64 THE MORGAN HORSE. 



I frequently meet, here in the "West, old farmers who say : 

 " Yes, I have seen the Morgan horse at such a place, at such a 

 time, and he was a large horse, some sixteen hands, and would 

 weigh, I should say, 1,400 pounds; possibly more, maybe 1,600 

 pounds." Now it is very evident that such men have con- 

 founded the name of Morgan with that of Norman, and that 

 explains the whole thing ; but it would require much argument 

 and some practical proof to disabuse their minds, so long 

 made up. 



The most noted son of Justin Morgan was Sherman Mor- 

 gan, sired by the old horse when he was fifteen years old, and 

 was foaled in 1809. He was bred by James Sherman of Lyn- 

 don, Vt. His dam, a chestnut mare — a pacer — belonged to 

 that once popular breed, the Narragansett Pacer. (See Narra- 

 gansett Pacer, Chapter IV.) 



She was bred by Caleb Allen of North Kingston, P. I. ; was 

 used in Providence, E. L, for several years by John Brown as 

 a saddle mare, and was taken to Vermont expressly to-be bred 

 to Justin Morgan — James Sherman being, formerly, a Phode 

 Island man. 



Sherman Morgan was a dark chestnut in color, with two 

 white hind feet and ankles, and a white stripe in the face, tak- 

 ing his color from his dam, while in other respects he was the 

 counterpart of his sire. In height he was thirteen and three- 

 quarters hands ; in weight, 975 pounds. 



This was a most remarkable horse for durability, for, per- 

 haps, no stock horse ever worked so hard as he did (unless it 

 may have been his sire). 



Linsley said : " Most of the year he was kept constantly at 

 work on the farm, much of which he helped to clear up ; and 

 in the winter worked steadily in a team consisting of this stal- 

 lion and his half brother, by Justin Morgan. This team, run- 

 ning from Lyndon, Vt., to Portland, Me., became famous at 

 every inn from Lyndon to Portland, and, after a time, no 

 teamster dared match his team — however heavy — against it, 



