The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-11-28
THE MORGAN HORSE
Facts Regarding Early History Of
Famous Breed

Famous ,6Feed
The breed of horses called Morgan
originated in the United States. This
distinguishes 1t from practically all
other recognized breeds OF domestic
live stock, and this distinction, Who'll
ly apart from any matter Of senti-
ment, has had an important bearing
on its history. The breed originated
in a single stallion called from his
owner the Justin Morgan foaled
about 1889 and very probably at West
Springfield. Mass On the side of his
sire this stallion is believed to have
been largely thoroughbred On the
side of his dam he is believed TO have
been largely Arab At two years of
age he was brought TO Randolph, Vt,
and since that time Vermont has
been considered the home Of the
breed. OF course the first generation
of horses descended from the Justin
Morgan carried oue-half of his blood,
and with few exceptions the third
generation carried but one-fourth. but
such was the prepotency of the Jus.
tin Morgan that two or even three
outcrosses Of foreign blood did not
seem to prevent his type and quail
ties from asserting themselves and
predominating to an astonishing de.
gree in his descendants. 1t was this
nrannfnnnK Z l..
mediate descendants. that gave to
Vermont number Of closely relat.
ed and similar horses. and made the
breed an established fact. The in
terbreeding of these descendants not
continued outcrossing. perpetuated
the breed. This, in brief, is the or.
lgin of a breed whose name is famil
lar to every American.
The Morgan is small horse. In
well bred and typical specimens the
height averages somewhere around
l4k hands. TIL weight, however. is
great for the height, and a Morgan
horse of Az hands might well be ex-
pected to weigh 1000 pounds. The
speed OF the Morgan, as is obvious
from the combination OF small stature
with considerable weight, is not that
OF track performer When follow.
ing the civil war the fashions for
taller horses and fast trottors became
prevalent the horse dealers. the
sportsmen and those who called
themselves breeders turned to the
Morgan as the horse that possessed
every desirable quality except height
and track speed, and since then the
attempt has been almost continuous
to make the Morgan a larger and fas-
ter animal.
Americans had no other breed en-.
tirely their own. There was no Amer.
lean precedent TO work by. There
were no Morgans In Europe except
one pair owned by Napoleon III, and
few taken to England by men who
appreciated the high intelligence, the
beauty and the phenomenal endur
ance OF the Morgans and desired e
cross them with English stock. FIX
cept for that part OF Canada jus
north Of the Vermont line the Unite,
States was the only country In whicl
Morgans we're bred With materia
exclusively American and with talen
exclusively American the breeders o
Morgans undertook the work OF I'm
proving" the breed by making Il lars
er and faster With all Difference L
those who believe that any real I'M
provement has been achieved. IN
better opinion OF intelligent and In
partial critics is that the attempt a
Improvement has been failur,
Worse than that, the extent to whic
the attempt at Improvement" ha
been carried on has left but lttl
Morgan stock that Is even approx
mately pure bred and typical. II ha
always been easy for Americans I
improve their herds OF cattle, the
locks OF sheep and their horses oil
or than the Morgan by sending {
Europe and buying from those VIII
are real breeders the choicest spec
mems Of live stock.
In the case of the Morgans thI
simple avenue was blocked, and Il
this circumstance. no doubt. that ha
played an important part In the hi
tory OF the Morgan breed. Had IN
Morgan breed been cultivated by N
methodical. patient and careful breel
ers Of Europe our American breeder
OF Morgans would have learned. b
, fore disaster was at their heels, thu
the Morgan breed was. like every OF
,, er breed. definite and fixed thing.
, thing possessing individuality m
limitations and that aa long as n
breed retained iis character as
breed Il could not be changed lnI
racehorses or horses OF anything bl
small size. The time has now arri
cd when considerable number
Morgan enthusiasts are willing TO a