Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-03-29
LESSONS FOR MORGAN BREED
Frs
JOSEPH BATTELL.
MiddleburY, VT.


In connection with the move to I'M
prove Morgan horses there may be profit
IN glanciug at the steps taken to pro-
duce the very superior French coach
horse. The high character of these
horses has been attained by intelligently
pursuing the heroic course of testing
and saving to breed only the best indi-
viduals. The French, of course, started
with clear, definite Idea of the horse
they aimed to get. They made up their
minds what field of use it was to fill and
they then determined and bred for the
configuration and temper which were
adapted to this service. These steps
test the sincerity of any move looking
to the development of any breed of an
finals and they mark the first lesson for
Morgen breeders TO take to heart in the
course of the Frenchmen.
The following quotations are from a
report recently made relative to these
horses:
High-class stations, selected by men
educated for the purpose by the govern
-ment, are furnished to every community
where hOrse-breedlng is an important
industry at a nominal service charge.
AS an illustration, the service fee for
the stallion Tigrs, one of the most IA
nous getters of speed, is IS. Perhaps
$50 mares each year are candidates for
his service, and the government official
in charge selects from the applications
forty or less such mares as will, in his
opinion, produce the best results. Sew
eral of these stations are usually kept
in one place, 40 that udlcous couplings
may at all times be made. In no case,
therefore, is "A breeder in that country
without the use of a high-claSS stallion.
As Il protection against unsoundness,
every government stallion which de-
velOps hereditary defects while in SER
vice Is unsexed. and no Individual il
allowed to offer for public service any
stallion possessed of any hereditary de-
feet; also. government examination of
all stations in the country is made
every year, and without certificate every
stallion is barred from public use. Every
skillful breeder will appreciate the value
of such continuous practice.
The course outlined above is possible
only where government is strong and
decidedly paternal The field assumed
by the government in France, however,
is one which in modified form is proper
ly open to "A Morgan association if it
operated in earnest and with any true
sense of what it means to really estab-
fish a breed of meritorious animals.
Is it intended that the Morgan shall
he an enduring roadster: Let us see
how the French reached this end. The
report continues:
The establishment of public races un-
der government auspices in 1881 was n
most Important step of progress. The
selection of the finest individuals of best
breeding had always been made, but the
new system, dem Onstrating the endur-
ance and speed of each horse before his
purchase tor use in the stud, has been
the means of building up the breed,
from generation TO generation, with
sturdy Slres and dams from which every
weakling has been eliminated by the
only true test of value-trial.
TO govern racing, turf laws were en-
acted by courageous and far-sighted
officials that were destined to produce
great results. In France, as in all other
countries, the fastest trotting horses
were small, and the exaggerated ten
denotes of the times to produce great
speed would, if left unrestrained, per-
petuate race valuable for speed only.
Therefore, in order to remove the temp
tation to sacrifice size to speed, law
was enacted excluding all horses from
public races that were under Isl hands
high. This radical action met with de-
termined opposition. but its wisdom was
quickly demonstrated. The breeders at
once began to couple their small fast
mares with the larger class of most
speedy stations and the largest mares
with medium-sized stations, thus Sc
curing AN equilibrium of quality with
weight. The officials of the govern
ment kept clearly IN view the fact that
the real value of every horse would ul-
timately be measured, other things be-
ing equal, by his endurance, and confined
racing to long-distance trials. The
Derby of ROuen, worth 10000 francs.
made for three-year-Ods, to be entered
the year of their birth and trotted in
June on turf track p miles under sad
die, tillies to carry l20 pounds, colts l25
pounds, still exists, but twelve years
ago the distance was reduced to two
miles. The st. Leger of Caen, still con-
tinues as of old to be D mile handicap
for three year-Olds. The French recog-
nlze the elements of greatness in good
sized, well-formed colt that can stay in
the Derby or ST. Leger at speed of
: 30 to , 40 per mile, or at four years
can make the same time with a handicap
of 40 to 10 pounds and of which at
five years three to four miles is required
for unquestioned evidence of great ca
pacity.
BY the selection of stations for breed
ing purposes that unite dignity of car
riage and graceful and elegant forms
with superlative powers of usefulness,
demonstrated under these severe tests,
the French believe they are approaching
perfection in the carriage horse.
The Morgan association which puts
in practice measures much less drastic
than those noted above will need hon
esty, moral courage and self-denying
membership, but it will lay broad and
prosperous cOrnerstOnes. The Morgan
association which falls short of the
DrinciDles included i'm the above wOuld