SECRETARY'S REPORT. 189 



form of the Shetland pony, united however with sufTicicnt size 

 and remarkable muscular power. They are in fact a breed of 

 large ponies. 



Of the Bulrush family the Morrill horses are perhaps as pop- 

 ular as any ; though Morgan Emperor, the sire of North Star, 

 and of the famous trotting horse Chicago Jack, was a very 

 excellent stallion. 



The Bulrush Morgans, so far as they can be distinguished 

 from the other families, arc rather remarkable for strength and 

 bottom, than for speed or beauty. It has been said that " a 

 smart, active boy would wear out a wrought iron rocking-pony 

 sooner than a grown-up man could break down the constitution 

 of a Bulrush horse." 



The ^lorgan horses have been crossed in every direction, and 

 of course, have at present but little claim to the name from the 

 amount of original Morgan blood in their veins. Compared, 

 however, with the horses of any other country, they are quite a 

 distinct breed, peculiar for their compact, muscular forms, their 

 activity and strength, their soundness and endurance, their 

 comeliness, usefulness and perfect trotting action. Upon exam- 

 ining the pedigrees of all the most celebrated Morgan stallions, 

 ■we see that there is a large infusion of English Racing blood 

 in them. Thus Justin Morgan was at least half Thoroughbred ; 

 Sherman, three-quarters; Woodbury, one-quarter; Bulrush, 

 one-quarter ; Gilford, five-eighths. Fifty of the best stallions 

 in Linsley's book are out of half-bred mares; twelve out of 

 quarter-bred ; five out of so-called Messenger mares ; and nearly 

 all the Morgan stallions of any note get racing blood from their 

 sires, to the extent of, at least, one-eighth. 



Thus it appears that, as in England, very valuable horses for 

 all work and especially for the road, have been produced by the 

 judicious crossing of the Thoroughbred with other breeds ; so 

 in this country our best horses owe much of their superior 

 excellence to a mixture of Racing blood. Just what propor- 

 tion of this is best adapted to produce the finest roadsters has 

 never been definitely decided ; and it is by no means an easy 

 problem. Thoroughbred horses rarely have the essential gift 

 of trotting sufficiently square and free to please an American 

 taste ; and their feet and limbs are not quite large and substan- 

 tial enough for rapid driving on rough roads. Still, there are 



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