SOWS OF JUSTIN MORGAN 139 



"We think the Shermans have the best action in harness, and the 

 Woodburys the best action under the saddle, or moving without 

 saddle or harness at the end of a bridle rein. Persons unaccustomed 

 to use horses except under the saddle may not understand in what 

 this difference consists, and we will endeavor to explain. To ap- 

 pear well upon a parade or fair ground, under the saddle, or led, the 

 horse must have a good figure with abundance of muscle, the head 

 must be carried high, and he must be overflowing with life and nerv- 

 ous energy, that keeps him constantly in graceful and active motion. 

 His movements are comparatively unrestrained. If he champs his 

 bit, and tosses his mane with excitement, it will not injure his ap- 

 pearance, provided he exhibits a pleasant temper, and yields cheer- 

 fully and readily to the authority of his master. 



"To appear well in harness, the horse must have a figure 

 equally good, the same muscular development, and exhibit a high 

 spirit, but he must have less eagerness, he must have submitted him- 

 self perfectly to the control of his driver. He must carry his head 

 high, but he must keep it constantly and easily in that position ; he 

 must move directly forward without any prancing or sidelong motion 

 and must move invariably in a walk or trot; in short, he must be a 

 perfect and beautiful machine, guided by a touch and controlled by a 

 word. If touched with the whip, he must not bound with fright or 

 ill temper, nor if possessed with the right temper will he fail to notice 

 it ; on the contrary, he will not soon forget it, and the driver who 

 ventures to administer the blow will find ample evidence, in the in- 

 creased and steady pull upon the reins, that it did not pass unnoticed. 

 While thus moving like some beautiful machine, and submitting 

 wholly to control, every movement must appear easy and natural, and 

 there should be no appearance of restraint, just as well as the attitudes 

 and gestures of the finished actor appear spontaneous and natural, 

 when in fact they are all studied and artificial. 



"Black Hawk and Green Mountain Morgan will illustrate our 

 meaning. They are both fine specimens of the race, and are both 

 widely and favorably known. Aside from his speed, the reputation 

 of Black Hawk as an elegant driving horse is too thoroughly estab- 

 lished to be in any way increased or diminished by what we might 

 say of him, and we refer to him only to illustrate our meaning. He 

 comes nearer to our beau ideal of a perfect driving horse than any other 

 animal we have ever seen. Possessed of abundance of spirit and life, 

 there is also manifest a quietness and evenness of temper that make 

 him under all circumstances perfectly controlable ; his step is nervous 



