216 
July, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Morgan Hunter. 
It has been well remarked that, though a picture 
may convey too favorable an idea of a defective animal, 
yet it is impossible to portray all the excellencies of a 
good one. Making due allowances for the latter diffi¬ 
culty, the above figure may be considered a correct 
likeness of the horse from which it was taken. 
“ Morgan Hunter” is s : x years old; was bred, as 
we are informed, by Mr. Exwell, of Springfield, Vt.; 
was got by Gifford Morgan, dam by the same horse.* 
He was sold by F. A. Wier, of Walpole, N. H., in 
May last,'' to Messrs. Ackley 8c Gilbert, of East Ha¬ 
milton, Madison county, N. Y., and stands the present 
season, at the stable of S. A. Gilbert, in that town. 
He is a capital specimen of the Morgan family of hor¬ 
ses. In his general form, he possesses in a remarkable 
degree, what Youatt lays down as the most important 
requisite in a stallion— compactness— 11 as much good¬ 
ness and strength as possible, condensed in a little 
space.” His head is fine, and his eye large and bril¬ 
liant; his chest capacious, barrel round, loin very 
broad, back short, quarters long and muscular, flanks 
deep and full, limbs short-jointed, flat and sinewy. In 
temper and spirit, he exhibits the intelligence and doci¬ 
lity, which characterise most of his near relatives. Like 
the high-mettled Arabian, he unites the playfulness and 
good humor of a pet lamb, with the courage and pow¬ 
er of the war-horse,—whose ‘ neck is clothed with 
thunder ,’— 1 who rejoiceth in his strength,’ and ‘ mock- 
eth at fear.’ 
The history of the Morgan stock of horses has been 
fully given in previous pages of The Cultivator . Some 
people, however, who have not fully investigated the 
matter, seem to entertain the idea, that they originated 
with a cross of the French or Canadian horse. We 
have never seen the least evidence that the original, or 
as he is called, the Justin Morgan horse, possessed any 
of this blood; and of the four stallions which were kept 
of his get, we believe the Bulrush or Chelsea Morgan, 
was the only one that inherited any French blood through 
the dam. 
We notice various advertisements and cuts of horses f 
as “Morgans,” in the papers of different parts of the 
country. A comparison of those descriptions and their 
originals, with the cut at the head of this article, may 
serve in some degree, to show whether the animals 
truly represent the stock whose name they bear, or are 
only counterfeits. 
Pasterns of the Horse. 
The following sensible remarks on the form of the 
pasterns, are copied from Youatt’s work “ The Horse.” 
“ In proportion to the obliquity or slanting of the pas¬ 
tern, will be the stress on the fetlock-joint, and, there¬ 
fore, the liability of that joint to injury and strain; and 
also the liability to * sprain of ‘the back sinews,’ from 
the increased action and play of the flexor tendons; and 
likewise to injuries of the pastern-joints, for the liga¬ 
ments will be weak in proportion to their length. The 
long and slanting pastern is an excellency in the race¬ 
horse, from the springiness of action, and greater ex¬ 
tent of s ride by which it is accompanied. A less de¬ 
gree of it is necessary in the hunter, who is to unite 
continuance of exertion with ease of pace, and who, in 
his leaps, requires almost as much springiness as the 
race-horse; but for the w T ear and tear of the hackney, 
a still less degree of obliquity should be found. There 
should be sufficient to give’ pleasantness of going, but 
not enough to endanger continuance and strength. Ex* 
perience among horses will alone point out the most ad¬ 
vantageous direction of the pastern, for. the purpose re¬ 
quired ; but the slightest observation will prove the ne¬ 
cessity of considerable variety in the structure of this 
part. Let the reader imagine the heavy drayffiorse, 
with his short and upright pasterns,.contending in the 
race; or the race-horse with his long and weak pas¬ 
terns, endeavoring to dig his toe into the ground to 
move some heavy weight. The concussion is little in 
a cart-horse because his movements are slow, and there¬ 
fore the upright and strong pastern is given to him, 
which he can force into the ground, and on w T hich he 
can throw the whole of his immense weight.” 
* For pedigree of Gifford Morgan, see Cult, for 1846, p. 286 
