Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-01-20
THE MORGAN BREED OF HORSES.
Letter from g. Barnard of Sherbrooke, Can
ada. in Spirit of Times. Jan. s. 1872:

THE MORGAN BREED OF HORSES.
Letter from G. Barnard of sherbrooke, Can
ada, in Spirit of Times, Jan. s, 1872
In this paper of the Both of October
we re-pubished from the Cultivator
letter from George Barnard, Esq, of
Sherbrooke, Lower Canada, giving his
impressions of the "Origin of the Nor
gan Breed of Horses" supported by the
affidavit of Messrs. John Stearns and 9TH
err gentlemen of st. Johnsbury, VT. The
following letter from Mr. Barnard will be
read with great interest by those who
have ever had the satisfaction of drawing
rein over Morgan horse. The charac-
acteristcs of the breed of which we have
had the pleasure of an acquaintance since
we first sported jacket and trousers
are seen from the following description of
one we have frequently backed and dirty
en-:
He was a deep blood bay, with no 9th
er white than star, about fifteen hands
and an inch high; his light, clean limbs
and small flinty hoofs would compare
with those of many "terribly high-bred
cattle: his head was light and well mod
eled. with superb eyes, and small taper
ing ears, both set wide apart, denoting
high courage and ''the least taste in life"
of gentle blood; his fine muscle, and
thin expansive nostril should not be I'M
no ha
tween the jowls, with large throttle,
affording free play to his respiratory or
gans: one Of his finest points was his
chest, which was deep and capacious as
if modelled on that of Eclipse; his broad
oblique shoulders, too, rising high on the
withers with the blades inclining well
back in the way, were calculated to give
him that fine spirited action of his fore
legs which has been so much remarked /;
a Morgan horse strikes out boldly with
his fore-feet and never stumbles or shut
fles. His barrel was of moderate length,
but his long, broad ribs extended back
almost to his stifie, like the engravings of
of the Kings Plate horses of the last
century; like them, too, his back inclined
to roach with no more tuck in the
flank, or cutting up in the waist, than
Sharke or Gimcrak; he had great width
between the whirlbones, or point of the
hips, with arched lines of singular
and broad Hat hooks. In fact. without
any remarkable display of muscle or
strength, his why, hardy form was so
perfectly proportional, and his propul-
sive powers so well placed and balanced,
that he could sustain with unflinching
spirit the most extraordinary tasks i'm
posed upon him, and it is notorious that
he has ended journeys in fine plight, aft
er fatigues under which horses of less
stamina and thorough game have sunk
exhausted. The Morgan horse does not
take on fat; turn him out for a season to
grass, or grain him highly in the stable,
or keep him we'll and work him hard,
and no difference is perceptible in him
he always looks, and is, in condition.
He is too lean and light to make a snowy
city carriage horse, but in a weeks jour
ney would improve while the heavy lum-
bering city coach horse in ''modern in
stances would melt away, and be utter
ly knocked up; the Morgan horse has
not an ounce of superfous flesh on him
at any time, while the pampered, fat,
clumsy brutes that drag their weary
lengths along over the pavements before
a heavy city carriage can no more match
him in action, style or spirit than pair
of Excessively Berkshres.'' But to the
letter:
To the Editor Of the Spirit Of the Times
Permit me to return thanks for the in
sertion of some of my communications
made to the Cultivator; and for the re-
gard evinced for ascertaining the origin
of one of the most useful races of the
"noble animal extant. A second arti-
Gle, mailed postpaid for the Cultivator in
October, being unmentioned in either of
the subsequent numbers, | subjoin the
same, requesting the CultivatOr to copy
from your columns If thought fit. Here
it is:
In my former communications | have
perhaps expressed myself too confidently
in saying that | believed the original
horse was of Canadian origin; | should