A bay colt, named Figure, became the foundation sire of the Morgan horse.Figure was better known as Justin Morgan, named after his owner the teacher and song writer, from Randolph, Vermont, who acquired him as an unpaid debt. This horse was such a prepotent and remarkable sire, that he still stamps his descendants today with his distinct type, beauty and versatile characteristics. The Morgan horse breed is the first American breed to be founded solely by one horse.

What is a Lippitt Morgan? - Why Is It So Special?

It is NOT a Morgan horse with a "Lippitt" prefix, though it might be.

It is NOT EVEN a Morgan horse descended totally from Morgans bearing the "Lippitt" prefix, though it might be.

In 1910, Fullerton Phillips, a wealthy Pennsylvania gentleman, traveled to Vermont with a dream of raising Morgan horses. He discovered that the horses he was finding were leaner and rangier than his Morgan ideal. They were bred for speed in harness and had been crossed with other breeds. Therefore, these Morgans lacked the versatility, stamina, and overall beauty that he had come to admire and associate with the type and characteristics of the Morgan breed.

Phillips began his search for the older bloodlines and found his ideal. He admitted to spending $200,000 on horses he bought and on his breeding program. He would jingle the coins in his pocket to hasten his purchases.

In 1922, part of Phillips' herd was grazing on a high pasture when a violent storm struck. Twelve of the thirteen horses were killed by lightning. The one survivor was so terrorized that she had to be destroyed. A few horses had remained safe in the barn and Phillips continued breeding his old-type Morgans but he never fully recovered from this tragedy. He died only five years later in 1927. The precious herd was dispersed, after 17 years of careful breeding. A local grain man carried this news to a gentleman named Robert Lippitt Knight. Here was a man who had a special love for old and rare breeds. He chose two stallions and four mares from the Phillips estate, and brought them to his Green Mountain Stock Farm in Randolph, Vermont. Later he added a few more mares to his herd. Most of the other Morgan owners were breeding their stock to horses of other breeds; trying to stay competitive with the changing wants and needs of the show ring as well as sale-ability, fashion and trends. Knight had no worries about such things. He had his own mission and had no concerns for what others wanted or needed. His mind was on conservation of the original bloodlines. Twenty-five years later, Knight dispersed his entire herd of horses, including his favorite stallion Lippitt Ethan Ash, but he soon realized his mistake. He missed what the horses had brought to his life, and found himself buying back most of the horses that he had sold.

When Knight died in 1962, the culmination of a lifetime of breeding was dispersed at auction. The crowd of old-time Morgan lovers was large in Randolph that day.

In 1971, a small group of people dedicated to these special and rare horses, got together to try to preserve this unique family of Morgans. They gave the name Lippitt Morgan to these horses in thanks to Robert Lippitt Knight's contribution.

The Lippitt is a distinct horse in that it has no recent out-crosses to other breeds, resulting in the highest percentage of the original blood available today. Therefore, Lippitts also possess more of the original type and qualities of their founder, Figure, otherwise known as Justin Morgan. They are celebrated for their versatility, willingness to please, disposition, type, and overall beauty that attracted Phillips, Knight and many of us as owners and breeders.

The Lippitt Foundation Stock
The Foundation Stock were chosen by three criteria:
1 - They must be registered Morgans.
2 - They must have as close a cross to our 'cornerstone' Peters' Ethan Allen 2nd 406 as possible.
3 - They must have produced at least one direct line of descent evidenced in our present 'Lippitt' population. Since, to be considered a Lippitt a horse must be totally derived from this Foundation Stock, criteria for their selection is crucial. All Lippitts trace back, on every line of their pedigree to the following foundation horses:

• Croydon Prince 5325 (1890)
• Rob Roy 4483 (1893)
• Donald 5224 (1904)
• Bob B. 5282 (1905)
• Welcome 5702 (1907)
• Sir Ethan Allen 6537 (1909)
• Select 7266 (1923)
• Bilirubin 7462 (1925)

• Bonnie Jean 0343 (1895)
• Polly Rogers 02109 (1896)
• Lucille 01547 (1902)
• Rose of Sutton 02232 (1904)
• Bridget 02852 (1904)
• Emily 03026 (1909)
• Evelyn 06841 (1909)
• Hippolyta 03222 (1910)
• Nancy 03553 (1911)
• Trilby 02532 (1911)
• Susie 03786 (1915)
• Lippitt Trixie X04695 (1916)
• Croydon Mary 02900 (1917)
• Jenny Woodbury 03258 (1917)
• Lippitt Sally 04565 (1918)
• Lucinne 04542 (1918)
• Hannah 03196 (1919)

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. Countless Morgan mares were purchased from farms in Illinois and turned out on the range in the King Ranch remuda but can not be identified as the offspring they produced where shown as being out of “Morgan Mare” in the original AQHA registry books.

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 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 owe much to early Morgan blood. The foundation sire, Allan 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.

The early Morgan contributed bottom, 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.

Reinzi ( a.k.a. Winchester) was ridden by General Philip Sheridan to rally his Union troops and was commemorated in the poem and painting, "Sheridan's Ride" written by Thomas Buchanan Read. Reinzi was preserved and is at the Smithsonian museum.

Little Sorrel was a Morgan ridden by Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in his Civil War campaigns.

Comanche, the lone survivor of the battle of the little big horn is widely considered to have been of Morgan lineage.

Charlemagne was the Morgan mount of General Joshua Chamberlain when he won the fight of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.

Black Hawk
A son of Sherman Morgan, he was famed for his speed and elegant style. He in turn sired the world champion trotter Ethan Allen.

Ethan Allen 50
The fastest trotting stallion of his day, he was sired by Black Hawk. The popular trotting horse weather vane was based upon his silhouette.

Morgans were a favored mount by cavalry soldiers in the Civil War. They were sensible under fire. The could march tirelessly all day. They maintained their condition on unpredictable rations. And they were loyal to their riders in all circumstances. Morgans recorded by Civil War stories include Reinzi, Charlemagne, Little Sorrel. Other Morgans included the mounts of the 5th New York Cavalry: Pink, Betty, Cockeye, Prince, Frank, Mink, Mollie, Jack (#1), Topsy, Nellie, Jack (#2), Dunlap's mare, Sukey, Black Dick, Brydon's Nellie, Charley, Jane, Pomp, Wyman Horse, June, Lucy. A monument was built to honor Pink, and a marker was made for the grave of Billy. Betty Root served under Lt. Trussel in the 1st Vermont Cavalry. Old Clem was owned by Colonel Lemuel Platt who organized the 1st Vermont Cavalry. Clifton was ridden by Dr. William Capeheart of North Carolina until he was killed in action in March 1864.

The following regiments of the cavalry were mounted on Morgans when they were first organized. As horses were killed in action they were replaced by government owned mounts which varied in quality.

First Maine Cavalry
Second Michigan Cavalry
Third Michigan Cavalry
Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry
Fifth New York Cavalry Company H
First Rhode Island Cavalry (Morgans and French Canadian horses)

Fourth Virginia Cavalry Company H-Also known as the Black Horse Cavalry or the
Black Horse Troop, this unit created panic among the raw recruits of the Union army at the First Battle of Bull Run or First Mannassas.

First Vermont Cavalry-this unit received shipments of more Vermont horses during the war, 200 of the original 1,200 Morgans used to mount this regiment survived the war. They inspired the following remarks:

"The mounts of the First Vermont Cavalry were decidedly the best I had ever seen. Everybody was attracted by them. I have heard both General Buford…and General Hatch…say that the mounts of this regiment was the best in the army. General Buford…also told me that he would as soon have this regiment of Vermont volunteer cavalry as a regiment of the regular army."
-Charles Tompkins, Captain, U.S. Army

"The other day, a very fine horse being offered at the Inspection Ground, I bought him. He is a chestnut horse about 15.2 hands high, five years old, weighs between 1,000and 1,100 and is pretty as a picture. He is of the Morgan breed, proud and high spirited, yet fearless. He will stand within four feet of a puffing locomotive and never thinks of being frightened. He is deep-chested and has very powerful and muscular limbs. Built for strength, speed and endurance. He has a very fine head and ears and a neck that might serve as a model in painting. In fact, he is a prince among horses, and I doubt not that I shall be envied my treasure when I rejoin my regiment. I ride him a little every day and enjoy it hugely. It seems good to be once more in the saddle. On the street his proud bearing attracts much attention and the rascal gets more admiring glances than his rider."
_Captain William C. Hazelton, 8th Illinois Cavalry, letter to his mother, June 3, 1864.

"Dad fought in the Civil War and saw a lot of that company from Vermont that had all the Morgan horses. Dad was with the artillery. Six horses were needed to pull each big piece of equipment and Dad got two of those Vermont Morgans for his lead team. He sure thought a lot of them and according to him there wasn't anything they couldn't do. They were constantly in demand to move pieces of artillery that were mired and other teams had failed to move."
_A.G. Maier speaking of his father and his Morgan horses in 1950

1789—Justin Morgan, the breed’s foundation sire, was foaled in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1857—D.C. Linsley’s book Morgan Horses was published. It is the earliest book documenting the history of Justin Morgan and America’s first breed.

1894—Volume I of the American Morgan Horse Register was published by Colonel Joseph Battell.

1907—The American Morgan Horse Farm was established in Weybridge, Vermont, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the breeding and preservation of the Morgan horse.

1909—The Morgan Horse Club was formed at the Vermont State Fair.

1921—To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Justin Morgan, the Morgan Horse Club presented to the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm the Justin Morgan statue, which is still exhibited there today.

1927—The Morgan Horse Club was incorporated as a membership corporation under the laws of the state of New York. This was the first time that certificates of registration were issued by the Morgan Horse Club.

1939—The first National Morgan Horse Show was held in Woodstock, Vermont.

1941—Owen Moon Jr. of Vermont started the Morgan Horse Bulletin, now known as THE MORGAN HORSE magazine.

1949—Otho Eusey of Massachusetts became the printer of THE MORGAN HORSE magazine, a duty he fulfilled until retiring in May of 1980.

1951—The U.S. Morgan Horse Farm was taken over by the Sate of Vermont, becoming the University of Vermont Morgan Farm.

1952—The Morgan Horse Show division was recognized by the American Horse Shows Association which is now USA Equestrian.

1971—The Morgan Horse Club, Inc. was renamed the American Morgan Horse Association, Inc.

1973—The first annual Grand National Morgan Horse Show was held in Detroit, Michigan.

1976—The AMHA was recognized as a member of the National Bicentennial Sports Alliance, and the Morgan was recognized as the Bicentennial Horse.

1981—The AMHA received an official invitation to participate in the Presidential Inaugural Parade for President-elect Ronald Reagan.

1982—The First Annual Membership Convention and Seminar was held in Los Angeles, California, February 12-14.

1985—Morgan horses represented the United States in the World Pairs Driving Championships in Sandringham, England and have continued to do so in years since.

1985—The U.S. Postal Service issued commemorative stamps depicting the Morgan horse.

1997—The Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show celebrates is 25th year.

1997—The first Canadian National Championship Morgan Show was held in Regina, Saskatchewan.

• Chelsea, Vermont—Location of the grave of Justin Morgan, the horse

• Randolph Center, Vermont—Town where Justin Morgan brought his horse. Location where the man Justin Morgan is buried.

• Shelburne, Vermont—Location of the American Morgan Horse Association headquarters.

• South Woodstock, Vermont—Location of the old National Morgan Horse Show before it moved. Also the home of Upwey Morgan Farm, which has become the Green Mountain Horse Association.

• Weybridge, Vermont—Location of the farm where the government bred Morgans for cavalry. Now it is the home of the UVM Morgan Farm.

• White River Junction, Vermont—Where the Morgan Horse Club was formed in 1909.

• Springfield, Massachusetts—Birthplace of the original Justin Morgan Horse.

• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma—Location of the World Championship Morgan Horse Show every year.

Today, Morgans can be found in all 50 states and in more than 20 foreign countries. Individuals generally range from 14.1 to 15.2 hands, with exceptions under and over that. Colors allowed within the breed include bay, black, brown, chestnut, gray, palomino, creme, dun and buckskin. The Morgan has remained a stylish mount with conformation that lends itself well to a vast range of disciplines. Morgan versatility is widely recognized. The breed's soundness, power, agility and stamina make it the choice of many driving enthusiasts. Morgans comprise a large number of entries at Combined Driving and Carriage events, and were the first American breed to represent the United States in World Pairs Driving competition. Morgans also excel in many other disciplines, including Park Saddle and Harness, English and Classic Pleasure Saddle and Driving, Western, Hunter, Jumper, Eventing, Dressage, Reining, Cutting, Endurance and Competitive Trail. They are gentle enough for lessons, 4-H and Pony Club involvement, and due to their steady, comfortable gaits, are in great demand as therapeutic riding horses. Morgans are equally well known for their loving, kind dispositions. Those who buy a Morgan often say they have not only purchased a horse, but have welcomed a new family member.

Compliments of the American Morgan Horse Association  http://www.morganhorse.com

Justin Morgan is most famous in history for the horse which founded the Morgan breed of horses. He is also less widely known, but equally respected, as a musical composer of notable talent. He composed 18th century musical rendition of poetry and psalms known as fuguing tunes or psalmody.
 

Justin Morgan was a descendant of Miles Morgan and born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1747. Miles Morgan was the head of one of the earliest families in Springfield. Massachusetts, originally settling in the area in the 1640's. The Morgans are described as being "substantial yeoman farmers". Family members became active participants in their communities frequently holding town and church offices.
 

Justin Morgan was the son of Isaac Morgan and his first wife Thankfull. He was the eighth of eleven children, mostly boys. Little documentation has been found of Justin's childhood so his early life consists of much speculation. It is assumed that his life followed the same pattern as that of many other boys of the mid-18th century. He apparently received a quality education at some point in time, but where and when is not known.
 

In 1771 Justin was deeded a portion of his father's barn and a small amount of land. He married his first cousin Martha Day in December 1774 at 27 years of age. His first child Martha was born in May of 1776. She was followed by six other children, two of whom did not survive young childhood.

Morgan's occupations, as with others of that time period, appear to have been many and varied. He obtained a license to sell liquor at retail from his home and is said to have maintained a boatmen's tavern. He described himself as a husbandman, or farmer, in the town records. He also was a stallioneer, that is: he maintained stallions at stud with the stud fees generating a portion of his income. During the Revolution Springfield was a cavalry depot for the Patriots which would created a beehive of horse activity in the area. And Hartford, Connecticut, the acknowledged horse center of the times, was located relatively close, being just down the river.
 

In 1782 Morgan became involved in a lawsuit concerning a runaway slave named Price Freeman. Morgan, along with his brothers, were among those in the Springfield community who helped Freeman obtain his freedom so that he might join the Continental Army.
 

Morgan became a substitute tax collector for West Springfield in 1784. He apparently performed his duties as he was paid by the town in 1785. He again became tax collector in 1787. Taxes were very difficult to collect during this period. This was partially due to the poor economic conditions of the times, but equally difficult was meeting the requirement that tax debts be paid in spicie (or coins).
 

Massachusetts law allowed attachment of a tax collector's property and for the auction of that property if the collectible tax funds were not forthcoming. In post-Revolutionary War times, the citizens of Massachusetts were suffering financially from an economic recession and high taxes to pay war debts. Morgan apparently did not fulfill his position satisfactorily as he was summoned into court in January 1788 regarding the lack of tax receipts.
 

He was directed to pay the balance owed by order of the court. Whether he paid the balance due is unclear. Morgan sold his remaining property in March 1788, and moved to Randolph, Vermont. The tax collection situation has been speculated as being one of the reasons why he left Massachusetts for the then independent republic of Vermont as many others were doing at the time.
 

An attempt to correct the situation developed as people became more desperate and were unable to meet their financial obligations. Now known as Shay's Rebellion, action was undertaken to prevent the Court of Common Pleas from sitting. This court was where creditors sued debtors for payment of goods and services. by preventing the court from holding session, debt collection was disrupted and civil war threatened.
 

The rebellion was forcefully put down. Eventually the law was changed to allow the use of neat stock and produce to pay private debts. Still later public taxes were allowed to be paid in like manner and paper currency was issued to assist people with paying their debts. another mitigating factor for Morgan may have been that his wife was a sister to Luke Day, who was the #2 man (behind Daniel Shays) of Shays' Rebellion.
 

In an 1880's interview, Morgan and his family are said to have gone to Randolph by ox sled. Once in Randolph Morgan soon became active in local affairs. In 1789 he was elected a lister and grandjuryman of the town. In 1790 he became town clerk and treasurer holding those positions for three years.
 

He owned and operated a tavern in Randolph Center. The relic of this tavern was burned by college students about 25 years ago. It was located virtually on the campus of Vermont Technical College. Two daughters were born to the Morgans in Randolph, but, unfortunately, his wife died ten days after the birth of the second in March 1791.
 

Morgan has long been acclaimed for his elegant penmanship and as a singing master. He conducted both writing and singing schools, apparently traveling widely to do the latter. He has been detected as far afield as the Susquehana River area (Wyoming Valley) of Pennsylvania and Jericho (now Bainbridge), NY. It has been speculated that he may have gone as far south as Baltimore, MD.
 

Morgan's music was psalmody or fuguing tunes. This music is considered to be America's first distinctive style of music. It has been called "America's first original art music". fuguing tunes are a complex musical composition that involved the theme being elaborately repeated by voices or musical instruments. They require much practice and skill to execute successfully.
 

By European Standards, however, the New Englanders' attempts to compose music would have been considered rustic as it lacked the musical pattern of English anthems. In psalmody the text of the music governs its musical structure. The native New England composers were not formally educated in musicianship. Psalmody closely reflected the Calvinist Protestant religious practices of the day. The Calvinists practiced "sacred harmony" as singers of psalms. They were popular with the congregations of the Congregational and Baptist churches which dominated New England culture.
 

Morgan's musical compositions are now highly regarded as exceptional, original pieces of music. The rest of his musical compositions are described as having "vivid pictorial quality" which appealed to its audience. The musicianship which created it was highly imaginative if untutored. The "Judgment Anthem" was particularly popular and contained many difficult parts which required singers of exceptional ability.
 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Morgan did not publish a tune books, many of which were quite thick. However, nine pieces of Morgan's music survive today in tune books published by others. The first eight were published in Federal Harmony in 1790. The ninth piece was published later. The tune books were widely distributed and used in rural areas until circa 1810 when fuguing tunes went out of style. Many later publications often did not credit Justin Morgan as the original composer.

Fuguing tunes went out of style about 1810 and were replaced by European music which was in vogue. The native New Englander's fuguing tunes were considered to be rustic and were frequently made fun of by the socially conscious. Although fuguing tunes were relegated to dusty shelves by the trend setters of the early 19th century, they were used in rural areas much longer. This was particularly true of rural Pennsylvania and the Southern mountain areas.
 

Morgan's music continued to be used. However, it was changed over time through simplification and the musical scores roughened. They began to sound like folk tunes and, when published, were attributed to others. Not until the mid-20th century did the fuguing tunes again regain the attention of the musical world. Morgan's music was highly acclaimed and appears to have earned a place in history that is as respected as that of his famous horse.
 

In addition to his ongoing musical activities, Morgan continued his horse activities. While in Massachusetts, he had owned a few mares and raised foals by the stallions he stood at stud. One of the last mares he owned was bred to the stallion True Briton the year he left Springfield, in 1788. The resulting bay stud colt foaled in 1789 was to have a profound and far-reaching effect in his role in American history.
 

Named Figure, the colt was advertised at stud in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1792. He was apparently taken to Randolph by Justin Morgan late that spring as he was no longer advertised at stud after May 21st. Morgan advertised him at stud in 1793, 1794, and 1795. Just when Figure passed out of Morgan's hands is not certain.
 

He was no longer advertised by Morgan at stud after 1795. In 1796 he was advertised at stud by Jonathan Shepard of Montpelier, VT. However he was raced against two New York running horses in Brookfield, VT in 1796 (defeating both easily). That stretch of road is known as "Morgan Mile" to this day and is located close to the place Morgan is said to have lived near the Randolph-Brookfield town line.
 

Figure went on to become known as the Justin Morgan horse. To dedicated fanciers he was often simply called "the Justin". He spent the balance of his life in and around the state of Vermont. Legends of his skills as a racing and pulling horse abound, some fanciful, some based on fact.
 

His most respected quality among horsemen, however, was his ability to reproduce himself and his qualities. His descendants were instantly recognizable for their distinctive look (or type). They were revered for their stamina, beauty, willingness to please, and easy keeping qualities on Vermont's marginal hillside farms.
 

The descendants of Justin Morgan's horse played a prominent role in Vermont history by serving as the general purpose horse of the farm. They served as stage horses when the Concord coach was introduced and stage lines flourished in Vermont. They also fulfilled the role of race horse on America's early harness racing tracks.
 

Outside markets developed for Morgan horses in the 1830's and 1840's enabling many Vermont farmers to pay off their mortgages or provide school tuition for their children. The First Vermont Cavalry was mounted entirely on Morgans during the Civil War. After the Civil War the Morgan began to lose favor as it was not fast enough for short distance racing on the tracks. It lacked the height desired by many in the city markets.
 

In the mid to late 19th century Morgan breeding stock helped lay the foundation for other native American horse breeds. These breeds included the Standardbred, American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking Horse, and in the 20th century, the American Quarter Horse. These specialized breeds often outstripped the Morgan breed's ability to perform the more specialized tasks.

The Morgan horse was developed as a general purpose horse with an ability to do many tasks well. That versatility continues to stand him in good stead today for those who like a horse that can do a little of everything. The fame of Justin Morgan's horse quickly outstripped that of his master's musical abilities.

Justin Morgan died in March 1798 at 51 years of age. He lies buried in the Randolph Center, VT cemetery beside his wife. He had contracted consumption or lung fever (which is now known as tuberculosis). Signs of his debilitation are evident in the deterioration of his fine penmanship in the town's records. His contributions to the musical world and equine development of the nation have been immeasurable.

BY ELIZABETH CURLER  http://www.morganmuseum.org

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