| The Look of Lippitts
What is it that sets the Lippitt apart from all other Morgan horses? Is it his physical attributes, his pedigree, presence…that special aura that seems to exude from his
very being? The answer is all of these and more! A thorough understanding of the archetype Lippitt is certainly a must if one is intending to breed this unique Morgan.
Justin Morgan stood around 14 hands and weighed in at around 950 pounds. His mane and tail were coarse and heavy, the hair straight. He was a very compact,
heavily muscled stallion that had great substance with the added refinement to complete the picture. When one looked at him he exhibited a sense of strength,
agility, beauty and grace. His attitude was cheerful and he had an abundance of great controllable energy.The head is lean, with the face being straight or slightly dished below the eyes. His forehead is broad, with generous
width at the poll and between the eyes. There is distance as well from ear to eye and shortness from the eye to his large, dilated nostrils. The muzzle is small with
the lips being close, fine, and firm. Large, dark, luminous eyes are prominent and are set well out on the sides of the head. The ears should be short (shorter than
most other equine breeds), and set wide apart from each other. They are erect….even hooked. The stallion has a heavily rounded crest and the length of the neck is medium.
The mare's neck is fine, her crest being knife-like. The bottom line of the neck is straight and deep from the top to the bottom at the shoulders. The throatlatch may be deeper from the poll to the jowl
and clean cut. The crest and withers must blend together without any indentation or depression in front of the withers. If you begin at the poll, the crest rises close to
the ears forming a curve which is smooth and ends where the withers join the back. Most importantly, the neck is set on top of, rather than in front of, the shoulders.
The most notable points on the whole horse are the back and legs . The back being very short with the shoulder blades and hip bones being long and oblique, the
loins broad and muscular.
He was small…compact, with a body that
was long, round, close ribbed with a
chest that was deep and wide. How can
he be long bodied without having a long
back one would ask? The answer is
simple in that he has extreme shoulder
angulation giving him a longer bottom
line than most other equine breeds.
The breast-bone is noted as projecting out
in front. His whole structure gave the
impression of great substance, beauty and
grace.
The hindquarters are round and they have
balance with respect to the front quarters.
His croup is long, wide and slightly
sloping, heavily muscled and well
rounded. The tail is set high and carried
well up and straight.
The feet of the Lippitt are small, well
shaped and should be free from blemish.
The legs consist of short cannon bones,
are close jointed, bones are thin, but very
wide (bone density) with muscles that are
considered large for his size.
The
pastern, fetlock, and foot should be
similar to the front with the rear pasterns
being more upright.
As A. Fullerton Phillips stated in his
book, “Type once lost can never be
recovered. A horse may be beautiful
and still not have the least resemblance
to the Morgan family or a Morgan may
not be beautiful or perfect but his blood
may be so strong that he will be a very
prepotent individual.”
So, what of Lippitt movement or his
“way of going?” Here is a description
from D.C. Linsley's book Morgan
Horses:
“He was a very fast walker. In trotting
his gait was low and smooth, and his
step short and nervous; he was not what
in these days would be called fast, and
we think it doubtful whether he could
trot a mile much if any within four
minutes, though it is claimed by many
that he could trot it in three.”
And another of his famous quotes:
“Although he raised his feet but little, he
never stumbled. His proud, bold and
fearless style of movement, and his
vigorous, untiring action, have, perhaps,
never been surpassed.”
Apparently, he has a “way of going”
characteristic only onto himself. So where
is this peculiar movement coming from
and how is it being expressed? It is the
flexion at the pastern. The walk is bold, short, fast, and elastic
as is the trot. In the
trot, the movement is low, ground covering,
fast and smooth…nervous. Moreover the
movement can be likened to the energy
contained within a pressure cooker….it
exudes strength, power and agility. The
canter movement is powerful and elastic
and comes from the hindquarters. All gaits
are performed square and even and very
often shoes are not needed.
Such movements made in any gait has often
been described as “trappy.” Trappy refers
to the distinctive way in which the Lippitt
Morgan moves. It is not the shoulder
movement in as much as the rapid and
elastic snapping of his knees and hocks.
When the feet touch the ground they land
flat, neither toe nor heel touch first and the
feet do not linger. The terms ‘nervous and
vigorous’ are often used to describe the
movements made. Here, they are
indicative of his rapid, quick, but very
determined way of going.
All the aforementioned characteristics are
essential in both stallion and mare when
the decision is made to begin a breeding
program of the archetype Lippitt Morgan.
It is not wise to confuse “type” and
“quality:” to do so is a grave mistake.
Quality can exist in any animal, whereas,
type or breed identity, belongs specifically
to the archetype Lippitt.
Lippitt breeders should be interested in
acquiring only near perfect Lippitt
stallions and mares as their foundation
stock. There should be a great interest in
both the proliferation as well as the
preservation of the Lippitt. Strive to put
better than what you have on the ground.
Technically, a Lippitt breeder with a
“good eye” can pick out a Lippitt at great
distances all because of the distinguishing
characteristics exhibited by the
Lippitt. He can also pick out quality
along with breed identity.
Take a look at your In-Hand classes.
Good breeders look at what's behind the
horse as well as what's in front of him.
Does this Lippitt have what it takes to
contribute in a positive manner to the
gene pool? Does the stallion or mare
have all the necessary characteristics
mentioned at the beginning of this article?
Do the grandparents? Does the mare or
stallion have the ability to produce
themselves or better?
A judge, on the other hand, may look for
conformation before breed identity of the
Lippitt. This is just one of the injustices
done to the Lippitt. Not all blue ribbon
winners are exemplary Lippitts. When
you look at a Lippitt you must look with
“soft eyes,” looking beyond the apparent
physical characteristics of say a producing
mare who has foaled year after year, or an
aged stallion with a dip in his back. Take
into consideration that a colt or filly can
change for the good or bad in time. Some
mature faster than others and then again
some fall apart. Lippitts have a standard
all onto themselves. They also have
certain peculiarities with the addition of
quality.
All in all, choose your foundation stock
wisely and carefully and never make
money the major issue.
Deborah Siegrist
Bibliography
1. Linsley, D. C., Morgan Horses,
VT:Sharp Offset Printing, Reprint 1997.
2. Parks, Clarence D., V.M.D., The
History, Standard of perfection, &
Judging Outlines for the Morgan Horse,
USA: Approved and Adopted by the Mid-
West Morgan Horse Owners, Inc., Dec.
1961.
3. Phillips, A. Fullerton, The Morgan
Horse As A Found Him, VT: The National
Museum of the Morgan Horse, 2003. |
