The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-04-05
Fighting Horses.

Theodore Roosevelt is contributing
series of separate papers on Ranch
Life to .Ihe Century which Frederick
Remington illustrates from his own
experience. From the Home Ranch"
in a recent number we quote the fol-
lowing: Some horses, of course, are
almost iucurably vicious, and must be
conquered by main force. One pleas
ing brute on my ranch will at times
rush at man Open-mouthed like a
wolf, and it is regular trick of the
range-stallions. In a great many
indeed, in most-iocalities there are
wild horses to be found, which, al
though invariably of domestic descent,
being either themselves runaways
from some ranch or Indian outfit, or
else claiming such for their sires and
dams, yet are quite as wild as the
antelope on whose domain they have
intruded. Ranchmen run in these
wild horses whenever possible, and
they are but little more difficult to
break than the so-called tame AMI
mails. But the wild stations are,
whenever possible, shot; both because
of their propensity for driving off the
ranch mares, and because their in
durable viciousness makes them al
ways unsafe companions for other
horses still more than for men. A
wild stallion fears no beast except the
grizzly. and yet will not always finch
from an encounter with it; yet it is a
curious fact that q jack will almost
always kill one in fair fight. The
particulars in fight of this sort were
related to me by cattle man who was
engaged in bringing out blooded stock
from the East. Among the animals
under his charge were two great stall
lions, one gray and one black, and a
fine jackass, not much over half the
size of either of the former. The ami
mails were kept in separate pens, but
one day both horses got into the same
inclosure, next to the jack-pen, and
began to fight as only enraged stall
lions can, striking like boxers with
their fore feet, and biting with their
teeth. The gray was getting the best
of it; but while clinched with his an
tagonist in one tussle they rolled
against the jack-pen, breaking it in.
No sooner was the jack at liberty
than, with ears laid back and mouth
wide open, he made straight for the
two horses, who had for the moment
become separated. The gray turned to
meet him, rearing on his hind legs
and striking at him with his fore feet
but the jack slipped in, and in min
ute grasped his antagonist by the
throat with his wide-open jaws. and
then held on like a bulldog, all fouI
feet planted stiftiy in the soil. The
stallion made tremendous efforts to
shake him off; he would try to whirl
round and kick him, but for that the
jack was too short; then he would rise
up. lifting the jack off the ground, and
strike at him with his fore feet; but
all that he gained by this was to skin
his foes front legs without making
him lose his hold. Twice they fell
and twice the stallion rose, by mair
strength dragging the jack with him
but all in vain: Meanwhile the black
horse attacked both the combatanti
with perfect impartiality, striking and
kicking them with his hoofs, while his
teeth, as they slipped off the tougl
hides. met with snap like that of :
bear-trap. Undoubtedly the jacl
would have killed at least one of the
horses had not the men come up, anC
with no small difficulty separated th'
maddened brutes."