Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-10-11
THE MORGAN HORSE.
WHAT SHALL BE THE RULES FOR REG
ISTRATlON2
JOSEPH BATTELL,
MiddleburY, VT.

BREAD LOAF, VT, October |, lS91.
Editor Of tie RegjStcr:-l had the
pleasure of attending the Illinois State
fair at Springfield for two days last
week The grounds for this have re-
Gently been provided by the State and
furnished with very excellent buildings
and a remarkable good mile track for
racing purposes. understood that the
State have already expended about
$500. 900 on these grounds.
The association gave, as our associa-
ton should have done and must do an
other year, a full line Of premiums for
Morgan horses. The exhibit of these
horses was on the second day of the
fair. There were over fifty entered,
making a very creditable show.
There is State association of Morgan
horse breeders. and after the premiums
had been declared these met in consulta-
ton. The question as to whether there
should he any variation in the rules of
admission to registration of Morgan
horses was discussed at length. 1t was
thought by some that only those horses
should be admitted which descended by
both parents from the original Morgan
horse and that they should contain at
least one thirty-fourth of the blood of
the original horse. The rules now only
require that the descent he in direct male
line. and that the animal registered con-
tain at least one siXty-fourth of the
blood of the original horse. \ more
general expression of opinion on the
part of those interested in this subject
was desired. and such expression is
earnestly requested through your col
nuns or elsewhere.
In connection | would add that one
great reason for the preparation of the
Morgan Register was the perception
that there was no effort being made in
American breeding to establish type of
horses for road and general purposes.
The trotting and racing interest was
looked after, but the rules adopted to
breed trotters or PAGERS did not provide
for the creation of type and could
never lead to such result. But the Nor
gan Register, founded upon blood,
starts with type largely created, which
it seeks to strengthen and perfect, and if
possible improve. And as it is very i'm
portant that the type established
should be the best possible for the
hi cnIt
large amount of rope left in the rules
for the Introduction of any blood that
might help to produce such type.
The best results are so far largely
obtained by the inbreedng of Nor
Morgan blood as there is no blood that
has better conformation or more gen
orally the road qualities sought than
this, but we have no doubt that there
can be some very excellent results gain
ed in minglng some of the best strains of
the thoroughbred, especially of such ami
mails as naturally produce the trot
ting or road gait: and we also have no
doubt that in the same way some other
of the best trotting, or. perhaps, pacing
blood, than the Morgan, can be intro
duced to advantage. There Is, undoubt-
eddy, some llambletonian blood that
would, or might, assist very much in
this effort to produce the best possible
road horse. And while in this process
of the formation of the typical Ameri-
can roadster it seems to us that it will
be mistake to do anything that would
prevent all possible Improvement We
are not breeding horse for the past,
but for the future. This is the first de
stinctive effort made by Americans TO
produce a type of horses from II blood
basis, and, if handled with best iudg-
ment, should certainly be most success
full.
"All beginnings are Slow" and es-
pecially IN breeding Is time very neces-
sary to secure results. The formation
and perfection of type is of necessity
slow process and is only possible with
many years time. But if the basis Of
breeding is blood basis, the desired result
must cone. For within a few years at
most all outside blood would be excluded,
and the only animal eligible to registra-
ton would be the produce of two an
imals, already registered. Exactly
what this type would be must depend
upon the ability of those interested in
the breeding. And the final result, as
it seems to US, may be safely left, and,
indeed, must be, to the operation of the
great law Of the survival of the fittest.
Ii may, perhaps, be desirable, before
long to make the rules of registration
for this Register somewhat closer, as
even then there might be room enough
to admit the most important outside
blood. But as | looked at the elegant
thoroughbred mares and fillies on eX-
hibition at this Springfield fair, all in all,
as it seems to me, as fine as any had