Reprinted from the

1997 Mid-Atlantic Morgan Horse Show Program

This year, the Mid-Atlantic Morgan Horse Club has the sad, but appropriate, privilege of dedicating its annual horse show to the memory of one of its own, W. Dayton Sumner.

Never parochial, the late Dayton Sumner was undeniably, even unmistakably, a son of the busy byways and hidden horsey corners of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. Whether showing, judging, or reporting about horses, Dayton kept commitments throughout this area for over fifty years.

Dayton must have driven to Quentin countless times as an exhibitor and as our show manager. These white-painted fences, quirky outbuildings, rambling red barns, and bright, neatly planted flowers were completely within his experience. So, too, the small enclosures that bespeak inherited carefulness and the ongoing struggle of this region to retain its agricultural character. Dayton understood that these grounds celebrate the tenacity of modest horse lovers, their desire for quality, their fidelity to simplicity.

Inevitably, those friends and colleagues who knew Dayton for many years enjoy endearing individual and collective memories of him here at Quentin, as well as at other, earlier Mid-Atlantic shows in different places. A complex person, Dayton’s devotion to show horses, Morgans in particular, led him into playing diverse roles and undertaking various tasks. His versatility, coupled with patience and a wry sense of humor, eventually made Dayton such a key player here that it is difficult to envision his absence.

An overriding recollection is that Dayton’s willingness to serve, and to serve generously, seemed bred-in-the-bone. While he showed his own horses by himself for years, he also showed his friends’ horses. He rode, drove, and groomed for us. For free. He coached equitation riders. For free. He shared his horses. For free. He advised. For free. He attended endless meetings. For free. Furthermore, even paid-work involved his sense of service. His editing, writing, researching, judging, and show management all benefited other people and their animals.

Ultimately, it must be said outright that Dayton Sumner was a “good” man – loyal, decent, kind, and courteous. He was a gentle, talented horseman who had enormous wells of affection for man and beast. Let us be thankful that he chose to spend his time with us. He did it all out of love.