The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1884-03-27
INDIAN PONIES.
A Plainsman's Talk About Their En-
durance and Usefulness
ST. Paul Pioneer Press.

@The possibilities of the Sioux pony have
never been dreamed Of" said a COW gentle
man tone of the aristocracy of the genus cow
boy) to II Pioneer Press reporter recently
"You know the Oh plains saying, Let
white man ride an Indian pony until he can't
make hnn move a step farther, ami, dis
mounting, give place to II Sloux-the latter
will ride the brute twenty miles farther that
day tell you they're wonderful animals
on their native heath. They don't seem 10
take kindly to civilization, know, but that's
because they never had n fair chance. Why,
l can call to mind hundreds of instances of
feGts performed, to remember which makes
me tired i'll seven sorts of ways when read
the rot about Arab steeds and desert barbs
the school books are full Of
compromising lookingi Well, they are not
pretty AS a rule though I've seen some
handles. Turn JayEye See out in a Dakota
winter. and give him just what food he
rustled for-cottonwood twigs and bark and
scaAty buffalo grass mostly-and | don't
guess he'd show up in very marvellous shape
in the spring l was at Sully once, just as
retreat was sounding off - shutdown, you
know. An Indian rode up on pot-bellied,
scrawny- skinned splay-footed, matted
haired calico and gave letter from the ad-
.
To an interpreter who happened to be stand
ing by the Indian, a Brule Sioux, remarked
that he had ridden good ways that day and
his pony was tired. The adjutant noticed
that the Hall letter WAS dated that morning,
and his interest being aroused, asked the
messenger when he left his post He replied
that he started just after first sergeant's CALL
(after daybreak). Subsequent investigation
proved his truth. He had ridden that sorry
nag fully l04 miles in less than thirteen
hours, and much of the way the road would
have been hard on a bird. ! tell you we
treated that NANCY looking bl ute AS if he
had the bluest blood of all the bards in his
veins
almost any officer on the Missouri
river can tell you of the famous ride Gorse,
the scout, made from the Stanley expedition
l don't remember the miles something over
800 in less than four days, but | know he
only used one pony, and went straight across
the most God-forsaken country III America
The Indians differ from the Arabs in that they
have affection only for the best of their
ponies j guess should say had as to many
of the Sioux, since they were pretty well
dismounted IN October, 1876. Their war
ponies are always the best of the herd of
course, and receive good deal of care. A
buffalo pony ranks next. You can tell one
by the notch i'll the points of the ears A
good buffalo pony knows how to elude the
charge of mad bull rs well a | know how To
skin an antelope: stops just at the right time
and run, at the proper speed. You take a
green horse and hunt buffalo and you'll
find the affair isn't SO tame after all
I'D like to see some attention paid to rails
ing good Sioux ponies. You can't Imagine
how quickly they show the effects Of half
way decent care and plentiful food.
Tricky! Well not so terrible. You see they
regard their masters as natural enemies, and
treat them accordingly. They are apt to shy
badly, but that's because they've stepped into
prarie-dog or fox holes occasionally, and
every tuft of long grass or mound of gravel
creates suspicion. Ilges can tell you how
his five companies of infantry got through
the terrible campaign of lSS0Sl. The dough-
boys had Indian ponies for mounts and the
little devils would paw away the snow to get
grass-mercury frozen i'll the tube. mind you
and when they reached keogh, after the
campaign. were actually fat and full Of
kick"