The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-12-12
rHE WILD HORSE oE rAE REpskln.
His Romantic Origin, FEis Habits and ffts
Practical DISCRIMINATION.


isis Romantic origin. MS Habits ana M,
Practical fExterminatIon.
The Indian horses OF the mountain
and plain tribes were originally Of
that wild stock once found IN vasl
herds all over the intra-continent
region, and which had their berinnino
from those that straved from tha
Spaniartls Ia old Mexico, as there were
no animals of that character on tbe
continent until the Spanish conquest.
II we except an extinct species found
only us fossil on the plains of Kansas.
\ hese we're geological specimens long
before the adventof the Indian. aud of
such y remote age as 10 bewiltler the
MIMI IN rs contemplation. Even un-
III tnc middle OF the eighteenth century
the Indians of the country east OF the
Mississippi used 10 laugh M the uhi,e
man, who could not walk bur nust
ride horse. The Indian thougbt
nothing of keeping up dog trotn ali
day, making his fifty and sixty miles
during that time. | AM inclined 10
the belief, after some investigation of
the question. that our word lone
which both Webster aud Worrcster
define rs IAN American proyincialism.
snort gailop." has its derivation
from the fact that those Indians who
were the runners of the tribes alwavs
moved IN sort of Il shufIling gait. re-
sembilng. as the early Freuci voyao-
eurs called il. the ambine of The
'ioup. IN that language lncanino the
wolf, and which has become corrnpted
into ''lope.''
The Wild horses of the American
Continent once roamed from the bor-
der OF Old Mexico as far north rs Lake
Winnipeg. TWentr-three vears a0o
there were n great many Wanderfng
over the broad, grassy bottoms of the
Cimarron IN southwestern Kansas:
perhaps they are not all extinct vet.
All the wild horses that / have ever
seen were of small stature-ponv-b
III every insiance-bHt possessing a
wonderful amount OF endurance;
Tough hardy animal. well fitted 10 per-
FORM the pecuiiar duties the Indian
uen'ahuea oi him. Ii3e average saw
age is very hard on his animals and
nnless their horses were constituted 10
live on cactus aud drink the u,etn
slime OF The buffalo wallowsv Hey
would have become extinct probably.
long ago. When caught vptInr they
are easily sbroken. hut il taken nj nm
advanced age they ARE perfectly incor-
rigiblc. ] remember one THAI us,.l IN
,lo duty on the old stage line between
Ellsworth aud Sterling seventeen Years
ago. de WIS the most vicious bruts
u has ever been my fortune TO see,
w heneFer II hecune neceSsatF to shos
him TIC had 10 he khneked ,lOau will,
an AK, and before he recovered hit
senses. tied. and only in that condition
would the blacksmith dare approach
hlm. His endurance WIS something
marvellous; his driver, lie uuly man |
who could do anything with him at nh. |
tried for Years TO wear him ont b,It |
without success. and he suceumbel nj |
last only TO old are | hare ridden |
behind him many time. but in mo- !
mentary expectation OF having my /
brains kicked out or dashed to pieces |
whenever he started down hill. His /
bones lie bleaching somewhere on the
divide between the Smoky Hill and the
The usual method of capturing the
wild horse by the plains tribe was with
the lariat. in the early days made of
the hair OF the buffalo, or that of the
tails OF ponies. The Cheyennes, Kio-
was and Dacotahs improperly called
Sioux, whenever they started out on
an expedition to catch wild horses,
always picked the fastest animals they
possessed. The rider. winding his
lariat on his arm, dashes into the herd
At dead run. and as soon as he gets
the rope on the neck of a wild horse
jumps off his own as quick as a flash
and. running as fast as he can. allows
The lariat TO slip through his hands
gradually until the animal is choked
and falls to the ground for want of
breath, and lies there a quivering,
helpless mass. Then the Indian moves
forward very slowly. step bv step.
oward the horses head, still keeping
he animal well ehoked, and proceeds
o iasten pair of rawhide hobbies on
his forefeet. Then he lets up on the
ariat, so that the animal can catch his !
breath. aud then takes turn with the /
ariat around the jaw, like bit. which |
gives him wonderful power over the
frightened horse. which pitches and |
'lunges, snorts aud tumbles around
lntil he Is nearly exhausted. Then
he Indian, by careful management.
-ets his hand on the horses nose. pats
i'm little, and is soon able to mount
i'm and he is ..brokenI'
In later years they sometimes
creased the animal. custom taught .
he Indians by the old trappers, | sus- i.
ect; ''Creasing was simply sending !
ball through the tough mass OF girls
lie of the neck. which. bv stunning the
rain for a few moments, caused the
nimal TO fall as if dead. every limb
tretched out and quivering; this lasts
1ng enough for them to be secured.
hen they rise as if nothing had hap
ened to them.
The white man used to adopt en- !
reiy Inherent tactics in capturing the :
lid horses on the Cimarron, in Kan
IS. They simply wore them out by
ever letting them stop to eat or drink. :
nd by keeping up that plan the ami :.
lal was easily ''ropedn after a dav or |.
vo's constant travel.-Kansas Citv :
tar. e
lil.il.IIll GIIlai.. :