Connecticut western news., 1885-01-07
TOO MANY OF THEM.
An Effort Made to Drive tue wild Horses
 Ofthe Plains.

Wild horses have become so numerous on the plains that some of the stockmen 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 for age enough to last all winter, and they will endeavor to make a clean job of if. These horses have existed on the plains for many years, but of late they have been increasing very fast. They are quick to scent the approach of foes, fleet as the antelope that may often be seen browsing at their side, and as un- manageable as the wind. Native ami mals when turned loose on the prairie soon become wild, and if allowed to run without being disturbed breed very rap. idly. Horses continually break away from their owners and join the wild horses, and this is the reason why stock men are aroused over the subject. Men who crossed the plains in 18I9 encoun- tered many wild horses, and for years
 
 rather than diminished. Horses stand the winter much better than cattle, and unless the weather is unusually severe will come out fat in the spring.
 Every year large numbers of domestic horses escape from the settlers. Some of them are found, but when mares escape they are never reclaimed. In wandering lover the plains they meet the wild bands, and from that time for ward are as wild as the others. The wild stallions are the guardians of the bands. Always on sentinel duty, they give the alarm when the enemy approaches. In moment the stragglers are rounded in, a fleet footed stallion leads the van, and, with others at his Hanks, away they go in laundering charge. Nobody has yet been able to overtake them. Some- times they are lassoed or shot, but such thing as heading them of in a race is out of the question.
 The range of wild horses at present extends from Texas to the Southern Ds- ! Northern Colorado, Wyoming and West ern Nebraska than anywhere else on the plains. On the Republican River, on the divide between the South Platte and the Lodge Pole and the North Platte, and as far east as the heads of the Loup and Dismal rivers, the horses range at will. Five or six years ago they could be found on the divide between Sidney and Sterling in punches of fifty or seven ty-ive, but now bunch of twenty-five is considered large. Sometimes there is more than one stallion in a band, but one of them is always acknowledged as chief, winning this distinction by many hard fought battles with his rivals. One bunch Of eleven horses recently seen near Sidney was entirely composed oi s.allions, but this is explained on the theory that they were probably driven olt of various herds when young ini gradually herded together as old buffalo bulls are in tho habit of doing. From one horse ranch nearly 200 mares have wandered away, and it is believed that one-half of them have joined the wild horses.
 The wild horses are compact little ami. mals weighing from 800 to l, GOO pounds. The majority of them stand about four. teen hands high. In color they are usually brown, sorrel or bay. A gray ii seldom seen, unless it is horse that hal strayed away from civilization. Theil tails grow long, frequently dragging tn, ground, but their manes are like thos' Of other horses, and not flowing to tn, knees as they are represented in som, books. The eye, probably from being constantly on the watch, is larger thai the eye of the domestic horse, and evel when tanned the eye remains distinc tive mark of the horses origin. Vii, horses, when captured and trained, ar, superior to any other horse of the sam size. Many of them are used by tn cowboys and others are broken to haI ness and driven as carriage horses, bein entirely trustworthy.