30 THE HORSE. 
hundred and fifty pounds. His colour was dark bay, with black legs, 
mane, and tail. He had no white hair upon him. His mane 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 prominent, and showed no white 
round the edge of the lid” (Qy. iris ?). ‘“ His nostrils were very large, the 
muzzle 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 thigh-bones 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 the breast-bone projecting a good 
deal in front. His legs were short, close jointed, thin, but very wide, 
hard and free from meat, with muscles that were remarkably large for a 
horse of his size, and this superabundance of muscle manifested itself at 
every step. His hair was short, and at almost all seasons soft and glossy. 
He had a 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 his limbs were 
entirely free from it. His feet were small, but well shaped, and he was 
in every respect perfectly sound and free from blemish. He was a very 
fast walker. In trotting his gait was slow and smooth, and his step short 
and nervous ; he was not what in these days would be called fast, and 
we think it doubtful whether he could trot a 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 but little, he never stumbled. His proud, 
bold, and fearless style of movement, and his vigorous untiring action, 
have perhaps never been surpassed.” 
He describes him as being fast for short distances, by which he explains 
that he means a quarter of a mile, which he says was the usual distance 
run in those days. From this celebrated horse are descended, more or 
less remotely, “‘ Black Hawk,” “Ethan Allen,” “ American Eagle,” and a 
host of horses celebrated for gameness, and many of them for fast-trotting 
powers. But those who dispute the claims of Mr. Justin Morgan’s horse 
to be considered the founder of the family, assert that before his time a 
similar horse prevailed in this district, which was made up of crosses 
between the Canadian horse and the English thoroughbred. I shall, 
however, leave this much-vexed question for the Americans to settle 
among themselves, contenting myself with a description of the modern 
Morgan horse as he is recognised throughout the states of America. He 
is generally, though not universally, admitted to be very stout and 
enduring, with good action, especially in the trot, and great hardness of 
constitution. He shows very little evidence of pure blood indeed it may 
be said that the reverse is the case, as he invariably possesses a thick and 
long mane and tail, with a considerable curl in both, signs which may be 
truly said are fatal to his claims. In height he seldom exceeds fifteen 
hands. His frame is corky, but not remarkably well put together, there 
being generally a deficiency in the coupling of the back and loins. ‘The 
forehead is very light, and carried high, somewhat in the fashion of 
the Canadians, but not so heavy in the crest and junction of the neck 
to the shoulder, though the setting of the head is equally thick. On the . 
whole, the Morgan horse may be described as extremely useful, but defi- 
cient in what we call “ quality,” in proportion to the absence of thorough 
blood. 
