CHAPTEK XXVII. 



THE BLACK HAWK OR MORGAN FAMILY. 



Characteristics of the Morgans History of the original Morgan The fabled 

 pedigree The true Briton theory Justin Morgan's breeding hopelessly 

 unknown Sherman Morgan Black Hawk His disputed paternity His- 

 dam called a Narragansett Ethan Allen His great beauty, speed and 

 popularity The Flying Morgan claim baseless His dam of unknown, 

 blood His great race with Dexter Daniel Lambert, the only successful 

 sire of the Black Hawk line. 



FIFTY years ago there was no family of horses so popular as 

 the "Morgans. " They were carried into all parts of the country 

 at high prices and they gave their purchasers general satisfac- 

 tion. They were small, perhaps not averaging over fourteen and 

 a half hands high, but compact, trappy movers and had most 

 excellent dispositions. Many of them were ideal roadsters, 

 where speed was not in great demand, for they were kindly, 

 tractable and always on their courage. Many of them carried 

 themselves in excellent style, and notwithstanding their diminu- 

 tive size, it is not probable we will ever again see a better tribe of 

 every-day, family horses. In all their outline and in every linea- 

 ment they were the very opposite of the blood horse, and when 

 bred on any strain outside of their own family, they almost uni- 

 versally failed to impress their own characteristics on their pro- 

 geny. This failure I observed with deep regret more than forty 

 years ago. The step could be extended and the speed increased 

 by crossing with the long striders, but in securing this we lost 

 the Morgan. In advance of their general distribution they had 

 the misfortune to be heralded as great trotters, and in this re- 

 spect, at least, they failed of meeting expectations. They went, 

 largely, into the hands of inexperienced men, who knew nothing 

 about how to cultivate speed, and the little, short, quick steps of 

 their new trotters gave them all the sensations of going fast, 

 without the danger incident to rapid traveling. In regard to the 

 matter of speed, through the overzealous and not too conscientious- 



