The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-30
Morgan Type Of Horses
Dr. George M Kennel of Iowa Urges the Restoration Of
this Type of Horse With Ancestry of
Highest Merit.
Highest Merit.

strap collar used in drawing a roat
wagon. The type is a horse of sly
lish carriage, good length OF neck
sloping shoulders, high withers, shorI
close-coupled back, full hips an6
quarters, high set, smart1y carried
tail, and round, compact conforma
ton. with an abundance of quality
and finish. and as much natural &C
ton, endurance. and speed as pos
sible; the action at the walk should
be rapid, straight and true, and moth
! ing but pure trotting action should
be tolerated, without the least ten.
dency to pace The Morgan should
not under any circumstances be
made a race horse; that experiment
was tried once, and should now be
considered an almost disastrous fail
ure and the incident closed: but the
endurance OF the Morgan and his
ability to stand driving for long dis
tances at smart pace are highly de-
sirable qualities and should be pre-
served. 1t is doubtful if the Morgan
viii ever be a producer of brougham
horses, except by crossing.
The method OF breeding used to
bring about the regeneration of the
Morgan type will need TO be very
carefully followed with regard TO
an increase of size. In the depart
ment's work at the Morgan Horse
Farm, Middlebury, Vt, the brood
mare averages 15.04A hands IN
height and 1850 pounds in weight.
General Gates, the leading stallion,
stands 14.2 II hands in height and
weighs 1000 pounds in breeding
condition: his 4-year-old son, Red
Oak, out OF large mare of excellent
Morgan breeding, stands $50 IA
hands and weighs 1000 pounds.
AT this time 1t would appear SAT
est to advise the selection of horses
OF Morgan breeding which show the
closest conformity to the type and to
rely on selection to increase the size.
! he department has tried the expert
ment OF crossing General Gates on
mares of Kentucky breeding whose
dams we're strong in Morgan blood.
Thus far the results have been high
II satisfactory, but the experiment
has not progressed far enough to
enable Us to advise breeders to
make such crosses. AS a RE. the
average breeder cannot afford to ex-
pertinent with out-crosses.''
The following somewhat lengthy
quotation is taken from Linsley'5
chapter on Memoir and Description
of the Justin Morgan
THE original, or Justin Morgan.
was about fourteen hands high and
weighed about $50 pounds. His color
was dark bay, with black LEGS, name
and tail. He had no white hairs on
him. His name and tail were coarse
and heavy, but not so massive as
has sometimes been described; the
hair of both was straight and not in
clined TO curl. His head was good.
not extremely small, but lean and
bony, the face straight, forehead
broad, ears small and very fine, but
set rather wide apart His eyes were
medium size, very dark and promi-
nent, with q spirited but pleasant
expression, and showed no white
around the edge of the lid. His nos
trils we're very large. the muzzle
small. and the lips close and firm.
His back and legs were perhaps his
most noticeable points The former
vas very short: the shoulder blades
and hip bones being very long and
oblique, and the joints exceedingly
broad and muscular. His body was
rather long, round and deep. close
ribbed up; chest deep and wide, with
the breastbone projecting a good deal
in front His legs we're short and
close-jointed, thin. but very wide,
nard and free from meat, with mus
cles that were remarkably large for
a horse Of his size. and this super
abundance Of muscle exhibited itself
at every step. HIS hair was short,
and al almost all seasons soft and
glossy. He had little long hair
about the fetlocks. and for two or
three inches above the fetlock on
the back side Of the legs; the rest of
the limbs were entirely free from it.
His feet were small, but well snap
ed. and he wag II every respect per-
fectIy sound and free from any sort
of blemish. He was very fast WALK
er. In trot!ing his gait was slow and
smooth and his step short and ner
vous. He was not what in these
days would be called fast, and re
think It doubtful whether be could
trot mile much, If any, within four
minutes, though It Is claimed by
many that he could trot It in three.
Although he raised his feet hit
little, he never stumbled. His proud.
bold and fearless style Of movement
and his vigorous, untiring action
have, perhaps, never been surpassed
When a rider was on him he was
obedient to the slightest movement
of the rein; would walk backwards
rapidly under a gentle pressure Of
the bit and moved sideways almost az
willingly as he moved forward: In
short, was perfectly trained TO ali the
PAGES and eyolutions OF a parade
horse; and when ridden al military
reviews las wac fraruantT. H. as-k