Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-01-06
THE DAM OF THE MORGAN
HORSE.
From Spirit of the Times. |.

From Spirit of the Times, 1872
Dear =. The liberal and gentleman
like spirit and the intelligence that your
correspondent Sc. B." pursues the in
quiry as to the blood of the great pro-
genitor of the Vermont coach horse, are
equally to be admred and is he not
right in assuming that in the estimation
of your rejecting readers it will be
this question to the bottom, if practical
BILE? TO the end that we may determine
whether for the great qualties-figure,
action, spirit and stoutness, combined
we ever could or ever can look anywhere
with confidence as to any uniform result,
except to the one stock, to wit-the pure
blooded race-horse, the legitimate de-
scendant of the Southeastern courser.
Who cannot see how fatal to all i'm
provements is the belief that good re-
suits can come with any certainty from
chance? If, indeed, such a thing as
chance can be supposed. If at any peri
Cd since the days of Flying Childers
(out of Barry Leeds by the barley Arab
lam, foaled in l7l5. the opinion had gen.
orally obtained that speed and bottom
could be had without regard to pedigree,
and without systematic recourse to the
blood of the turf horse, and that opinion
had been acted upon to this day, does any
one suppose that we should have wit
messed in our time such performances as
those of Boston and Fashion, and c..
Medoc, and Sarah Bladen and Miss
Foote, and host of others running four
miles under Z 40? Or that we should
have had such coach horses as those for
which we have been indebted to Vermont,
descended from the Morgan Horse, -
fine blood bays, with black name and
tail, and clean bony legs, able to sail off
the wind ten knots an hour, and not tire
at that? Ies-it does appear that Sc.
b." is of this opinion as to the latter de-
scription of horses, and maintains it
with so much earnestness, fairness and
ability as to divest all who take an inter-
est in the subject of every wish except
that which obviously animated him-a
desire to arrive at the truth.
For myself, have no hesitation in say
ing that if there be distinct breed of
horses, possessing the qualities which he
no doubt accurately describes as belong
ing to the descendants of the Morgan
Horse, which may be perpetuated and
preserved from flying to pieces, and yet
not necessarily partaking of the pure
blood of the turf horse, then would say
of the two, let 90 the Arabian blood, and
hold fast to the more useful stock for all
work but let us be careful that in snatch
ing at the shadow we lose not the sub
stance. especially as, where and as far
as we can trace the pedigree of great
performers, in harness, they run into a
known stream of pure blood. 1t will be
observed that Sc. b. with whom, unaf-
fectedly, pretend to no comparison as to
research or practical knowledge, grants
us for the Morgan Horse stock "clean-
ness OF head and limb, and an Arab ex-
preston of the countenance.' Here, sir,
began to think was ground enough on
which to place my fulcrum; but the slow
withers" and ''heavy shoulders" staggeT-
ed me, yet |, on reflection, remembered
what Lawrence, in his splendid work on
the horse, had said of Eclipse (sire of
Morton's imported Traveler), horse
that partook of the blood of the true
Arabians, and one that twas never beat
en-, never had whip flourished over
him or felt the tickling of spur, or was
ever for moment distressed by the
speed or rate of a competitor, out-foot-
ing, out-striding, and out-lasting every
horse which started against him." OF
this rabbit-shouldered horse Lawrence
says further, Il paid particular atten-
ton to his shoulders, which according to
the common notion was, in truth, very
thick, but very extensive and well-placed;
his hinder quarters or Group, appeared
higher than his forehand." The progeny
of this low, thick-shouldered horse, who
was one inch higher behind than before,
produced to their owners $50, 295, vari-
Gus prizes not included.
The fastest quarter nag | ever saw
make a track was "Singed cat" called