The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-06-07
THE PRESIDENTS INDIAN PONY
Washington capitaI.l

Of all the horses h the presidents stables the one which pefhxps sxcites more inquiry and elicits from visitors more of interest is the clean linbed, uins looking little Indian pony given to Mr. Arthur by an Indian chief last summer on his trip through the Yellowstone park. In the interval between the gift of the p ony and the present time, every effort has been made to tame and bre ak him in. yet without avail. Those in charge of him state that never for a moment is he of his guard ever keenly alert and watchful of the slightest movement on their part to prevent and balk their de
 signs, he successfully eludes every srtifice which human ingenuity can invent where by to subjuga.e and render him like unto other horses. He presents a most unusual appearance, for, in addition 10 being piebald, he has a long, flowing
 graceful tail, while along the ridge of his neck rises straigh, and stiff a short, bris,ly black and white comb in place of the easy growing mane one is led to expect from an inspection of :he rest of bis body.
 This plan of having the mane clipped like zebra has been adopted because of the peculiar way in which il grows. rcnd- ering 1t as totally unmanageable as the gracefully little animal himself Pa, him in traces, let him feel buggy behind him, and he acts as though perfectly be- witched round and round in a circle he will go with almost lightning-like rapid ity, course which, n every case where he has been tried, resulted in speedy de- struction of the vehicle, and to the man seated therein an unpleasant celerity tn reaching the ground. True to his former training md native instincts he will bear any amount of burden on his back, in tact the greater the weight the better does he appear satisfied, and will con- tentedly irot under it for any length of time, displaying great powers of endur- ance- As saddle horse he is considered excellent, though in this matter it must be said that various people have various standPoints wherefrom to judge of ex- cellence, and what appears good to one will Tn no wise meet the approval of another.
 One morning last week the president, determined to test for himself the quali- hcations of the little nag in this respect. ordered him saddled that he might enjoy a ride 10 the Soldiers Home, trip which. in the early portion of each pleasant morning. is of almost daily occurrence with him. What MT. Arthur's sentiments may be regarding the other qualifications Of his steed. those concerning his swift ness are of the highest order. When af.cr marvelously short space of time he returned to the White House, itswas 10 remark to the waiting groom that the bolt witnessed by him at the departure of the twain on their exit from ,he gates had terminated only upon their return :o :hS same point whereon they had set out The pony is an intelligent little beast, his vary eyes seeming ;o take in .: glance the whole situation. His ears are pronped. having evidently in his infancy been spli, for some purpose-whether adornment or no, is not known-by his former ln- dian owner. The confined space to which he is nee oessarily restricted appears at times to irritate him beyond measure, so that on warm nights, the door of his stable being opened, he rushes forth like Orestes pursued by the furies into the courtyard beyond, where after tearing madly about half the night he will trot quietly back into his stall. The process of giving him his morning beth ard grooming is looked forward to each day by his attendants as sort of international circus. wherein the prima donna of the ring is the little Indian pony from the Yellowstone park.