The Morgan Horse - An American Legend
Reprint
from The American Morgan Horse Association Justin Morgan was a living legend.
In the manner of so many heroes, he began as an unremarkable colt and became
the father of an entire breed of horses recognized for quality and dependability.
Born in 1789, Justin Morgan started life as a small, rough-coated colt known
as "Figure." In 1791, he left his birthplace in Springfield, Massachusetts with
his new owner, the soft-spoken schoolteacher Justin Morgan, by whose name the
stallion eventually became known. Although his breeding was unknown (thought
to be of Dutch, Thoroughbred, or Arabian breeding), the quality of Justin Morgan's
ancestry showed in his straight clean legs; deep muscling over his quarters
and shoulders; and fine, intelligent head with large expressive eyes and short,
pricked ears. Add to these the quality of his movement, a thick but silky mane
and tail, and a clean-cut throatlatch, and you have the conformation of the
ideal light horse. Despite these fine qualities, Justin Morgan's lack of size
was such that his debt-ridden owner found no buyers on their journey north to
Randolph Center, Vermont. It was simply fate that no one but, his new owner
realized what a little giant he was.
Over the next 30 years, the little bay stallion worked long, hard hours
in the fields and on the roads of Vermont. Gradually, the local population began
to talk about the feats of "the Justin Morgan horse". Standing just over 14
hands tall, Justin Morgan's exploits gained him fame because he was not as big
as colonial workhorses nor as tall and long-legged as racehorses, yet he consistently
outperformed both. There was the time he pulled a log no draft horse could budge,
the day only he had the beauty, spirit and manners to carry President James
Monroe on a muster-day parade ground; and the time he outran the most winning
racehorse central Vermont had ever known, at least until that day.
Doing it all and doing it well, Justin Morgan remained sound of eye, wind,
and limb throughout a lifetime of two ordinary horses. That should have been
enough, but the stallion added still more: showy, ground-covering gaits with
speed to spare at any one of them; a gentle disposition that made him safe enough
for a child to handle yet spirited enough for any horseman, beauty men would
to recall decades after his death; and a rare courage that made men who lost
bets on him hit their flagons of rum and say, 'To the little Morgan!' and drink
deeply.
Justin Morgan also proved to be one of the greatest breeding horses of all
time. As the saga of the little stallion grew, countless mares were bred to
him. So pre-potent were the genes of this stallion that no matter what type
of mare he was bred to, be she of heavy draft or refined racing-type, his offspring
inherited his image and abilities. While most breeds develop by breeding horses
of similar characteristics to each other, Justin Morgan's ability to pass his
characteristics to his offspring for generations to come allowed this single
stallion to found an entire breed in his likeness. Today, every registered Morgan
traces back to Justin Morgan through his best-known sons Bulrush, Sherman and
Woodbury.
In the coming years, the offspring of these strong, willing, able light
horses grew along with the young nation that was building itself upon hard work
and determination. In the hands of American colonists, Morgans cleared rugged
Vermont mountainsides and converted them into rich farmland. But they weren't
mere workhorses, Morgans had the style and elegance to capture the admiration
of any city horseman. While some Morgans earned their keep on the farm others
were in high demand to become smart roadsters for Boston and New York financiers.
When harness racing reached its heyday in the 1800s, the World's Fastest Trotting
Stallion was Ethan Allen 50, old Justin's handsome great-grandson.
As America grew so did the feats of the Morgan. New England men answered
the call of gold and headed for California on Morgans. In the Civil War, the
famed Vermont Cavalry was mounted on Morgan horses. Not only did the Union's
General Sheridan ride his Morgan Rienzi, Stonewall Jackson rode his Morgan,
'Little Sorrel,' for the Confederacy as well! In the Indian Wars, the only survivor
in the Battle of the little Big Horn was Keogh's Morgan-bred horse Comanche.
If the pathways of history are paved with the bones of the horse, surely America's
are paved by Morgans.
While the offspring of Justin Morgan were taming the wilderness and building
the country, they were also creating the standards by which other American breeds
would become known. The stamina and vigor of the Morgan together with his excellent
conformation and way of going helped make other American light horse breeds
what they are today. The great speed of today's racing Standardbreds was produced
by crosses to the fastest Morgan blood. in the 1860s, the Morgan stallion Shepherd
F. Knapp was exported to England where his trotting speed became a byword. Today,
many English Hackneys carry his name in their pedigrees. In American Saddlebreds,
such famous champions as Edna May, Bourbon King, Rex Peavine, and Wing Commander
trace to Justin Morgan. The foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking horse,
Allen F-1, was a grandson of the Morgan stallion Bradford's Telegraph. In addition,
many good Morgan mares were sent to Texas only to lose their breed identity
in Quarter Horse bands, and to make the breed greater for it. The oldest of
all American breeds the Morgan was strong enough to contribute greatly to almost
every other American light horse breed while retaining its own identity across
two centuries.
Present-day Morgans differ little from their mighty progenitor. The average
size of a Morgan today is between 14.2-15.2 hands, with some individuals over
or under. Morgan coats are predominantly chestnut, bay, or brown, although many
black, palomino, buckskin, and even a few grays appear in the breed. The breed's
tremendous courage, disposition, substance, and type has remained as important
to breeders today as it was 200 years ago. Whether you visit farms in New England,
California, or any state in between, you can see bands of Morgans with the same
deep bodies, lovely heads, and straight clean-boned legs. In barns and show
rings across the country, the Morgan show horses flash by with heads high, eyes
bright, and nostrils wide - Morgan quality showing in every hair on their gleaming,
muscular bodies.
Today, Morgans have few wildernesses to conquer or wars to win, but they
still accomplish great deeds. They are loved and revered as dynamite performers
in Morgan shows across the country, and as loyal, sensible mounts on America's
beautiful trails and pathways; they are treasured by mounted police squads and
therapeutic riding programs for their intelligence, soundness, and gentleness;
they are winning awards in driving, dressage, reining and cutting competitions
against horses bred specifically for these jobs; and no matter what they may
be doing or the tack they wear, knowledgeable horsemen see them and know, 'That's
a Morgan!'
A bit of the hard-working, determined Morgan legend is with us whenever
a Morgan carries a saddle-weary cowhand down a Montana mountain, pulls a carriage
around a grueling obstacle course in record time, quietly carries children along
a wooded path, or flashes around show rings with a style that causes spectators
to cheer. The Morgan, our country's first breed of light horse, is as much a
part of America today as it was two centuries ago.' The Morgan legend has also
spread around the world. Morgan owners and dubs can be found in Canada, England,
Germany, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America. The
beauty, intelligence, and willing personality of the Morgan will win you over
too! More than 130,000 horses have been recorded since the American Morgan Horse
Registry was formed in 1894. Today, the breed enjoys great popularity in all
50 states and in over 20 foreign countries. The Morgan is many things to many
people: an exciting show star; a patient lesson horse; a dependable work partner;
the ultimate pleasure mount; a lifelong companion.
