Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-12-27
THE MORGAN STANDARD.
A WESTERN BREEDERS IDEAS.
CARPEN&rRsVILLE, Name Co.'S H., ,
Dec. Id, 1850. !

CARPE&Mt,RSNlLLE, name Co,, HI, ;
Dec. Id, 1850. !
Editor II H. Register The Nationa
Morgan Horse Breeders association at its
annual meeting in November, 1874, APP
pointed committee to correspond will
MIR. Battell with a view to such changes
in the rules of registration as this eGm
mttee might suggest. This committee
met soon after and formulated the toi
lowing
PROPOSED RULES FOR REGISTRATION OF
MORGAN iRQRSES.
Rule | After (July j, 1880 any horse
that traces through both sire and dam
in direct @ale line to the original Justin
Morgan horse and has at least one thirty
second part.Of his blood.
Rule ,. After July /, 1897, any horse
that traces through sire and first and sec
Ond dam all i'm direct male line to the
original JustiR Morgan horse and has at
least one-siXteenth part of his blood.
The chairman of this committee cores
pOnded with Mr.. Battell on this subject
and had one or two sessions with him,
and afterward Mr.. Rattell met the whole
d
the Illinois Morgan Horse Breeders asso-
citation during the State fair at SPRING
field and discussed the matter with them.
have read carefully Mr.. Battell's let
ter of Oct. on the subject, published in
the REGISTER, and have letter from him
requesting an expression of my opinion
for publication.
For several years past have had a
very extended correspondence with Nor
gan horse men living in all parts of the
country, and have received hundreds of
letters from men who have known the
Morgan horse and who have expressed
TO me in varying language their opinion
that the Morgan horse was the best horse
ever raised in tins country or any other.
/ recently received letter of similar i'm
port from a gentleman living at Cape
Charles, Va, from which | extract the
following:
I'VE had in this part of Virginia Sher-
man Morgan, jr.. 2626, a typical Morgan;
a grand horse, but not over ID hands
high. All of his get were elegant road
general purpose stock. and so are those
descended from him. can now point
out his get in three generations. when
meet them on the road, by their appear
ance and way of going. ! would like TO
Know il there are any more of that stamp
of horse. never owned this horse aud
usually stood stations in opposition to
him, but ! recognize his great merit, and
am horseman enough to have no preju-
dice against any and admire the best, no
matter in what line found"
This horse. Sherman Morgan, Jr, ac-
cotding to Mr.. Battel's Register, had
nine sixty-fourths (Over One-eighth) of
Morgan blood, not counting some Nor
gan blood untraced. If this horse had
been bred to a full blood Clydesdale mare
and produced stallion colt, and this colt
had been bred to another Clyde mare and
produced stallion colt and this second
stallion colt had been bred to "A Clyde
mare, the produce of this .hird Clyde
mare could be recorded IN the Morgan
Register as Morgan. Again, suppose
this horse sherman Morgan, Jr., had been
bred to a small Indian pony mare and
produced a stallion colt which should
again be bred to an Indian pony mare
and produce stallion colt and thi, in
turn be hr to another Indian pony mare,
the produce of this third Indian pony
mare could be recorded in the Morgan
Register as Morgan. Here we should
have two distinct types Of horses. both
recorded in the Morgan Register and
neither showing the Morgan characterize
les to any appreciable extent.
It would seem 10 me that The bare state
ment of This case should he sufficient to
convince every one that the present rules
of the Morgan Register need changing
aud that we can never produce type of
road horses under them as they are.
believe it is possible to breed every style
OF horse sold on the market, from the
smallest polo pony to the largest dray
horse Weighing "a ton, and yet have them
all honestly recorded in the Morgan Reg
lister under the present rules. In fact we
are "A long ways on the road to this con-
dition of things in the horses already re-
corded. If the Register is to be of any
service in helping to form type of road
horses. the rules must be such as will
keep out of the Register all horses that do
not have some near approach to the re-
quired characteristics. For instance, if
it is desired that the ideal road horse
should have certain height and weight,
then the rules should provide that the
sres and dams of horses to be recorded
should come within a certain limit of the
required height and weight. If definite
rate of speed is requisite in the type of
road horse 10 be produced, Then the rules
should require a near approach to this
rate of speed in the progenitors of the
horse to be recorded. Or, if it is desired
that the ideal road horse shall possess in
an eminent degree characteristics which
cannot be measured or weighed, and