Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-02-01
THE MORGAN AS A BREED.

rive reprint the following article from
the Jan. II issue of the Rider and Driver,
published at 9l5 Broadway, New YORK.
The issue contains very handsome photo
gravures of living Morgans.
The ancestry of Justin Morgan has
been so far determined that no falr-
minded man can weigh the evidence ana
deny to him high lineage. lie drew on
the best of thoroughbred and Arabian
stock. We believe conviction on TINS
point will come to any man who can
didly reviews the chapters on this IA
nous horse in the Morgan Register,
where the evidence is convincing, al
though not arranged for easy popular
comprehension. Were the fact other
wise the wonderful quality in the horse
and his offspring has no conceivable eN-
PLANTATION, and gives the lie to the sim
plest maxim of breeding.
Justin Morgan began his career hun
bred years ago in remote New England.
He was horse unique in his day FOR
power, courage. speed and beauty,
and he stamped his offspring with
these qualities. He multiplied HIM
self by six in as many famous and
prepotent known sons. Their descend
ants were cherished and interbred as a
voluntary tribute to their merits. Their
virtues were accumulated and transmit
ted from generation to generation with
increased certainty. For eighty years
the process continued without serious in
vasion of the loyalty Of the neighbor-
hoods which knew them. Morgan sires
got sinewy stock suited pre-eminently
TO the requirements of their environment
Rural New England was, in the main,
loyal to them, and sold at good profit,
to the cities and the middle West, its
surplus breeding.
These eighty years saw the creation
of breed of horses---the Morgan breed
the first and, save the thoroughbred
trotter now accomplished, the only con
spicuous American breed of horses so
far developed. The term breed is used
advisedly, and with this meaning-a
family of horses allied by nativity, with
distinctive characteristics. which are
transmitted from generation to genera
ton.
True Morgan horses-there are spur
ious animals of diluted blood and evan
ished merit-show these qualities: solid
ity in bone, muscle and figure: beauty
in action and at rest: dOcile. fine tenn
per; high courage: greal endurance;
feetness on the road the vitality which
finds expression in long life; the hardi-
hood to endure neglect, exposure and
poor living. In short, they have shown
qualities cohmendable for service, and
this they have given before every kind
of vehicle, under every Kind of harness,
in all climates, under all conditions, to
the complete satisfaction of large num-
bers of people.
For twenty years past the integrity of
Morgan blood and symmetry has been
seriously lmperied, The rigid, protect
ing lines Of Il register did not exist to
ward of impending dangers The blood
enhanced strains with which it mingled
and was used as leaven over wide areas
to level up native stock, which it did :;
but with the result of levelng down, in
such cases, Morgan blood. The frenzy
for trottihg race horses withered more
than one strong Morgan branches
pecially nsidious this danger, because
the Morgan blood mingled to such adj
vantage with popular trotung strains
Many hard head yielded to the vicious
fever, and rashly bartered the virtues
cherished on the road in the hope of get
ting the speed available mainly on the
track. Thus was much good blood faint
ed and corrupted, substance sacrificed,
temper dulled, symmetry ruined.
This course of sacrifice has left such
shortsighted breeders little save the re-
Election that the American trotter has
made the Morgan one of the stepping
stones to present eminence as an animal
these causes the habitat of the real Nor
gan has been restricted. The Morgan
Register, which comes to offer possible
means of salvation to these good horses,
finds them in pristine yigor in compare
lively few sections.
So much must be confessed by every
friend of the Morgan horse, and the con
fession comes best from his best friends,
for the move TO reiuyenate this sturdy
family can succeed-deserves to succeed
only when spurious mongres, with
out quality or breeding, are eternally
forbidden to perpetuate their mediocrity
The warning on this score cannot be re-
peated too often, nor too loudly, espe-
cially now that there is awakened inter
est in these horses which can be used for
sordid ends.
This article aims to throw light on