Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-07-26
The Morgan Horse.
AN OLD HORSEMAN PRAISES THE LIT
TIE NEW ENGLAND BREED.

II. B. Geer of Tennessee in the Jour-
nal of Agriculture, says writing about
the Morgan horse is somewhat like COM
piling family tradition by him. The
Morgan is the Yankee" horse of
America, and his own progenitors
climbed the granite hills of New Hamp-
shire and roamed the Green mountains
of Vermont, as well as lending hand
in the original settlement of "Shawmut
Peninsula'-now the Hub" of New
England. We are not raising horses of
any kind now, and have no interest in
any variety; and are, therefore, not seek
ing to bring before the public view a
breed in which we have financial in
terest. Our desire is to simply say a
good word for a splendid breed of
horses.
In point of docility, intelligence, cour-
age and energy, the Morgan horse is
surpassed by none. Not large and bony
barely medium in height, but sinewy,
muscular and hard of flesh, as well as
rounded and symmetrical in body, the
Morgan is strong and enduring to a
most surprising degree. Indeed, the
strength of the Morgan is only surpass-
ed by its willingness to exert it's full
powers whenever called on to do so. We
at one time bred Black Hawk, a mag
nificent, coal black Morgan stallion,
which We bought in VermOnt-a lineal
descendant of the famous Ethan Allen.
Our stallion was beauty, his name was
long and flowing, while his tail almost
swept the ground. He stepped like the
thoroughbred he was, and carried him
self with all the grace of southern
game cock. He possessed that other
good trait, or heritage of the Morgan
stOck-longevity, and lived to be twenty
two wears old, and even then he met an
untimely death by being fed some in
ferior bran during our absence. We
stood him first in Illinois, where his get
used to pull the sulkies over the vast
prairie stretches of those days, for the
farmers and stock raisers. He was
trotter of the old school, and his colts
all took after him in this respect. In
deed, all Morgans can spin the buggy
wheels till nothing is visible but blur.
Later, we took Black Hawk to Missouri,
and bred him to some high class mares
of the race horse type-southern racers,
that delivered some colts of rare quality
and speed, both in the harness and un-
der the saddle. At first the breeders in
the south were disposed to regard Black
Hawk as too small for their purposes,
but after they saw some of his colts at
work, they came out solid for the Nor
gan blood; and it is safe to say thai
from our single stallion, the class OF
farm and road animals in our vicinity in
southeastern Missouri, was raised twen-
ty-five pei cent.
There is something about this variety
of horses, which is suggestive of the
carry-all, and the family, for the Nor
gan is pre-eminently the family horse,
there being no safer, surer or more trust
worthy animal in existence. Indeed,
the Morgans seem to have an especial
foudness for women and children, and
to love to serve them faithfully and
honestly.
We had personal experience one
time, in a storm in the wilds OF the
Mississippi valley,-as they were in those
days-when Selim, handsome horse,
son of Black Hawk, saved us from a
night in the swamps, aud possible
accident. We had ridden Selim back
from the river, through bride path, in
search of some strayed animals, when a
storm came up. 1t was very late In the
afternoon, of hot day in August, and
we had not gone very far back into the
interior until we discovered with alarm
that we had lost our way. The lands
along the river are higher than the in
terror nearer the bluffs, and lying back
near the highlands were many brackish
lakes and lagoons. After wandering
about aimlessly in the storm and semi
darkness for two or three hours, we
found ourselves on the banks of a deep
lake at least five miles inland-nothing
but the dense forest and the sullen
waters about us, and no sounds but the
rumble of the thunder in the receding
clouds, the croak of the bull frogs, ana
the s'swish'' of the garfish, as they leap
ed continuously from the waters, only to
fall back-a sport of their own. We
hitched Selim and climbed tree to take
our bearings, but we could see no Ia
miliar object. So We came down, re-
mounted, gave our faithful horse the
rein, and said: Take me home, Selim. y
He seemed to fully realize the situation,
for he started off at moderate gait;
seemingly picking out the most open
course, and to our great joy We struck
an open trail in about thirty minutes,
and a little later came to clearing
where some wood choppers had been
cutting cord wood, and soon afterwards
we struck wagon tracks, and then Selim,
of his own accord, struck into long
swinging trot, and an hour later we came
TO the river bank and the main road
several miles upstream from where we
had entered the forest. The storm had
spent itself ere that, and our ride home
ward was in the bright moonlight:
Selim was a son of Black Hawk, and
from that day forth we were fast friends.
Indeed, horses of this breed soon become
as members of the family, which they
are ever ready to faithfully serve. When
harnessed to the plow the Morgan is a
quick stopper and continuous goer,
and a pair of them can pu,l wagon
quite as heavily loaded as any other
breed of horses can move. Indeed, the
Morgan is the utility horse, par ex-
cellence.