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Morgan Horse
History The
Morgan tradition started when a man named Justin Morgan
brought a young stallion to Vermont in the late 1700’s.
This sturdy young stallion named Figure, quickly gained a
reputation as being able to out pull, out trot, out run
and basically outperform all the other
horses of his time, regardless
of their size or pedigree. It was soon realized that direct
descendents of Figure, who was referred to as the
“Morgan” horse, all seemed to inherit
his sturdy compact build, heart and
stamina, and versatility. Morgan horses quickly became highly
sought after individuals because of their inherent
ability to do anything and do it well.
Figure was a stylish bay horse of many talents. He became widely
known for his ability to pull stumps and logs while
clearing the land of newly arrived
settlers. In addition, he won races and
pulling contests, was a favored parade mount at militia
trainings, and was used as a saddle and driving horse.
His strength, endurance, and
easy-keeping qualities served him well
on the Vermont frontier. Among horsemen he became widely
respected for his prepotency (the ability to pass his own
looks and qualities on to succeeding
generations).
Figure was said to be sired by True Briton, a horse widely
respected for his excellence and known for siring quality
horses. He was said to have been "of
the best English blood." Whether it
was Thoroughbred blood, blood of another breed (such as the
Welsh Cob), or a combination of types
remains open to debate. Figure's dam
was a mare bred and owned by Justin Morgan (having been sired
by a stallion he stood at stud in 1793) and is described
as being of the "Wildair breed."
As was the custom of the day, Figure became known as the Justin
Morgan horse. After the death of Justin Morgan, Figure
passed into other hands and spent the
balance of his life in Vermont and the
Connecticut River Valley of western New Hampshire. He died in
1821 at 32 years of age after sustaining a kick injury
from another horse. He left a legacy
of sons and daughters who were used by
farmers to develop a type of horse well suited to the
hilly topography of northern New England.
Sherman Morgan, Bulrush Morgan, and Woodbury Morgan were
Figure's most famous and influential
sons. These stallions, along with
other unrecorded offspring, came to dominate the horse industry
of New England and northern New York. In the 1820's they
were favorite teams for the stage
lines and for field work on farms and
transport to town. Their reputation as "horses of all work"
was becoming widespread.
New England supplied big city markets such as New York with
Morgan horses for public transportation and freighting as
well as private driving. Morgan horses
comprised the preferred teams of
stage line owner M.O. Walker of Chicago. They were taken
to California to be employed as ranch
and harness racing horses. In other
areas of the West they were also used as ranch horses.
It is well documented that Morgan blood was extensively used in
the later development of American breeds such as the Saddlebred,
the Standardbred, the Tennessee Walker, and the Quarter Horse.
The Morgan was the world champion trotting racer at the turn of
the 19th century, and the Morgan was also the only breed
propagated by the U.S. Government for Calvary mounts.
As a matter of fact, during the civil war, the Vermont Calvary was exclusively mounted on Morgans, and they were considered to
be the best Calvary mounts in either army. It is his beauty,
intelligence, soundness, longevity, and versatility that
separates the Morgan horse from other horse breeds.
By an act of Congress in 1905, a farm to perpetuate the Morgan
horse was established. The United States Morgan Horse Farm was established in Weybridge, Vermont, on Joseph Battell's former Bread Loaf Stock Farm. The farm was operated under the auspices of the federal government until 1951, when it was transferred to the University of Vermont, which continues managing the farm
today.
www.morganmuseum.org
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