The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-13
S5orsc Department,
Morgan Horses.

FACTS ABOUT THE BREEDING OF JUSTIN
MORGAN, VERMONT BLACK HAWK AND
ETHAN ALLEN.
We pl oppose to republish from the
american CuljcdtOr series of articles
on the above topics. The third in
stalment is given below:
JUSTIN MoRGAN's APPEARANCE.
| Probably no writer has eyer given a
more minute and accurate description
of the original Morgan than d. G.. Lin.
sley, in his premium essay, who states
that Justin Morgan was about fourteen
hands high, and weighed about $50
pounds. His color was dark bay on
white, with black legs, name and tail.
The latter was coarse and heavy, but
straight, showing no inclination to
curl. His head was good, not extreme
! ly small, but lean and bony, the face
straight, forehead broad, ears small and
very fine, but set rather wide apart.
His eyes were of medium size, very
dark and prominent, with spirited
hut pleasant expression, and showed no
white around the edge of the lid. His
| g,
lips close and firm. His back and legs
were perhaps his most noticeable
points. The former was very short :;
the shoulder. blades and hip bones be-
ing very long and oblique, and the loins
exceedingly broad and muscular.
ellis body was rather long, round
and deep, close ribbed up; chest deep
and wide, with the breast-bone project
ing well in front. His legs were short,
close-jOiuted, thin, but very wide, bard
and free from meat, with muscles re-
markably large for horse of his size,
aud this superbundance of muscle ex-
hibited itself at every step. His hair
was short, and at almost all seasons soft
and glossy. He had little long hair
about the fetlock and for two or three
inches above, on the back side of the
legs; the rest of the limbs were entire
ly free from it, His feet were small
but well-shaped, and he was in every
respect perfectly sound and free from
blelnish. He was very fast walker
In trotting, his gait was low and
smooth, his step being short and ner-
vous. He was not what in these days
would be called fast, and we think /,
doubtful If he could trot mile much
if any, short of four minutes, though il
is claimed by many that he could troi
it in three.
"He raised his feet but little in trav.
cling, vet never stumbled. His proud
bold and fearless style of movement, land
his vigorous, untiring action, have per.
haps never been surpassed. When
carrying rider he was obedient to the
slightest motion of the rein, would
walk backwards rapidly under gentle
pressure of the bit, and move sidewise
almost as willingly as he moved for,
ward; in short, was perfectly trained
to all the PAGES and evolutions of par,
ade horse, and when ridden at mill
tary reviews, as was frequently the
case, his bold, imposing style and spir.
tied nervous, action attracted universal
attention and admiration. He was per.
fectly gentle and kind to handle, and
loved to be groomed and caressed, but
disliked to have children about him
and had an inveterate hatred of dogs, il
loose always chasing them out of sight
the instant he saw them.
"When taken out with halter OF
bride, he was in constant motion and
very playful. lie was fleet runner at
short distances. 1t was a very com.
mon practice in Vermont, fifty years
ago, to run horses short distances for
small stakes. Eighty rods was the
usual length of the course, which gen.
orally commenced at some tavern or
grocery, and extended the distance
agreed upon, up or down the public
road. In these races the horses were
started from a scratch, that is, mark
was drawn across the road in the dirt
and the horses ranged in row upon it,
started at the dropping of hat OIL
some other signal. Among the many
races of this description which he ran
were two in 1896, at Brookfield, Vt.
one with horse called Sweepstakes
from Long Island, and the other witt
a horse called Sivertail, from st. Law
renee county, N. Y, both of which he
! beat with ease. His owner then offer
p ed TO give the owner Of Silvsrtail tive