The History of the Morgan Horse
Justin Morgan founded the Morgan breed. A man of insight, he also composed 18th century musical renditions of poetry and psalms. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1747. In 1789 one of his mares produced the colt that would so profoundly effect his role in American history. Named 'Figure', it later became known as the 'Justin Morgan Horse'. Justin Morgan was Sired by 'True Briton'. Whether True was of Thoroughbred or Welsh Cob blood remains open to debate. Justin's Dam was described as being the 'Wildair Breed'. Justin Morgan (Figure) died in 1821 at the age of 32 after receiving a fatal blow from another horse. During the Civil War, Morgans were dependable cavalry mounts and artillery horses. Several units of cavalry in the Union army and one (known) of the Confederate army were mounted on Morgan Horses!Only the U.S. Government farm and a handful of dedicated breeders saved the old style Morgan horse from extinction in the past. The dedication of those people involved has ensured the prosperity of the breed and its growing popularity. Though still regarded by some as a 'farm horse' or 'small draft horse', the Morgan has proven itself time and time again to be far more versatile than the average equine. Winning Battle of the Breeds at Spruce Meadows, Canada, on more than one occasion is just one example of the breeds accomplishments. It just goes to show how versatile and agile the breed truly is. The Morgan beat the warm blood in jumping. He beat the Quarter horse in trail, and he beat the standard bred in Driving.
What makes the Morgan so special is his capacity for love. Even the stallions of this breed are known for their gentle temperments. Combined with intelligence and good looks and you've got the perfect horse. Correct Morgan Type should be considered when choosing a breeding prospect. Choose a stallion who's strong points offset your mares weak points (in conformation and/or demeanor). Type is the ideal or standard of perfection for the breed. A Morgan is distinctive for its stamina and vigor, personality and eagerness and strong natural way of moving.
Conformation is the degree of perfection of the component parts and their relationship to each other. The head should be expressive with broad forehead, large prominent eyes, with straight or slightly dished short face, firm line lips, large nostrils and well-rounded jowls. The ears should be short and shapely, set rather wide apart and carried alertly. Mares may have a slightly longer ear. The throatlatch is slightly deeper than other breeds and should be refined sufficiently to allow proper flexion at the poll and normal respiration. The neck should come out on top of an extremely well-angulated shoulder with depth from top of withers to point of shoulder. It should be relatively fine in relation to sex. It should be slightly arched and should bend with the withers and back. The top line of the neck should be considerably longer than the bottom line. The stallion should have more crest then the mare or gelding.
The withers should be well defined and extend into the back in proportion to the angulation of the shoulder. The body should be compact with short back, close coupling, broad loins, deep flank, well-sprung ribs, croup long and well muscled with tail attached high, carried gracefully and straight. The stifle should be placed well forward and low in flank area. The legs should be straight and sound with short cannons, flat bone, and an appearance of over-all substance with refinement. The forearm should be relatively long in proportion to the cannon. The pasterns should have sufficient length and angulation to provide a light, springy step. The feet should be in proportion to the size of the horse, round, open at heel, with concave sole and hoof of dense structure. Viewed from the front, the chest should be well developed. The front legs should be perpendicular to the ground and closely attached to the body.
Viewed from the side, the top line represents a gentle curve from the poll to the back, giving the impression of the neck sitting on top of the withers rather than in front of them, continuing to a short, straight back and a relatively level croup rounding into a well-muscled thigh. The tail should be attached high and carried well-arched. At maturity, the croup should NOT be higher than the withers. The under line should be long and the body deep through the heart girth and flanks. The extreme angulation of the shoulder results in the arm being a little more vertical than other breeds, placing the front legs slightly farther forward on the body. The front legs should be straight and perpendicular to the ground. The rear cannons should be perpendicular to the ground when points of hocks and buttocks are in the same vertical lines.
Viewed from the rear, the croup should be well rounded, thighs and gaskins well-muscled. Legs should be straight. The gaskin should be relatively long in relation to the cannon. The height ranges from 14.1 to 15.2, with some individuals under or over. Other distinctive attributes of the Morgan are his presence and personality. These include:
1. Animation
2. Stamina
3. Vigor
4. Alertness
5. Adaptability
6. Attitude
7. Tractability
The balanced conformation of the Morgan is demonstrated by drawing a vertical line down through the middle of the hip. The front, middle and rear quarters are of equal length. Balanced conformation is necessary for strength and athletic ability. If the front quarters were short in relation to the other parts, it would indicate straight, upright shoulder and probably short, upright pasterns. If the middle section were too long, it would indicate a long, weak back and/or poor coupling (too long between the last rib and flank groove). Low backs and dragging hind quarters can result from these problems. If the rear quarters were too short, it would cause loss of power, action and impulsion in the hind legs. Fortunately, sound body conformation is one of the enduring legacies left to the breed by Justin Morgan.
Also characteristic of the Morgan type is the fact that body length is greater than height at the wither. This rectangular shape is a hallmark of successful sport horses of all breeds, and is not the result of either short legs or long backs, rather, it comes from a great length and slope of the shoulder and an extremely long, powerful hip. Shoulder lay back is responsible for another Morgan trait in that it causes the neck to rise up out of the body rather than hanging out in front as in some other breeds. The role of a long, sloping shoulder in producing easy gaits and the ability to both raise and extend the forelegs has long been appreciated.
Mechanically, the front legs bear most of the weight, while the rear legs propel the horse forward as the engine that drives the horse forward. As rule of thumb, the triangle formed by the point of the buttocks and the point of the stifle should be roughly equal lateral. This configuration provides the best combination of strength, propulsion, and the ability to reach forward under the body to balance the weight of the horse in motion. One distinctly Morgan feature is the relative shortness of the cannon bones and the length of the forearm and upper hind legs. Short cannons guarantee soundness and strength while the long upper legs allow for length of stride.
The head is of medium size with a prominent eye, straight profile, small ears and fine muzzle. The neck is quite long in relation to the body, wide at the base and narrow at the poll with a clearly defined crest. This neck will allow a horse to bend easily at the poll yet have the muscular strength to use the neck to balance the body and lighten the forehand, the withers are well defined and slightly higher than the croup; the back is short and powerful; while the croup is long and gently sloped to allow the horse to easily lower its haunches and get its hind end under itself. The tail is set high and carried proudly. Equine artists use two rules when drawing horses. One is that the ideal horse is the same in depth of body as from the body to the ground . The other is that the horse should be about the same length from the middle of the wither to the poll as from the middle of the wither to the base of the tail. The Morgan fulfills both the working and artistic requirements, making it an equally useful and beautiful animal.
Previous page: Welcome to Elnoresh Morgans
Next page: Stallions