The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-03-14
Fighting Horses.

Theodore Roosevelt is contributing
series of separate papers on Ranch Life
to The CHtrg which Frederic Remington
illustrates from his own experience.
From the Home Ranch in the March
number We quote the following:
"Some horses, of course, are almost in
curably vicious, and must be conquered
by main force. One pleasing brute on
my ranch will at times rush at man
open mouthed like a wolf, and it is
regular trick of The range stations. In
great many-indeed, in most-localities
there are wild horses TO be found, which
although invariably of domestic descent,
being either themselves runaways from
some ranch or Indian outfit, or else
claiming such for thesr 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 animals. But the wild stations
are, whenever possible, shot; both be-
cause of their propensity for driving off
the ranch mares, and because their in
curable viciousnes makes them always
unsafe companions for other horses still
more than for men. A wild stallion
fears no beast except the grizzly, and will
not always finch from an encounter with
it: vet it is 4 curious fact that a jack will
almost always kill one in fair fight.
The particulars Of 4 fight of this sort were
related to me by a cattle man who was
engaged in bringing out bloOded stock
from TIE East. Among the animals un
der his charge were two great stations,
one gray and one black, and fine jack
ass, not much over half the size OF either
Of the former The animals were kept in
separate pens but one day both horses
got into the same inclosurc, next TO the
iack-pen, and began to fight as only en-
ragged stations can, striking like boxers,
with their fore feet, and biting with their
teeth. She gray was getting the best Of
it; but while clinched with his antago-
MIST 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 foF the two horses. who had for
the moment 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 minute
grasped his antagonist by the throat sith
his wide-open jaws, and then held on
like a bulldog, all four feet planted stiff
ly in the soil. The stallion made tre-
mendous 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 of 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 loose his hold. Twice they fell, and
twise she stallion rose, by main strength
dragging tie Jack with him; but all in
vain. Meanshi.a tiac black horse attack
ed both the ecm5atants With perfect i'm
partiality. striking and kicking them
with his hoofs, while his teeth, as they
/ slipped off the tough hides, met with q
snap like that ola bear-trap. Undoubt-
edly the jack would have killed at les st
oae of the horses had not the men come
up. and with no small difficulty separat-
ed the maddened brutes.''