334 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



harness horses in the world, have very true, well-balanced 

 action, and possess remarkable endurance and great intelli- 

 gence. In height they vary from 14 to 16.2 hands, and in 

 weight from 900 to 1200 pounds. Their colors are usually 

 bay, brown, chestnut, or black, and there are a few grays and 

 roans. Standard Bred horses travel at a trot or pace, and some 

 are also able to travel at both gaits and are known as double- 

 gaited horses. The pacing gait is the faster of the two. 



433. The Morgan horse. This breed is a branch of the 

 Standard Bred horse and was founded by Justin Morgan, a 

 horse of Thoroughbred ancestry. These horses were developed 

 in Vermont and New Hampshire early in the nineteenth cen- 

 tury. They are small, ranging in height from 14.3 to 16 hands, 

 and weigh from 950 to 1150 pounds. Their colors are usually 

 bay, chestnut, brown, or black. They possess neither extremely 

 high action nor great speed, but are noted for their endurance, 

 intelligence, and good dispositions. 



434. The American Saddle Horse. The Americans were the 

 first people to develop a distinctive breed for saddle purposes. 

 The Saddle Horse was developed in Kentucky, Tennessee, 

 Missouri, and Virginia, for the use of men who operated large 

 plantations (Fig. 167). The American Saddle Horse stands 

 preeminent as a riding horse and also as the most beautiful and 

 most versatile of all horses. This horse ranges in height from 

 15 to 1 6 hands, and in weight from 900 to 1200 pounds. The 

 colors are black, bay, brown, or chestnut, and there are some 

 grays and roans. They possess fine style and action, and have 

 beautiful heads, long, well-arched necks, and beautiful tails well 

 carried. They are required to perform at five gaits the walk, 

 the trot, the canter, the rack, and either the running walk, the 

 fox trot, or the slow pace. 



435. The Percheron. This is the most popular and the most 

 widely distributed draft horse in the United States. The breed 

 originated in the small district in northwest France known as 

 La Ferche, and was developed from the native horses (which 

 possessed some Flemish blood), with the infusion of Arabian 



