Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-06
WAR AGAINST WILD HORSES.

Wild horses have become so numer-
o,s on the plains that some of the
stockmen in this vicinity have organ
lied a hunting party, whose object will
be to thin them out. The hunters are
provided with long-range rifles. fleet
monies, and supplies and forage enough
TO last all winter, and they will en-
dcavor to make a clean job of it.
These horses have existed on the plains
for many years, but of late they have
been increasing very fast. They are
oujck to scent the approach Of foes,
fleet as the antelope that may often be
seen browsing in security at their side,
and as unmanageable as the wind.
Native animals when turned loose on
thn prairie soon become wild, and if
allowed to run without being disturbed
breed very rapidly. Horses continually
break away from their owners and
;oin the wild horses, and this is the
rn,son why stockmen are aroused over
tbc subject. Men who crossed the
,,l,ins in lS49 encountered many wild
horses. and for years afterward they
y1,1sf nav l1S1CCSOu CIlllSl IGl ullIllll
;shcd, Horses stand the winter much
better than cattle, and unless the
weather is unusually severe will come
ont fat in the spring.
Every year large numbers of domes-
fc horses escape from the settlers.
some OF them are found, but when
mares escape they are never reclaimed.
Tn wandering over the plains they n
counter the wild bands, and from that
fine forward are as wild as the others.
The wild stations are the guardians of
the bands. Always on sentinel duty,
ihev rive the alarm when the enemy
approaches. In a moment the stray
o;ers are rounded in, a tiect-footed
Stallion leads the van, and. with the
others at his TANKS. away they go in a
laundering charge. Nobody has yet
been able to overtake them. Some
times they are lassocd or shot, but such
a thing as heading them Oft in q race is
out of the question.
The range of wild horses at present
extends from Texas to the Southern
Dakota line. They are more numerous
in Northern Colorado, Wyoming and
Western 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 seventy-tive, but now
q bunch of twenty-five is considered
large. Sometimes thereismore than one
stallion in a band, but one of them is
always acknowledged as chief, winning
shis distinction by many hard-fought
battles with his rivals. One bunch of
eleven horses recently seen near Sidney
was entirely composed OF stations; but
this is explained on the theory that they
We're probably driven out Of various
herds when young, and gradually herd
ed together, as old buffalo bulls are in
ranch of M. T.. Post, about fifteen miles
north OF this city, nearly 200 mareshave
wandered away, and it is believed that
at least one-half OF them have joined
the wild horses.
The wild horses are compact little
animals, weighing from 800 to LOO
pounds. The majority of them stand
about fourteen hands high. In color
they are usually brown, sorrel or bay.
A gray is seldom seen, unless it is a
horse that has strayed away from civa
ilization. Their tails grow long, fire.
quently dragging the ground, but their
names are like those of other horses,
and not flowing to the knees, as they
are represented in some books. The
eye, probably from being constantly on
the watch. is larger than the eye of the
domestic horse, and even when tanned
the eye remains a distinctive mark OF
the horses origin. Wild horses, when
captured and trained are superior to
amy other horse of the same size. Many
OF them are used by the cowboys, and
others are broken to harness and driven
as carriage horses, being entirely trust
worthy.
Several men living in Sidney make a
living by catching wild horses. Until
I'VE or six years ago no n knew how
tcdo it, and very few outsiders now UNI
derstand the methods adopted. Mr..
Livingston of that town describes the
process as follows: 1.-Two men always
work together. Let them start out
from Sidney, either north or south. and
they are almost certain to find a bunch
within fifteen miles. The plan is then
TO pitch a tent and make a camp, and
one OF the men, mounted on his best
horse, carrying with him a few cold
biscuits or something else convenient
to eat, starts after the bunch.
lie does not ride very fast, and
at first does not attempt to get
near them, but is content to keep the
punch moving, not allowing them to
stop and eat. The horses ma go only
1en OF a dozen miles, or they may 90
lifty or sixty; but, no matter how far
1hev run, they will turn back and seek
IN" range from which they started. II
they go far the mettle of the rider and
ms horse will be tried to the utmost.
ihe bunch must be kept moving. and
there is no chance to change saddle
horSes until they turn, of their own ac-
cord and pass near the camp. Day
ana night, on they go. If the weather
ne clear and the nights not stormy, the
rider will continue close after the ami
mails, sometimes half a mile and some