The New York herald., 1921-04-24
MISSING VERTEBRA
PROVES ESPATERNITY
OF MORGAN HORSE?
Science May Settle Disputed
Pedigree of Famous
Stallion.
CLUB TO ERECT STATUE
@. c. Stillman and Associates
Give Costly Bronze for Gov
ernment Breeding Farm.
CLUB TO ERECT STATUE

ernment Breeding Farm.
Discovery that the skeletons OF TWO
registered Morgan horses recently
owned by c. c. Stillman show only
twenty-three vertebra instead Of the
usual equine allotment Of twenty-four.
rs told on this page last Sunday, has
cccasioned some animated and interest
ing discussions among horscmcn az well
as naturalists. Until Mr.. Stillman had
the bones OF Donald and Dude articu-
lated 1t was the accepted belief that no
other horse except an Arab could boast
or a missing vertebra. This supposed
popularity of the desert courser was
observed almost a century ago by the
distinguished French anatomist. Louis
Joseph Samson, according to Prof Henry
Fairfield Osborn OF the American Mu-
scum of Natural History. who has him
self asserted its existence. SO far as Is
known, Dude and Donald are the only
horses whose skeletons appear 70 re-
fute it.
Mr. Stillman and some other doubling
Thonases seem TO believe the bones Of
the Morgans indicate that the number
of vertebra may vary in individual
horses OF all breeds, but faithful wor-
shippers OF the one true breed from
which all equine excellence is derived
spurn any such hypothesis. They ARE
there with another explanation OF the
Lorgans' missing vertebra.
Justin Morgan's Sire.
While the New England tavern keeper
and music master of century ago VINO
owned the original Morgan sire always
called him Dutch horse, Joseph BatteH.
founder of the stud book for Morgans.
ascribes his paternity to True Briton
or Beautiful Bay, charger ridden dur
ing the Revolutionary War BY Col.
James De Lancey. a New York Tory In
arms. from whom he was captured near
Kings Bridge by some adventurous
SINNERS and ridden off into the Conti-
mental lines at White Plains. This
horse was chock full or Arabian blood
through both sire and dam. and II he
was in reality the progenitor Of the
Justin Morgan horse IL might well be
that he transmitted through him TO the
Morgan breed the anomalous anatomy
of the Arab.
Mr.. Battelrs pedigree OF Justin Nor
gan has not been accepted by nearly all
horsemen, but If 1t should appear on
further investigation now being made
by the Bureau of Animal Industry at
Washington that Arabs and Morgans
are the only horses having less than
twenty-four vertebrm, this fact would
20 very far TO prove the Battell pedi-
gree. Pedigrees have been established
and also overthrown by recent discov-
cries relating 10 the Inheritance OF coat
color in horses. but 1t would be some
thing new for science to prove the
paternity of a horse that died a hun
dred years ago by the backhones OF his
present day descendants.
Bronze statue OF Great Sire.
Next winter will mark the end OF a
century since the Justin Morgan horse,
whose name probably was Figure. died
from exposure. neglect and the effects
of kick at the age of 81 near the viii
lage of Chelsea. VT. 1t is doubtful
whether any horse can be instanced that
so strikingly impressed upon his de-
scendants to the fifth and sixth gen.
erations his own striking and valuable
characteristics, adding millions Of dol
lars to the wealth of the country and
tho members of the Morgan Horse Club.
of which Mr.. Stillman is secretary are
going to celebrate the centenary OF his
death by unveiiing a bronze statue of
the stallion at the Morgan Horse Farm.
Middlebury, VT, which is owned and
operated by the United States Govern
ment The statue is now being cast
from the model by Frederick G.. Roth,
and the unwilling viii take place In
September with appropriate ceremonies.
No portrait of Justin Morgan or
Figure was ever made from life. so
far as is known, and the sculptor has
worked entirely from descriptions OF
the horse. First hand descriptions are
few. The one usually considered best
was written thirty years after his
death by d. G. Linsley, a man VINO
never saw him. Mr.. Linsley wrote a
book about Morgan horses In 1856 and
had unusual opportunities for drawing
his description from original sources.
long since cut off. He said
A Mastery Description.
Justin Morgan was about IL hands
high and weighed $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 been
sometimes described the hair OF both
was straight. and not inclined 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 spirited but pleasant ex-
preston and showed no white around
the edge Of the lid. His nostrils were very
large. the muzzie small and the lips
close and firm. His back and legs were
perhaps his most noticeable points. The
former was very short. the shoulder
blades and hipbones being very long and
oblique and the loins exceedingly broad
and muscular. His body was rather
long. round and deep. close ribbed up
chest deep and wide. with breastbone
projecting a good deal IN front His
legs were short. close jointed thin but
very wide. hard. sree from meat. with
muscles that were remarkably large for
horse ~ his size. and this superabund-
ance or muscle exhibited Itself Ak every
STEP His hair was short and nj almost
all seasons soft and glossy He had a
little long hair about the fetlocks and
for two or three inches above the fet-
lock on the back side of the legs: the
rest of the limbs were entirely free from
X. His feet were small but well shaped
and he was in every respect perfectly
sound and FREQ from any sort Of blem sh
Hc was very fast walker IN trotting
his gait was low and smooth and his
steps short and nervous. He was not
what In these days would be called fast
and we think Il doubtful whether he
could trot a mile much II any within
minutes, though Il Is claimed by many