76 THE MORGAN HORSE. 



moved unsteadily, with an occasional toss of the head that 

 plainly told that she was beginning to lose her interest in the 

 trip. 



"As to the horse, not a muscle moved save those of the 

 ears. Thus they kept on for fourteen miles, which was the end 

 of the first stage ; the mare much fatigued with panting and 

 exhaustion. Here they were to have a fresh team, but owing 

 to a horse being very lame from a recent severe sprain, the 

 driver changed but one and drove the chestnut gelding through 

 to St. Johnsbury, some fourteen miles further. This seemed 

 to the party rather hard, but the horse did not seem to mind it 

 in the least, and up the long hill leading into St. Johnsbury he 

 pressed on at the same short, nervous trot which he had main- 

 tained all the way. On leaving the stage at St. Johnsbury, 

 the party took a good look at the little horse that had achieved 

 such a wonderful task, and were told by an old horseman that 

 knew, that the little chestnut was a son of old Sherman Mor- 

 gan, that he was eighteen years old, and that he had been run- 

 ning constantly on a stage team for eleven years." 



Endurance is pre-eminently the heirloom of the Morgan 

 family. 



As regards the adaptability of Morgans as stage horses, Mr. 

 Lindsley says : " I will here give the statement of an old 

 i stager ' by the name of Milo June, who, by the way, was con- 

 sidered one of the best judges of his day. "When asked to give his 

 views respecting Morgans as stagers, he said : ' I have spent the 

 greater portion of my life in staging, formerly in Vermont, 

 now in Missouri. I take pleasure in bearing testimony to the 

 decided superiority of the Morgan horses for coach service over 

 a,ny others that I have ever used. I have bought many horses 

 in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri, and al- 

 though an occasional good roadster may be found, they are not 

 common. Many of the horses of these States have fine forms 

 and good carriage, yet lack the high, free spirit, unflinching 

 courage, and iron constitutions the Yermont Morgans so gener- 

 ally possess. 



