The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-09-07
HORSES OF ALL KINDS.
Thousands Of Them That Do Not Com
Under the Head Of Useful AnimAlA

4 Thousands OF Them That Do Not Come
| Under the Mead Of Useful Animals
Very young students in their first at
| tempts at composition often inform
us that the horse is q useful animal
This sweeping generalization is subject
to important notifications before it 10
accepted in all communities. There
are many thousands of horses that toll
not, like their progenitors, but go like
the wind where it listeth and are looked
upon as intolerable nuisances in the
civilized regions they sometimes invade.
Our Australian friends, for instance,
are no lovers of the horse In his I'M
tanned state, and some of the colonies
set a price upon his head and do all
they can to stimulate movements for
| his destruction. Seven thousand wild
horses were shot in New South Wales
alone in 1875. These rovers of the
plain play the mischief with domestic
ated animals when they come among
them, and the colonists are very much
disguised TO observe that the noble
horse, relapsing into barbarism AID
forgetting his oats and the other COM
forts of civilizat ton, runs off with his
wild brethren who have not enjoyed
his superior advantages.
1t must be confessed that our horses
need the restraints imposed upon them
to prevent them from disgracing their
ancestors, who were certainly-dontes
ticated when they were introduced into
this country. Years age it used TO be
the custom in our southwestern terri
tory to brand the young stock, and
even many work animals, and turn
them loose to shift for themselves for q
year or two. When they were wanted
they were always as wild as Mexican
mustangs. Mr.. Powell wrote book
on the best methods of tanning wild
horses The specimens on which he
exerted his talents as tanner were, for
the most part formerly domesticated
animals who had forgotten all about
their restraints while wandering over
the plains of our southwestern terri
tory.
Travellers in western territories are
no longer in danger Of such an eruption
of horsehesh as Murray described in
his travels in North America" He
not only witnessed a stampede of thou
sands Of panio-stricken horses but the
living torrent swept along toward and
over his camp, trampling skins and
dried meats into the ground, knocking
down some of the tents and taking with
them ali the horses except his riding
mare, who vsinly struggled to break
her fastenings- They still range in
=.
the plains of the upper Colorado; but
the wild horse, like the buffalo, hAs
practically disappeared before the ad-
vance of the white man
In spite of the experience 81 the An
stralisns many people, chiefly savasek,
have been able 70 turn the wild horses
TO good account Hundreds of thou
sands Of Mexican mustangs have been
reduced 70 servisade. The wild horse
of the South American panpas, which
three centuries ago, esly fifteen years
after the herss was introduced from
Europe, had spread 10 regions as remote
as Patagonia, has bssn tanned by thou
sands and has become the useful SER
want Of Indian tribes
Naturalists often discuss the cues
ton whether there Is asw ia the world
such q creature as an aboriginal, or
truly wild horse We knew very well
that the wild horses of the western |
hemisphere are All descendants Of /
60mestieated animals Whsre, then. 4
is the aboriginal wild horse TO be forne7 4
The question will probably never Be
settled SIR. J. IL Steel, VINO recently 1
read an interesting paper on Wild I
Horses before the BON bay Natural
History Society. thinks tire evidence is
in favor OF the existncs % thu Wild
horse in Central Asia G.sRsr. tbs
great authority on zoology Of the ssx-
tenth century, was 81 The sane
opinion, bat the fact has often been
questioned. and the assertion cannot
positively be made thai the Wild horse
% the mountain region which the Rus
slams are now exploring and Of which
theT have secured soEas specimens, "a
not himself the deseesd2Ht es ancient
aninsls-folath~zi