THE MORGAN HORSE. 79 



gan family of horses than any and all things else that has 

 been done to their detriment. 



The Morgans seem especially adapted to the rough and 

 hilly country roads of New England from the fact that they 

 are sure-footed ; they are almost iron hoofed ; they are able to 

 descend the steepest hills on a round trot, and their adaptability 

 to ascend or climb those same hills, even with a load, would 

 put to shame many much larger horses. 



As to the success of the Morgans in the trotting circuit we 

 find by the records that no less than 100 Morgan stallions 

 have sired trotters with well-earned records of 2.30 or less, and 

 that such Morgan trotters number more than 200. 



Of the nine stallions of all the trotting stallions in the 

 world up to 1887, who had sired individual trotters Avhose win- 

 nings on the trotting turf had amounted to $10,000 and 

 upwards, we find that three out of the nine were Morgans, viz., 

 Black Hawk, Ethan Allen, and Daniel Lambert — father, son, 

 and grandson. 



The Morgans were among the earlier trotters of the United 

 States and figured on the trotting turf long before it had any 

 such race-tracks as we now find all through our land. (The race 

 tracks of those days were usually half-mile tracks and at the 

 present day would be considered but mere apologies for the 

 development of speed.) And long before America's best hick- 

 ory wood and the best manufactured steel had done so much 

 towards producing light and suitable vehicles such as we now 

 have, saying nothing about the bike which has — it is claimed 

 — reduced the records from the best and lightest high-wheel 

 sulky, very materially. 



Among the recorded trotting performances in races of from 

 forty to sixty years ago, may be found the following : 



Ripton, the fastest trotting son of Sherman Morgan, made his debut on 

 the trotting tracks of New York and Philadelphia in 1835. He successfully 

 ■competed with the best trotters of his day and scored a record of 2.38 (one 

 mile in harness) and 5.15 — two miles in harness. (See Ripton in " Old Time 

 Trotters," Chap. XXII.) 



