Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-03-10
horse Department.

Written for the Middlebury Register. ]


criticism on the Judging of Morgans, in
the aged class of Morgan stations at the
Illinois State fair. The article referred
to appeared in the Breeders Gazette of
Oct ., 1898, and is as follows:
The exhibit in this section was hardly up
to the standard of recent years, especially as
to type. few good aged stations were
shown but in only one of them. Chetco by
Ben Franklin, was there much suggestion of
the old fashioned type. lie was real
Morgan. 1t would seem that more uniformity
of type would have to be shown If this class
Is to be retained in the prize list. Certainly
some of the aged stations resembed much
more the large and coarse trotiing type than
the Morgan form and finish.
In this class Chetco, spoken of above
as a real Morgan, was placed third, and
two siXteen-hand horses, having each
one Morgan cross, were given first and
second. This looks to me like paying a
premium on diluted Morgan breeding.
The Judge may not have known it, but |
think a majority of the spectators be-
lieved that high bred Morgan, standing
sixteen hands high, was very scarce
article. That occasionally a well bred Nor
gan like Ben Franklin, standing sixteen
hands high may be bred Is an undoubted
fact but that such horse would, when
bred to typical Morgan mares, produce
sixteen-hand horses has been proven by
Frank McGavoock, who bred this class
of mares to Ben Franklin, in Tennessee,
to be contrary to the laws of heredity.
That Franklin, when bred to tall mares
with little or no Morgan breeding, left
good sized colts there is no doubt. SO
did bis sire, Daniel Lambert, who stood tif-
teen hands high, and his grandslre, Ethan
Allen, who stood but fifteen hands and
Ethan Aliens sire, Black Hawk, who
was regulation height.
All these horses in common with
: Magma Charta, Herod Hale's Green
Mountain, Billy Root, and all the great
representatives of the Morgan, almost
without exception, stood not far from
fifteen hands in height, and all, as far as
| have been able to learn by the most
thorough research, have bred large when
crossed on large mares. The size, or
rather the height. Of the true Morgan
has been the bug-bear that has kept
people from raising the highest type Of a
light harness horse. Americans have
imported Cleveland Bays, Hackneys,
French coachers, Oldenburg coach
horses, and others, because they have
height to cross on class of mares that
in blood lines are little of everything,
and are disappointed because the mix
ture doesn't produce a great horse.
There is nothing remarkable about it. The
idea of our importing road horses when
foreigners themselves know that Ameri-
ca beats the world on this class of horses
an0 are becoming liberal buyers of the
American trotter. When | see an i'm
ported horse the equal of King Rene,
Mambrino King, Jubilee Lambert, Aris-
tos, Ben Franklin and hundreds of others
that could be mentioned as a show horse,
to say nothing of the superiority of the
American product in point of speed. en-
durance and true roadster qualities
when | see such a horse that has the
ability to transmit his style and action
to his produce, | will see something that
| have thus far been unable to find.
Because we have drawn on Europe for
our short horn cattle, our draft breeds
of horses and our thOrougbreds, the
Idea has taken possession of some people
that anything that is imported is superior
to what we have, ignoring the fact that
the American trotrer leads the world
and always has; that American bred
shOrt-hOrns are not inferior 70 those
produced any where in the world; that
Americans now own the grlndest
specimens of the different draft breeds
that all Europe has produced and ten
years hence will be sending winners
back to them, and that American bred
/ thoroughbreds have been sent TO Europe
and have beaten them on their own
tracks. | will not dispute that although
the auction block and show-ring con
clusively prove that we have In the
American trotter the material for pro-
ducing the very highest type of coach
and road horses, that many, perhaps a
majority, of trotting-bred horses lack the
style and finish essential in producing
the kind a critical market now demands
In suggesting a way that this demand
may be met it may be well TO explain
in detail what the demand is for, and it
is easily explained. In height they
may range from fourteen and one-half
to sixteen and one-half hands, they
should have good heads and necks,
sloping shoulders that will enable them
to get their heads up, short backs
coupled well forward, reasonably
straight limbs, plenty of bone and good
feet. So much for conformation. They
must have good names and tails, must
be square gated trotters and have all
around action, and the more speed,
style and finish they have the more hun
dred dollars they will bring.
The idea that horse, if he Is reason
ably well made and stands sixteen hands
and is a solid color and can show fair
road gait, but without lofty action and
imposing style-the idea that such a
horse is anywhere near the equal of a
fifteen hand horse that has superior
style and action, is wrong. Size is one