The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-15
@uderagM gatelIiaeneer.
WAR ON WILD HORSES.
Wyoming gtoclkmcn Organizing Hunters
to PuTsuo Them.

A Cheyenne correspondent Of the
Chicago Tribune writes: Wild horvet
have become 30 pumerouR on the plainl
that come of the stockmen iu this vicinity
have organized hunting party whose
object will be to thin them out. The
hunters are provided with long range
rifles, fleet ponies, and supplies and forage
enough to last all winter. These horses
hive existed on the plains for many
years, but Of late they have been increas.
ing very fast. They are quick to scent
the approach of foes, feet as the antelope
that may often DO seen browsiDg in secu.
rity ut their side, end as unmanageabie
az the wind. Horses continually break
away from their oWneEs,l6nd join the
wild horses, and this is the reason Why
stockmen are aroused over the subject.
The wild stallions are the guardians of
the bands. Always on sentinel duty,
they give the alarm when the enemy
approaches. In o moment the strngglers
are rounded in, a heet.footed stallion
leads the van, and, with the others at his
hanks, away they 60 in numbering
charge. Nobody has yet been able to
overtake them. Sometimes they are
lassood or shot, but such thing as head
ing them off in o race is out of the
question. The range of the wild horses
nj present exteuiB from Texas TO the
Southwestern Dakota line. They are
more numerous in Northwestern Colora.
do, Wyoming, and Western Nebraska
than anywhere elsB on the plains. Five
or six years ago they could be found on
the divide between Sidney and Sterling,
Nebraska, in punches Of so or rs, but
now o bunch Of 25 is considered large.
Sometimes there Ia more than one stallion
in O band, but one Of them is always
acknowledged as chief, winning this dis.
tinction by many hard fought battles
with his rivals. One bunch of eleven
hofs,s recently seen near Sidney was
entirely composed of stations; but this
10 explained on the theory that they were
probably driven out OF various herds
when young and gradually herded to.
ge!her, as OLD buffalo bulls are in the
habit of doing. From the horse ranch
OF n. e. Post, about fifteen miles North
OF this city, nearly two hundred mares
have wandered away, and it is believed
that at least half Of them have Joined
the wild horses.
The. wild horses are compact little
animals, weighing. from 800 to l,lOo
pounds. The majority of them stand
AoHatSSu Aauoo plBu. III CoIOf tucy are
usually brown, sorrel, or bay. A gray Is
atrayed away from civilization. Their
tails grow long, frequently dragging the
ground, but their names are like those of
other horses and not flowing to the knees,
as they are represented in somo books.
The eye, probably from being constantly
on the watch, 10 larger than the eve Of
the domestic horse, az ! eyss when tanned
the eye remains n distinctive mark Of the
horses origin. Wild horses when cap.
tured and trained, are superior to other
horses Of the same size. Many of them
are used by the covboya, and others are
broken to harness aud driven as carriage
horses, being entirely trustworthy.
Several men ipSidney make o living
by catching weid horscs. Until FIVE or
eix years SSo no one knew how to do it,
ahd very few outsiders now understand
tne 2Iethods adopted. Mr.. Livingston,
Fl that town, describes the process as
follows: "TVo men alwaye work together.
Let them start out from Sidney, either
North or South, and they are almost Ger.
tain to find bunch within fifteen miles.
The plan 10 then to pitch tent end
make o camp, and one Of the men,
lnpnnted on, his best horse, carrying with
hin, few cold biscuits or something else
convenient to eat stnrts after the bunch.
He does not ride very fast, and ct first
does not attempt 70 get near them, but In
content to keep the bunch moving, not
allowing them to stop and eat. The
horses may 60 only ten or u dozen miles,
or they may go fifty or sixty, but, no
matter how far they run, they will turn
back and Geek the range from which they
ate-.ea. II shay go fnE tho Eeti;a OF the
rider and his horse will be tried TO the
utmost. The bunch must be kept NOV.
ing, and there 10 no chance to change
saddle horses until they turn of their own
accord and pass near the camp. Day
and night on they 60. II the weather be
clear and the nights not stormy, the rider
will continue close after the animals,
sometimes half q mile and sometimes
within o hundred yards. II makes no
diff6HenCe' whether 1t be da;k or light, the
hos=ssSS = stks:assss tks:as Is ridden and trained 10 the
business follows after .he herd. When
the frat rider succeeds in turning the
bunch and bringing them back to the
camp BE is relieved by the second, who,
with o fresh horse, ntarts after them,
while his companion turns In and takes
o much needed rest. This time they will
not probably go 80 far. After o ,whilo
shey become tanner, and the hunter can
tuTR them s5 pleasure. This ;:Sisy rec.;.e
o week or 1t may be done In couple of
days. IL the horses do not become
scared they will not run 30 far, and ore
moro easily managed. When the bunch
becomes worried and starved out, it Ia
the nearest corral. For
merly corrals were erected specially for
the purpose, b. ) new ranches arc 80 nu-
msrous that they are. not needed any
more. Once inside the widest Of the
band arc caught and chains fastened to
ehair! legs. Mon walk among them and
treat then. kindly, end they coon learn
that there 10 nothing to DO feared. They
s:s sss;ssttss iiss9ss 10 sny ordinary pasture,
driven 60 the corral and roped. II two
horaea in week they of course make a
lion, as the aniraals will sell OF from $50
,verinkes them1uhen in .pursnit.
raissrs threatens TO put o stop to this
Dnsiness. Mounted upon their grain. fed |
horses the hunters will pursue the wild
banda when they are somewhat weakenedl
BY Tho rigofs Of winter. Riding an close
70 possible the men win shoot the stai.
ions from tine 70 time. II IL hoped thatH
BIZ spring nearly ar the stallionS will
have been killed, and that the capture oil
The mares by the Wholesale will then bel
An Gration 20 a Murderess. II
E.,FFgE,