The Morgan breed originated in West Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1789, with the birth of a bay colt named Figure. His parentage remains today somewhat of a mystery. True Briton, an English Thoroughbred of Arabian ancestry, imported to America in the mid-1700s, most likely sired him. However, there are claims that Figure was the offspring of Young Bullrock, a Dutch-bred stallion. His dam is agreed to be a mare of "Wildair breeding," also of Arabian or Thoroughbred blood.

At one year of age, Figure was given to a Randolph, Vermont, schoolmaster named Justin Morgan in partial payment of a debt. Figure soon matured into a beautiful stallion that could out-trot, outrun and out-pull most other horses. His gentle disposition and hardiness also greatly impressed people from far and wide who requested his services as a breeding stallion.

Whatever Figure’s ancestry his progeny were unmistakable. Endowed with large, kind eyes; small, tipped-in ears; broad foreheads; tapered muzzles; expressive nostrils; refined and arched necks; broad chests; short backs; compact bodies; well-angled shoulders; round croups; fine legs with dense bone; round, hard hooves and a proud carriage, they were greatly renowned for their beauty.

So close was the bond between man and horse that Figure later became known by his master’s name, Justin Morgan. The bay stallion worked hard during his 31 years. Because thrifty New Englanders recognized the quality of his offspring, colts and fillies of the great horse were prized possessions. The majority of registered Morgan horses can trace their lineage back to this single, proponent horse through his three most famous sons - Bulrush, Woodbury and Sherman.

Growth of a Breed
The offspring of Justin Morgan’s sons grew along with the young nation that was building itself upon hard work and determination. In the hands of American colonials, Morgans cleared rugged brush and plowed fields. They went on to serve as world record-setting trotters, elegant carriage horses, working cow ponies and Pony Express mounts. A favored cavalry mount, Morgans were ridden by Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and Union General Philip Sheridan (whose mount, Rienzi, is today displayed in the Smithsonian Museum) and used to pull heavy artillery during the Civil War.

The Morgan's stamina and vigor, together with excellent conformation and way of going, contributed greatly to the formation of other American breeds. The American Saddlebred, Standardbred, Tennessee Walking Horse and Quarter Horse all carry Morgan blood in their veins.

The Quarter horse stallion Joe Bailey was a son of Headlight Morgan. Jubilee King, a famous Morgan, was also registered under the Quarter Horse name of Yellow Jacket. Yet another well-known Quarter Horse sire, Joe Hancock, was sired by Redolent, a son of the Morgan Red Oak. In 1920 the King Ranch of Kingsville, Texas, purchased the two-year-old colt Lucky from the U.S. Government Farm for the purpose of upgrading the stock horses they were breeding.

Ninety-percent of today’s Saddlebreds carry Morgan blood. The original list of stallions selected as foundation sires by the National Saddle Horse Breeder’s Association in 1899 included the Morgan stallions Black Squirrel, Cabell’s Lexington and Coleman’s Eureka. Today, the majority of Saddlebreds carry Morgan blood through the Black Hawk grandsons, Gist’s Black Hawk and Indian Chief; and the great-grandson, Peavine.

Tennessee Walking Horses also owe much to early Morgan blood. The foundation sire, Allen F-1, traced to Black Hawk through his dam. His son, Roan Allen F-38, was also out of a mare tracing to Gifford Morgan.

Finally, the Morgan contributed stamina, substance and purity of gait at the trot to the lines of the American Standardbred, enhancing the speed later given to the breed by the Hambletonian stallion.

In 1894, Volume 1 of the American Morgan Horse Register was published by Colonel Joseph Battell, of Middlebury, Vermont. More than 132,000 horses have since been registered. In an effort to preserve Morgan type, the American Morgan Horse Register closed its books in 1948 to all animals who did not possess registered Morgans as both their sire and dam.

The Morgan averages between 14.1 and 15.2 hands and occasionally reaches 16 hands. It is most frequently found in the colors bay, black, brown, chestnut, gray, palomino, creme, dun and buckskin. The Morgan is easily recognized by its proud carriage, upright graceful neck, and distinctive head with expressive eyes. Deep bodied and compact, the Morgan has strongly muscled quarters. The Morgan horse has a dramatic gait with considerable action.

In 1995, the Morgan pair driven by Lisa Singer led the World Championship charge until an unexpected obstacle took her and the next two competitors out of the running. In 1985 and 1987, Larry Poulin drove a pair of Morgans and set the international driving world on its collective ear by finishing first in dressage and sixth overall their first time out.

While there is no World Championship for the Singles division, Morgans are the breed of choice. In 1992, Bill Orth and his gelding, New-Ran's Hawk, traveled to Windsor, England, to win the Single Horse title at the Harrods International Driving Grand Prix competition. Who was the closest competitor? Why, another Morgan of course! It was Morgan Woods Yankee and his driver, George Hoffman. These men drove their Morgans against the best drivers from nine countries during the competition.

One Morgan who has proven itself in this sport is Minty's Stardust, a 15.1-hand gelding in New Hampshire. "He is great at it because boldness and honesty are two of his top qualities," said his owner, Pat Fay. In 1993 Star won the Green Mountain Horse Association Preliminary Championship in Vermont. So impressed were the show personnel with the 15.1-hand Morgan's victory over his larger competitors that they played Aretha Franklin's "Respect" over the loudspeakers as he collected his winnings.

Yet another success story can be found in TJ Paddy O'Shea and his 16-year-old rider, Ariel Edwards, from California. The 15-hand gelding also proves that ability is not determined by size. In 1994 the pair finished in the top five, five times out, giving Ariel the opportunity to enter him in the 1995 Young Riders Championship where they finished in seventh place.

One you might see is WCM Beaumark Morgan, owned and ridden by Susan Greenall. One of Beau's most recent, and greatest, accomplishments was winning the New York 100-Mile Trail Ride twice, in 1993 and 1995.

Originally purchased for carriage driving, endurance is relatively new for Sue and Beau. "This horse can gallop across uneven ground in the dark, and it is really something," she said. "He never stops impressing me. There are very few horses who can go between endurance and competitive," she continued. "They have to understand the difference between the two, and Beau is smart enough to have figured that out. In competitive riding he knows when he is supposed to be on. He really understands the game of competition."

"Other cutters are surprised that a Morgan makes a good cutting horse," Gerry explained. "But they love the long mane and tail! Crackerjack's athletic ability, intelligence, and ability to watch a cow are his strongest points. In 1994, our high point was winning the Reserve Championship in the Shasta Cascade Cutting Horse Association Novice Cutting Class."

With the breed's close-coupled, compact build, quickness and balance come naturally. When it comes to out-thinking an ornery cow, Morgans move to the head of the class.

In 1994, the palomino gelding Triple S High Noon was 15th in the nation at Third Level dressage, besting 795 competitors from all breeds. Likewise, the stallion Em-Jac's Tenacity was 20th in the highly competitive First Level, against 1,831 competitors.

In 1995, Deborah Dougherty of Washington state confirmed that Morgans can go the distance, when she earned her U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) Gold Medal, riding her home-trained Morgan gelding, Beckridge Patrex.

Dougherty was the 94th rider to earn this distinction out of the USDF's 30,000 members, and one of the few to achieve it on an American-bred horse.

One of the breed's reining stars is the buckskin stallion Primavera Valdez, owned by Bob and Carol Simpson in California.

"We were looking for another Quarter horse when we saw Valdez," said Carol. "We were absolutely against owning a stallion, and knew nothing about the Morgan breed, but felt that Valdez looked similar to many Quarter Horses we had seen in working cow horse competition. At the time, we were also unaware of the Morgan bloodlines that had been infused in the beginning of the Quarter Horse registry, which explains why Valdez looks like so many of the Quarter Horses."

Valdez has won many open reining classes, and also excels in the working cattle and team penning rings.

One thing you may notice during the in hand classes and most of the performance classes is how the horses stand. Their front legs will be perpendicular to the ground, with the hind legs slightly behind their normal, vertical placement. This is called "parking out", and was developed years ago, when ladies rode sidesaddle. Parking the horse's legs behind him prevented the horse from moving away suddenly while the lady was getting on with bulky skirts. Today, the tradition continues as a way of showing off each horse's best characteristics.

Today, the park class is where the entries are always on their toes. Judged 40% on conformation and 60% on way-of-going, this class has the elegance of high-stepping, snorting, energetic horses so keyed to their performance that their hooves barely touch the ground.

Much of the western equipment also descends from traditional needs. The horn on the front of the saddle can be used to "dally" the end of a lasso after roping a calf. The wide brim on the western hat protects the rider from sun and rain. The high boots protect the rider's legs from snake bites when walking, and the leather chaps worn on the legs are tough and durable enough stand against the scratches of scrub brush and rugged range land.

As you can see, Morgan shows are a combination of the horses' historical past and present. In addition to these classes, a show will also allow you to see Pleasure Driving horses (judged on the same criteria as the English Pleasure horses), Roadsters (descendants of the days when horses were raced from sulkies), in addition to classes for Carriage, Dressage, Jumping and even Reining.