20 THE MORGAN HORSE 



one premium awarded, and that to a Morgan. To trotting stallions four pre- 

 miums were offered, and three of them awarded to Morgans. 



" That this was a very large exhibition of horses is certain, for there were 

 four hundred and forty-three horses entered for premiums. The report of 

 every State fair at the North and West shows that, wherever exhibited, the 

 Morgans takes the very highest rank as horses for general use. Now this 

 evidence of his value is the more striking, as at most of these agricultural ex- 

 hibitions he is among strangers, and he comes into competition with horses 

 long known and having many friends around to assist in sustaining them. A 

 horse that can compete successfully for the highest honors under such cir- 

 cumstances, must be so plainly, and so far superior to his rivals, that the mo- 

 ment he is seen the spectator acknowledges, without hesitation, his great 

 superiority. The appearance of ' Champion Black Hawk', and Silas Hale's 

 ' Green Mountain Morgan', on the fair grounds of Kentucky, at different times, 

 strikingly illustrates this. 



" In the account of the agricultural fair at Florence, Kentucky, in Octo- 

 ber, 1855, published in the 'Cincinnati Gazette' of October 13, 1855, is the 

 following description of the exhibition of stallions for harness : 



"'The Fair at Florence. Yesterday was the day for the exhibition of 



horses. In the ring of stallions for harness, of four years old and upwards, 

 the blue ribbon (highest premium) was tied on a dapple grey, but just then 

 Champion Black Hawk, belonging to Messrs. P. & L. Melendy of Hamilton 

 county, Ohio, was brought in and the multitude immediately shouted, ' take 

 it off', 'take it off'. 



" 'It was accordingly taken off and put upon Black Hawk, and no judg- 

 ment of the committee was more heartily approved by the spectators than 

 this. Champion Black Hawk is of the Morgan stock, and closely resembles 

 old Green Mountain Morgan in size, build, and carriage. He is a small horse, 

 but compactly built, indicates power and endurance, and in horseman phrase 

 is "big for his size" '. 



"So, also, when Hale's Green Mountain Morgan appeared on the show 

 grounds at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1853, he met with a cordial welcome, and 

 the horse was greeted on his entering the exhibition ring v/ith such eager ap- 

 plause as told, full plainly, that his form and his style of action were new, but 

 were appreciated by the thousands of strangers before whom he was moving. 

 It is hardly necessary to say that he received the highest premium, as he had 

 previously done the same season at the Michigan State fair at Detroit, and the 

 Ohio State fair at Dayton. 



" It is proper to add, that the horse was taken from Vermont to Dayton, 

 Ohio, by railroad, without any stop for the purpose of rest. The fair at Day- 

 ton being over, he went directly to Detroit, arriving there after the commence- 

 ment of the fair. From Detroit he went directly to Louisville, where he 

 arrived late the night previous to the last day of the fair. 



"The following letter is from a gentleman long engaged in staging, 

 whose opportunities for observation have been very extensive, and we would 



