Championship.
Morgan's son Travis Lybbert is one of the foremen of the Deseret Ranches in St. Cloud, Florida, which is the largest cow-calf operation in America running over 40,000 mother cows.
Besides training and showing horses, Morgan has also had an illustrious career judging at horse shows, while judging for almost forty years for the American Quarter Horse Association and other horse associations.
Morgan has taught at horse clinics and judged horseshows around the world, including Germany, England, Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, France, Israel, Costa Rica, Panama, and Canada, as well as having judged at such prestigious events as the World Championship Show and the American Quarter Horse Congress, which is the largest single breed horse show in the world with almost 15,000 entries held over 21 days.
Morgan Lybbert has been featured in national and international magazines and newspapers including Western Horseman, Performance Horseman, American Quarter Horse Journal, and Quarter Horse News.
