St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-31
FIGHTING HORSES.
A Fierce Encounter Between Two STALL
ions and "a Jack.

Il EAeFce Encounter between Two StaN-
ions and "a Jack.
Some horses, OF course, are almost
1ncurably vicious, and must be con-
qucred by main force. Ole pleasing
brute on my ranch will at times rush
at a man open-mouthed like u wolf.
and it is a regular trick of the range
stations. In Il great many-indeed.
in most localities there are wild
horses to be found, which although
invariably of domestic decent, being
either themselves runaways from
some ranch or Indian outfit, OF else
claiming such for their sires and
dams, yet are quite as wild as the an
telope on whose domain they have in.
truded. Ranchmen run in these wild
horses whenever possible, and they
are but little more diff cult to break
than the so-called tame animals.
But the wild stations are whenever
possible, shot; both because of their
propensity for driving off the ranch
mares, and because their incurable
viciousness makes them always I'M
safe companions for other horses still
more than for men. & wild stallion
fears no beast Except the grizzly, and
will not always finch from an en-
counter with it; yet it is curious
fact that a jack will almost always
kill one in a fair fight. The particu-
lars of fight of this sort were related
to me by cattle man who was en-
gagged in bringing out blooded stock
from the East. Among the animals
under his charge were two great STALL
ions, 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
Enclosure, next to the jack-pen, and
began to fight as orly enraged STALL
ions can, striking like boxers with
their forefeet, and biting with their
teeth. The gray was getting the best
of it; but while elm ched 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
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 antago-
mist by the throat with his wide-open
jaws. and then held on like bulldog,
all four feet planted stiffiy 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 MAX
ing him loose his hold. Twice they
fell, and twice the stallion rose, by
main strength dragging the jack with
him; but all in vain. Meanwhile the
black horse attacked both the combat.
ants with perfect 1mpartiality, strik-
ing and kicking them with his hoofs,
while his teeth, as they slipped off the
tough hides, met with snap like that
of bear-,rap. Undoubtedly the jack
would have killed at least one of the
horses had not the men come up, and
with no small difficulty separated the
maddenedIbrutes. Theodore Rosoevelt.
in Centuru.