Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-03-14
JUSTIN MORGAN AND HIS FAMILY

Middlebury, VT.
JUSTIN MORGAN AND HIS FAMILY.
CENTENNIAL hlsTORY-PAPER READ BE-
FORE THE MEETING OF THE STATE
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AT
ROYALTON BY D. W.
BLISS, ROYAL
TON, VT.
Continued.
These statements are as true today as
when they were written 33 years ago;
although in that period the fame of the
Morgan Horse has suffered an eclipse,
and has again come out shining with
more than its original brightness. The
eclipse was from two leading causes
first, we were quite too apt to sell the
best and keep the poorest to breed fl ON,
course that only requires time to run
out the best stock in the world. And,
secondly, the world of horse literature
was for II long time against us. One can
hardly realize what power this much
laughed at agency, horse literature, can
be. 1t is quite certain that the owners
of the rival family, the Messengers, near
ly succeeded in driving the Morgans out
of the world with it. They so filled the
country with the idea that all trotting
speed came from Messenger. that people
were suppressing the Morgan strains,
ten years ago, as fast as possible,
in every trotting pedigree. This was
purely a literary effort. organized at
New York, the home of the Messengers,
and gradually spreading over the whole
country. 1t is different now, and that
it is so is largely due to the fact that the
same agency is now at work for the
Morgan; the press stands up for him
now all over the land.
Trotting speed came from imported
Messenger in the male line, through only
one channel-3Gy Mambrino was his on
ly son that founded "A trotting family.
Justin Morgan, only seven or eight of
whose sons were kept entire, as against
over 80 of Messengers, Justin Morgan
left three sons that founded trOtting fam
lilies; Sherman, Woodbury. and Bulrush.
Sherman was foaled in 1909, Burush in
1872 and Woodbury. in 1916, sherman
being foaled in the spring his sire was
20 years old. and the two others having
been got after he had passed his TWEEN
tieth year. Sherman was the smallest
and has become the most distinguished
of the three. He was bred by James
Sherman of Lyndon, Vermont: was Il
bright chestnut, less than II hands high
and weighed 925 pounds; his of hind LEG
was white from the foot half way to the
hook, and he had the thin wandering
teristic of his descendants in the famous
Lambert family. Woodbury. was the
largest of the three, being about u
hands, and weighing at his heaviest
1910 pounds. He was rich dark chest
nut and was marked almost precisely
like Sherman, save the stripe in the face
was broader, filling the space between
the nOstrils he had the same off hind
leg white half way to the hook. He was
bred by William Wight of Tunbridge,
and was owned for many years by John
Woodbury. of Bethel. Bulrush was about
middle way in size between the other
two, and unlike them. was dark bay in
color with no marks save few white
hairs in the forehead. He was bred by
Moses Belknap, then of Randolph, the
grandfather of Creighton Belknap, now
of Royalton. The blood of the dam of
neither of these distinguished sires has
ever been ascertained. They were very
much alike in their characteristics and
all very like their sire. They had the
same compactness of form, great mus
cuar development, hardy, rugged consti-
tuition, docility and tractableness. short.
easy, rapid step, eager ambition and lof-
ty courage, that were so remarkable in
their sire. Through these noble chan
Dels the blood of Justin Morgan was
poured profusely into the then hardy
stock of Vermont. conveying not only
the form of the great original but all his
unryalled vigor, grace and ease of mo-
ton, combined with his docility and
matchless courage.
The Morgan is prominently useful
horse and it would not detract greatly
from the real merits of the family if no
member of it had ever stepped his foot
upon race track. But it so happens in
our day and generation that about the
only quality of horse that we can really
measure and define in his ability to trot
measured mile and repeat, And it is the