Vermont State Animal: Morgan Horse

The legislative debate clarified that while Figure originated in Massachusetts, Vermont bred and developed the Morgan horse breed. Justin Morgan brought Figure to his farm in Randolph when the colt was two or three years old, and Vermont's landscape, farming practices, and breeding programs shaped the breed's characteristics over subsequent generations. Figure spent 28 of his 32 years in Vermont and New Hampshire, producing countless offspring throughout the Connecticut River Valley. Vermont breeders recognized the exceptional qualities being passed to Figure's descendants and deliberately bred his sons and daughters to preserve these traits, effectively founding the breed on Vermont farms during the early 1800s.

Marilyn Childs, former Director of the American Morgan Horse Association based in Middlebury, and Amber Broderick, former Director of the National Museum of the Morgan Horse, led efforts to secure the Morgan as Vermont's state animal. Their campaign emphasized the breed's historical significance to Vermont agriculture, the horse's contribution to American military history through Vermont cavalry regiments, and the ongoing preservation work at the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm. The designation aligned with Vermont's mid-twentieth-century effort to define state identity through official symbols, following adoption of the Hermit Thrush as state bird in 1941 and the sugar maple as state tree in 1949.

Vermont's 1961 designation occurred during a period when Morgan horses faced uncertain future. Modern agriculture relied increasingly on tractors rather than draft animals, and recreational riding favored larger horse breeds. The state animal designation drew attention to Morgan preservation efforts and Vermont's unique equestrian heritage. The University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm, established in 1878 by Joseph Battell and operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1907 to 1951, had already demonstrated Morgan importance to American horse breeding. By officially recognizing the Morgan in 1961, Vermont committed to preserving the breed through state-supported institutions even as the horse's traditional agricultural roles diminished.

Morgan horses exemplify the self-sufficient character central to Vermont identity. Settlers arriving in Vermont's Green Mountains faced subsistence farming on rocky hillsides with limited resources. They needed horses that consumed less grain than larger breeds while performing multiple functions from draft work to transportation to recreation. Morgans thrived on pasture grass and hay, requiring minimal grain supplementation compared to draft horses or Thoroughbreds. This efficiency made horse ownership economically feasible for small farmers who formed Vermont's social foundation. The same self-reliance that allowed Vermonters to prosper in challenging mountain environments appeared in their horses, creating symbolic connection between people and animal central to state identity and to Freedom and Unity.

Morgan horses built Vermont agriculture during the nineteenth century. Vermont farms operated on hillsides too steep for large draft horses, in valleys too narrow for extensive field cultivation, and across terrain littered with stones deposited by glaciers. Morgans pulled plows through rocky soil, hauled stones for walls, skidded logs from forests being cleared for farmland, and transported goods between farms and villages. Their compact build and sure-footedness suited Vermont's topography better than larger breeds. Farmers depended on horses that remained sound across years of demanding work, and Morgans reliably served fifteen to twenty years without breaking down. This longevity made economic sense for families who could not afford replacing animals frequently.

Morgan horses served Vermont and the Union during the Civil War, cementing their place in state military history. The 1st Vermont Cavalry, mounted exclusively on Morgan horses, fought in 75 major engagements between 1861 and 1865. Of approximately 1,000 Morgan horses that went to war with Vermont cavalry regiments, only 200 returned home, having survived combat, disease, and the extreme demands of military service. Generals on both sides recognized Morgans for stamina, courage under fire, and ability to maintain condition on limited forage during long campaigns. General Philip Sheridan's cavalry mount Rienzi was a Morgan, as was Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's famous horse Little Sorrel. The breed's military service demonstrated qualities beyond agricultural work, validating Vermont breeders' belief in Morgan versatility.

Morgan blood flows through several major American horse breeds, extending Vermont's equine influence nationwide. The American Standardbred, developed for harness racing, traces to Morgan stallions including Sherman Morgan and Black Hawk. The American Saddlebred incorporates Morgan ancestry through Denmark and Gaines Denmark. Tennessee Walking Horse breeding includes Morgan bloodlines from Allan F-1. Quarter Horse pedigrees show Morgan influence particularly through Steel Dust and other foundation sires. This genetic legacy means that Vermont's contribution to American horse breeding extends far beyond Morgan horses themselves, with Vermont bloodlines shaping equine characteristics across the continent during westward expansion.

Figure became known as 'Justin Morgan's horse' and eventually simply as 'the Justin Morgan horse' following the custom of naming stallions by their owner's name. After Justin Morgan died in 1798, the horse continued carrying Morgan's name through successive ownerships. Figure's exceptional prepotency—his ability to consistently pass his own characteristics to offspring regardless of the mare's qualities—created a recognizable type across generations. By the 1840s, Vermont and New Hampshire breeders deliberately sought second-, third-, and fourth-generation descendants of Figure and bred them together to preserve the distinct Morgan type they recognized. This breeding program, conducted by farmers rather than wealthy estate owners, created the only horse breed founded entirely by a single stallion's genetic influence.

Joseph Battell purchased land in Weybridge in 1878 and established a breeding farm to preserve Morgan bloodlines he feared were becoming diluted through crossbreeding with other types. Battell published the first Morgan Horse Register in 1894, documenting pedigrees and establishing breed standards. In 1907, he sold the farm to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operated it as the U.S. Morgan Horse Farm until 1951. During this period, the federal government bred over 500 Morgans for cavalry remount programs, creating the 'Government' bloodline known for substantial bone, athleticism, and endurance. The University of Vermont acquired the farm in 1951 and continues breeding, education, and research programs while maintaining the property as a National Historic Site open to public visitors from May through October annually.

Vermont maintains Morgan horse standards through the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm breeding program and private breeders affiliated with the Vermont Morgan Horse Association. The UVM farm focuses on preserving Government bloodline characteristics including substantial bone, endurance capability, and versatile temperament suitable for multiple disciplines. Private Vermont breeders produce Morgans for show, pleasure riding, competitive driving, and therapeutic riding programs. The state's role as breed birthplace creates tourism value, with the UVM farm attracting thousands of annual visitors interested in agricultural heritage and equine history. Vermont promotes Morgan horses through state marketing emphasizing agricultural traditions and rural character central to state identity and tourism economy.

The 1945 children's novel 'Justin Morgan Had a Horse' by Marguerite Henry introduced Morgan history to young readers nationwide and remains in print eight decades after publication. Henry fictionalized Figure's early life and Justin Morgan's relationship with the colt, creating a narrative emphasizing determination, loyalty, and the underdog succeeding against expectations. Disney's 1972 film adaptation expanded the story's reach, cementing Morgan horses in American popular culture. While historians distinguish Henry's fiction from documented facts—particularly regarding when Justin Morgan acquired Figure and the circumstances of his early training—the book successfully generated public interest in breed preservation and Vermont heritage. The emotional resonance of Henry's story telling introduced generations to Morgan history, even as scholars worked to document the more complex historical reality.

Vermont designated the sugar maple as state tree in 1949, twelve years before selecting the Morgan horse. Both symbols represent resource self-sufficiency and products that supported Vermont economy. Sugar maples provided maple syrup, Vermont's most famous export, allowing farmers to generate income from forest resources during late winter when other farm work remained impossible. Morgan horses provided transportation and power enabling farmers to tap maple trees, collect sap, and transport finished syrup to markets. The partnership between Vermont's tree and Vermont's horse exemplifies integrated agricultural systems where multiple resources worked together supporting farm viability in challenging mountain environment.

Vermont's motto 'Freedom and Unity,' adopted with the original 1779 seal, reflects the Vermont Republic's fourteen-year existence (1777-1791) as an independent entity before joining the United States as the fourteenth state. The motto balances individual liberty with communal cooperation, themes embodied in Morgan horse breeding practices. Vermont farmers exercised freedom in selecting which mares to breed to Morgan stallions, making individual breeding decisions without centralized authority. These independent choices collectively created unity in breed type as farmers recognized and preserved Morgan characteristics they valued. The cooperative effort to preserve Morgan bloodlines in the 1840s demonstrated unity in action, with breeders across Vermont and New Hampshire working together toward shared preservation goals while maintaining individual farm operations.

Vermont's nickname 'The Green Mountain State' derives from French words 'vert mont' meaning green mountain. The Green Mountains that gave Vermont its name provided both opportunity and obstacle for agricultural settlement. Morgan horses specifically adapted to mountain farming, navigating steep hillsides, working in narrow valleys between ridges, and maintaining condition on pastures interrupted by rock outcroppings. The breed's success in Green Mountain terrain made Vermont agriculture viable where larger draft breeds struggled. This geographic connection ties Morgan horses directly to Vermont's defining landscape feature, with the horse representing successful human adaptation to mountain environment that shapes state character and identity, as described in Vermont's nickname page.