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The Morgan Horse Introduction The Morgan breed of horse originated in colonial New England, with the birth of a single stallion, originally named Figure. As was the custom with great horses during that time, he eventually became known by his owner's name, Justin Morgan. The man Justin Morgan was a traveling music teacher. In that day the children were spread out over the countryside in small schools. Each school had one teacher, but it was common for the parents to get together and hire in addition a singing teacher who would come periodically to teach the children music. Thus, the singing master Justin Morgan traveled from town to town teaching the joys of music to his young charges. He scraped by with a very meager existence, and when his wife died was unable to keep his family together. He was a sick man and his illness coupled with the necessity of travel in his line of work eventually required that his children be split up and placed in foster homes. Justin Morgan continued to travel from town to town until he eventually became so weak that he died. He wrote many hymns during the course of his life, but he is not really remembered for that accomplishment; instead, he is remembered because fate bestowed upon him a hardy little bay stallion called Figure. From this one stallion sprang a legendary breed of horse, the Morgan horse. Morgans are highly prized today not only in New England, but throughout the United States and the world. They are known to be tough, hardy horses with both great strength and lovely style. It is no wonder that such a horse would have developed in New England at about this time, the early 1800's. The people of New England were a tough but stylish lot themselves, and they prized any horse that could aid them in their less-than-easy lives. You might say that the Morgan excelled in this place at this time because he could do more with less. He required little feed compared to other horses. He enjoyed his work greatly, even though that work was backbreaking, all-day, six-days-a-week. New England was very hilly and rocky and a common job in those days was to clear trees from steep rocky hillsides. This job required strength because it's not easy to pull up big tree stumps and drag big trees. It required maneuverability because of the tough terrain. It required intelligence, fast thinking and quick feet because it was pretty easy to get in a jam and have to get out of it in a hurry. The alternative was that either horse or handler (or both) could be gravely injured. When faced with hard, dangerous work like this, it's no wonder that the men of New England highly prized any horse that could work as hard and efficiently as the Morgan could. Morgans weren't just workhorses, though. They were also racehorses, riding horses, and fine driving horses. New Englanders of the period needed some diversion from the hard life they led, and racing horses was definitely a popular pastime. These weren't usually formal races, although there was some of that as well. Typically a horse race was an informal affair which developed from a chance meeting along the road or in the pub. The reputation of the horse Justin Morgan developed from many such informal occasions. A man named Robert Evans leased the young Figure from Justin Morgan for fifteen dollars per year. Evans used Figure to clear a hillside lot of trees. As they worked together day in and day out, Evans' respect for the little bay stallion grew. Evans found that Figure could pull great loads compared to his size, and that the little horse was always ready to go to work. After working all week, Evans typically went down to the corner pub for a little camaraderie on Friday night. One particular night the talk in the little town had turned to a discussion of a large pine tree that needed to be moved to the sawmill. All the teams in town had tried to move the tree for processing, but none could budge it. Evans immediately spoke up to say that his horse could move the tree to its destination in only three pulls. His friends of course laughed at the thought of this little pony sized horse doing something that several pairs of draft horses hadn't been able to do. Evans got a little mad when the people wouldn't believe his boasts, so he invited them to follow him on out to the big tree right then. (Again, this was at night, after Figure had worked long and hard all that day.) He harnessed Figure, and, with the little crowd following behind, making lots of jokes and jabs about Evans' sanity (or the lack thereof), Evans hitched Figure to the great tree. Then, he stopped and looked back at it. He said he hated to take all their money (for all the men had wagered with Evans that Figure couldn't do the job) with no challenge in the task. He asked three stout men from the crowd to go sit on the log. They did, and the jokes and jeers only increased. Evans took another look at the load, warned the men to watch their feet and legs, and called to Figure to "get up". Figure strained into the work collar and the log moved. In only two pulls Figure moved the log and the three men to the destination point. This was the first of many public demonstrations of Figure's strength and will. It is no wonder that this little bay stallion became not only a legend in his own time, but the father of an entire breed. Figure proved himself in many ways through the years, by pulling loads, beating the fastest racehorses of the day, and, most importantly, by fathering many sons and daughters who could equal his many accomplishments. The Development of the Morgan Families There are many notable Morgan individuals in the history of the breed, and there are many families within the breed. A family is defined as a group of closely related individuals, sharing specific characteristics in temperament, talent, and conformation. It is fascinating to read of the many different bloodlines, how they developed, and how they were used. Huge volumes have been written on this subject. We don't have the time or space to consider them all, but we will at least talk about the four largest families within the breed today. These are the Lippitt, the Government, the Brunk, and the Western Working families. Lippitt The Lippitt family was established to preserve the original Morgan type, linebred to the great stallion Ethan Allen 2d. The name 'Lippitt' derives from the breeding prefix of Robert Lippitt Knight, who operated the Green Mountain Stock Farm in Randolph, Vermont, from 1927 - 1962. Mr. Knight was instrumental in preserving this old style family within the Morgan breed. In the early 1970s a number of Vermonters, who cherished the old and unimproved 1790 model Morgan Horse, gathered together in an attempt to preserve this wonderful icon of our past. After many months of thought and work, the foundation stock (7 stallions and 16 mares) for the Lippitt family was chosen. This foundation stock included many horses used by Mr. Knight and, to honor Mr. Knight's work in the preservation of these old bloodlines, the name Lippitt was chosen for the family of horses and The Lippitt Club, Inc. While many horses bred by Mr. Knight and carrying the Lippitt prefix qualify as Lippitts under the definition of The Lippitt Club, he would on occasion breed to outside bloodlines, and so not all Lippitt-prefixed horses qualify as Lippitts. The endearing qualities of the Lippitt strain are endurance, hardiness, longevity, tractability, intelligence, and versatility. As was true with the original Justin Morgan, the Lippitt Morgan has the ability to thrive on simple living conditions, hard work, and minimal pampering. The Lippitt Morgan is a quick study, has an inquisitive mind, and does not shirk from hard work. Government The Government line derived from an experiment station established by the United States government in 1905 in Burlington, Vermont. The purpose of this program was to produce horses for the U. S. Calvary. The horses were to exhibit true Morgan type, strength, athletic ability, endurance, versatility, temperament and economy, but a further goal was to increase size. In 1907, Col. Joseph Battell, first editor of the American Morgan Horse Register, donated his family farm at Weybridge near Middlebury, Vermont. The breeding stock from the experiment station was relocated, and the United States Morgan Horse Farm was officially established. The foundation stallion for the Government farm was General Gates, foaled in 1894. General Gates was a full brother of Lord Clinton, the fastest trotting Morgan of his day. The Government Farm instituted a testing process to ensure that only the best stock was used for breeding. These tests included 100-mile endurance rides, jumping, timed races, etc. The long line of champions in the ring, on the trail and field, and in harness which derived from the Government program, bear witness to the success of this program. With decreased need by the government for fine horses, funding was discontinued for the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm in 1950. The University of Vermont took part of the herd and continued breeding. The remaining stock was dispersed among four universities and the general public. A number of Morgan horse breeders have based their breeding programs on the government lines and the influence of the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm is felt throughout the breed to this day. Brunk Joseph Brunk and his family established the Brunk line in 1893 in and around Springfield, Illinois,. These horses were known for their high action, sound, correct legs and feet and all around athletic ability. They were often line-bred and usually high quality, showy individuals. Their influence is felt strongly in the ranch breeding of the west known as the Western Working family. This blood is also highly sought after for sport horses, because of the family's great athletic ability. Western Working Several western ranchers developed the Western Working Family during the period between 1880 and 1950. With the rapid expansion of the cattle ranching empire in the mid 1800s, there developed a need for a tough, agile, sensible cow horse to work the ranches that often encompassed thousands of acres of rugged, open range. The Western Working Morgan was developed from a combination of old Vermont, Government, Brunk and old Midwest bloodlines. The result is a family of Morgans noted for good feet and legs, deep bodies, and strong hindquarters. They are also highly prized for their fast, ground-covering walk and trot, and tremendous stamina. Additional requirements for these hard-working horses are an intelligent, sensible, willing temperament, and lots of heart and cow savvy. Today, there are pure descendants of the early Western Working Morgans still being bred for ranch use as well as competition and pleasure. The Morgan Today Today, the Morgan is found in many countries and, while the opportunity for hard work for horses has gone by the wayside for the most part, Morgans are still highly revered as both fine show / competition horses and wonderful family horses. Although many horses have been replaced by machinery on western ranches, the Morgan is still used as a cowhorse for the everyday ranch work of driving and catching cows. He is also used as a driving horse for people whose work is driving tourists around the city or providing carriage services for weddings and parties. The Morgan breed standard dictates that a Morgan should be from 14.1 to 15.2 hands, with some individuals over or under. While a 17 hand Morgan is unlikely, 16 hand Morgans are not uncommon, and some farms are breeding for additional height because it is desirable for some disciplines such as foxhunting. Most people will overestimate the height of a Morgan, anyway, because of his conformation and the way he carries himself. You will hear people say things such as "That's the biggest 14 hand horse I've ever seen" on viewing a beautiful prancing Morgan mare or stallion. The Morgan is very upheaded. His neck ties in high to his chest and withers. He also draws himself up when on display, either in the show ring or just when visitors come to call at the farm. He is known to be an extremely easy-to-handle horse, but he struts and carries himself proudly at the same time. Today, Morgans are competing at the highest levels in competitive driving, dressage, jumping, endurance, cutting, and reining. They also put on a fine show in horse shows in the in-hand, Western Pleasure, English Pleasure, Park Driving, and Park Harness classes. As with most modern breeds, there are some differences between show Morgans and family Morgans, but for the most part, both show and family horses frequently come from the same bloodlines. The Morgan has been called "America's first horse" and "America's warmblood". Both titles make sense, but perhaps an even better title would be "America's Y2K Horse". He is not only the horse of America's history; he is also the horse of America's future. He possesses the form and talent to hold his own in a variety of endeavors, but even more importantly, just like the little stallion Figure, he has the will and polish to beat all comers with great style. ...."Written by Melissa Garber, Lost Creek Farm, Fayetteville, TN"

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