The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-02-27
THE ORIGINAL MORGAN HORSE.
The Breed Ought to Be Reintroduced and
Developed For Size.

The Breed Ought TO Be ReintrOduced and
Developed For Size.
Solomon Steele, who knew the orig
inal Morgan horse, Justin Morgan, said
he could outdraw, outwalk, outtrot and
outrun any horse ever matched against
him. D. c. Linsley, who wrote his
tory Of him, says,
The original, or Justin Morgan, was
about IA hands high and weighed about
$50 pounds. His color was dark bay
with black legs, name and tail. de
had no white hairs on him. His name
and tail were coarse and heavy, but not
so massive as has sometimes been de-
scribed the hair of both was straight
and not inclined to curl. His head was
good, not extremely small, but lean and
bony, the face straight, forehead broad,
ears small and very fine. but set rather
wide apart. His eyes were medium
size, very dark and prominent, with
spirited but pleasant expression, and
showed no white round the edge of the
lid. His nostrils were very large, the
muzzle small and the lips close and
firm. His back and legs were perhaps
his most noticeable points. The former
was very short, the shoulder blade and
hip bones being very long and oblique,
and the loins exceedingly broad and mus
cular. His body was rather long, round
and deep, close ribbed up; chest deep
and wide, with the breastbone project
ing a good deal in front. His legs were
short, close jointed, thin, but very wide,
hard and free from meat, with muscles
that were remarkably large for horse
OF his size, and this superabundance of
muscle exhibited itself at every step.
His hair was short and at almost all
seasons soft and glossy He had lit
tie long hair about the fetlocks and for
two or three inches above the fetlock on
the back side of the legs: the rest of
the limbs was entirely free from it.
His feet were small, but well shaped,
and he was in every respect perfectly
sound and free from any sort of blem-
ish. He was very fast walker. In
trotting his gait was low and smooth
and his step short and nervous; he was
not what in these days would be called
fast, and we think 1t doubtful if he
could trot mile much if any within
four minutes. though it is claimed by
many that he conld trot it in three.
Although he raised his feet but little,
he never stumbled. His proud, bold
and fearless style of movement and his
vigorous, untiring action have perhaps
never been surpassed. When a rider
was on him, he was obedient to the
slightest motion of the rein, would walk
back rapidly under gentle pressure of
the bit and move sideways almost as
willingly as he moved forward, in short
was perfectly trained to all the PAGES
and evolutions of a parade horse, and
when ridden at military reviews--as
was frequently the case-his bold, i'm
posing style and spirited, nervous ac-
ton attracted universal attention and
admiration. He was perfectly gentle
and kind to handle and loved to be
groomed and caressed, but he disliked
to have children about him and had an
inveterate hatred for dogs, if loose al
ways chasing them out of sight the in
slant he saw them. When taken out
with halter or bride, he was in con-
slant motion and very playful. He was
fleet runner at short distances. Run
ming horses short distances for small
stakes was very common in Vermont 80
years ago. Eighty rods was very gen
orally the length of the course. Among
the many races Of this description that
he ran were two in 1896, at Brookield,
VT, one with horse called Sweepstakes
from Long Island, and the other with d
horse called Silyertail from st. Law
renee county, N. Y Both of these
beat with ease. Mr.. Morgan, who then
owned him, offered to give the owner OF
Silvertail two more chances to win the
stake, which was $50, by walking OF
trotting the horses for it, but the offer
was declined.
In harness Justin Morgan was quiet,
but full of spirit, an eager and nimble
traveller, but patient in bad spots, and
although for a long time steadily en-
gagged in the heavy work of new farm
his owner at that time informs us that
he never knew him to refuse to draw as
often as he was required to, but he pith.
lily adds, II didn't very often have to
ask him but once, for whatever he was
hitched to generally had to come the
first time trying" This uniform kind.
ness at a pull was one Of the striking
characteristics OF the horse, and the
same trait may be observed In the great
er part Of his descendants. Pulling
matches and pulling bees were as com
mon in those days as short races, and
the little horse, as he was often called.
became quite celebrated for his unvary
ing willingness TO do his best and for
his great power at what is called a dead
lift