11 



Morgan. Linsley asserts that although Justin Morgan raised his feet 

 but little, he never stumbled; nevertheless he recognizes the fact that 

 a horse that was very low in action was likely to stumble, and remarks 

 upon the sure-footedness of the original Justin Morgan in spite of 

 this handicap. This sure-footed ness is a present Morgan character- 

 istic, but one can not be certain that the sure-footedness will always 

 be present when handicapped by very low action. 



Justin Morgan "had a little long hair about the fetlocks and for 

 2 or 3 inches above the fetlocks on the back side of the legs." b Linsley 

 congratulates the Morgan breeders of his time that "the present 

 Morgans have not so much of the long hair of the Justin Morgan on 

 their legs. This is an improvement, as the long hair on the legs is 

 unsightly, inconvenient, and in no sense useful." One still sees this 

 peculiarity occasionally, but no case comes to mind where a Morgan 

 which has it is more highly valued on that account, even by the 

 most enthusiastic advocates of the "ancient" type. 



Linsley also explains the greater size of Morgan mares in districts 

 remote from market as due to the fact that buyers had not reached 

 such localities to purchase the larger mares. He deplores the fact 

 that farmers allowed themselves to be tempted by high offers to sell 

 the largest mares. d 



That we should adopt the original "ancient" Morgan type in its 

 entirety seems little short of folly. Linsley himself admitted that 

 Justin Morgan possessed faults; he was too good, a horseman to 

 imagine that such a thing as an absolutely perfect horse ever existed, 

 and he warned breeders not only to avoid breed faults, but by intel- 

 ligent breeding to improve and add to the breed's good qualities. 



THE IMPROVED TYPE MUST CONFORM TO MARKET REQUIREMENTS. 



The writer has no intention of drawing a ridiculous picture of the 

 original Morgan horse. He merely desires to point out the mistake 

 which would occur if well-meaning people succeed in perpetuating 

 manifest faults. Justin Morgan's good qualities far outweighed his 

 poor ones, yet it is doubtful if a competent judge would consider him 

 in a modern show ring. His small size, the hair on the fetlocks, and 

 his low action would be regarded as objectionable by any fair- 

 minded critic. It is no discredit to the horse to say this. He 

 belonged to his time and he filled his niche. It was by his pre- 

 potency, his influence as a sire, that he created a place in horse 

 husbandry. But if Justin Morgan were reincarnated to-day he 

 could not fill this place. In short, the blood of the horse, as shown 

 in his descendants, is greater than the horse himself, and the story of 



a Linsley, D.C. Morgan Horses. New York, 1857. P. 132. e Ibid., p. 181. 

 b Ibid., ']>. 182. ''Ibid., ]>. 208. 



[Mr. 1C,",! 



