154 THE MORGAN HORSE 



In closing his admirable sketch of the three great sons of Justin 

 Morgan, Mr. Linsley says: 



" Bulrush, Sherman and Woodbury were treated very much 

 alike. Until after ten years old, each of them was employed most of 

 the time at the ordinary team-work of a farm, and at no period of 

 their lives did they have any more care than the common horses of 

 the country ; and never had much knowledge of thick blankets and 

 warm stables, but were early inured to the labor and hardship, fatigue 

 and exposure, incident to a new and mountainous country and a cold 

 climate. It is not improbable that the cold, dry atmosphere and 

 pure water of our mountains have contributed as much as the rich 

 pastures of our valleys to the stoutness, courage and lastingness of 

 our horses. We have thus slightly sketched the more obvious dis- 

 tinctions and general characteristics of these celebrated sons of the 

 original or Justin Morgan. While they differed in the particulars we 

 have herein set forth (which difference was rather in the degree than 

 the nature of their qualities), they all possessed the great and strik- 

 ing features of their distinguished sire. The same compactness of 

 form ; great muscular development ; hardy, rugged constitution ; docil- 

 ity and tractableness ; short, easy, rapid step ; eager ambition and lofty 

 courage, so remarkable in him, were found in each of them in a high 

 degree. Through these noble channels the blood of the Justin Mor- 

 gan has been poured profusely into the hitherto hardy stock of Ver- 

 mont, conveying not only the very form of the great original, but all 

 his unrivalled vigor, grace and ease of motion, combined with his 

 docility and matchless courage". 



