Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-15

ranchman from southern Utah, on
being interviewed about his business by
reporter of the Omaha World, said: "The
impression of the average man Is that
these western range horses are of an in
ferior breed, and are almost good for
nothing. | have been in the range-horse
business for about twenty years. To-day
| have thirteen hundred acres under
fence, and my horses feed over a radius
of from fifty to one hundred miles. In
breeding the mares we exercise as much
care as the man who only has half -doz-
en- to look after. At the head of my stud
| have Mambrino King, a thoroughbred
Kentucky horse, and John Bull an import
ed En- lish coach horse. In addition to
these | have seven graded Percheron
stations for breeding heavier horses.
Ny best brood mares are kept on the
range all the time. Some of them live to
be - and 80 years old. All the mares in
the herd are bred. After the first foal
any that are not considered good for the
purpose are branded for the market.
The breeding season lasts from May l to
Oct. |. The colts run with the full herd.
Generally the mares bunch off and fOlm
companies among themselves. They run
on the range all the year round and new
er require any hay or grain. 1t takes
some time for them to learn to eat corn
when we take them up for use. Each
year at the fall roundup for the market
the ycarling horses are thrown, and at the
same season every animal years old Is
broken to the harness and in case of need,
to the saddle. The herd is seldom troub
led with disease, and III case it Is we sim
ply let it work out its own ruin. This
l. I,.l
with some disease like distemper. They
live for about week after they are foal-
ed and then die. | have lost about $50
this season with this disease. In getting
ready for market we pay no attention to
age. The horses are driven into the cor
raj and cut out according to their fitness.
We try to market them at ages ranging
from to years. When horse is want
ed we have to use the rope, but on the
whole there is very little of that work
done. The horses bred from native mares
and imported horses are easily handled
and broken. | only keep four men to
manage the whole herd and care for my
barn horses. l market in Il good season
about three hundred head. This year. as
prices are low, | will not send i'll so many.
The cost of raising horse on the range
is nothing i'll the outlay of dollars and
cents. But the expense of help and the
keeping up of my imported horses are
such that | estimate the cost of each horse
when years old and ready for the mar
ket at so. The prices we receive for the
horses are three or four times that
amount, but We must be we'll paid, for we
have big money invested from the start.
These range horses are shipped into the
market and sold broken and unbroken.
With each lot comes Il range man who is
thoroughly acquainted with the business.
He handles the horse for the purchaser.
The herd is easier cared for and lives on
rougher and hitler territory than would
suit for cattle. The horse, after he is
broken is found to be tough and why.
His wild life has left him young and
sound at $, while native tame horses are
almost nlways stiff and sore at that ace.