morgan horses :: essays research papers

Justin Morgan was a living legend. Born in 1789, Justin Morgan started life as a small, rough-coated colt known as "Figure." Gradually, the local population began to talk about the feats of "the Justin Morgan horse". Justin Morgan also proved to be one of the greatest breeding horses of all time. While most breeds develop by breeding horses of similar characteristics to each other, Justin Morgan's ability to pass his characteristics to his offspring for generations to come allowed this single stallion to found an entire breed in his likeness. Today, every registered Morgan traces back to Justin Morgan through his best-known sons Bulrush, Sherman, and Woodbury. As America grew so did the feats of the Morgan. During the Civil War, Morgans served as cavalry mounts and artillery horses. A cavalryman was only as good as his horse and the Morgan is mentioned in many sources as a highly desired horse during the Civil War. The First Vermont Cavalry, mounted entirely on Morgans, gained a wide spread reputation as a fighting unit. The first Morgan Horse Register was published in 1894. In the Civil War, the famed Vermont Cavalry was mounted on Morgan horses. Not only did the Union's General Sheridan ride his Morgan Rienzi, Stonewall Jackson rode his Morgan, 'Little Sorrel,' for the Confederacy as well! In the Indian Wars, the only survivor in the Battle of the little Big Horn was Keogh's Morgan-bred horse Comanche. Crosses to the fastest Morgan blood produced the great speed of today’s racing Standard breds. The foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking horse, Allen F-1, was a grandson of the Morgan stallion Bradford's Telegraph. The oldest of all American breeds the Morgan was strong enough to contribute greatly to almost every other American light horse breed while retaining its own identity across two centuries. In barns and show rings across the country, the Morgan show horses flash by with heads high, eyes bright, and nostrils wide - Morgan quality showing in every hair on their gleaming, muscular bodies. The Morgan legend has also spread around the world. Morgans worked along side their owners clearing fields and forests. By locating second, third, and fourth generation descendants of the original Morgan horse, they established the foundations of the breed. The majority of Morgans, however, did their daily work willingly and efficiently. They were highly regarded as general-purpose horses capable of performing a wide variety of tasks.