Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-12-15
TOUGH POAU RUAI.
HOW THE HARDY ANIMAL FARES
AMONG coLoRAoo's FOOTHILLS.


Brute Is Fitted FOR Approval by New
ports Heavy swelis.
The sun Is beating pitilessly down on the
brown foothills Of Colorado, for IL Is high
noon, and the month IS August
pony mare dun in color and only just
"a hands in height, Is moving about un-
easily, evidently weary, anxious and watch
full Her coat Is rough, her ribs show
gauntly, and her hoofs are innocent OF
shoes Altogether the little mare is not an
attractive animal, yet were horseman to |
pass by and cast, as he undoubtedly would, |
a second glance at the pony, he would be |
sure to see some rare good points in her
makeup.
She has a good, intelligent head, fair |
shoulders, a roomy middle piece and most |
excellent legs-hard, clean and without the |
least sign Of spllnt or SPAWN Her mean |
est point Is a poor quarter. She Is also
somewhat goose rumped. Although it
might be difficult to prove IL, for stnd books
are noaAsept very carefully on the ranches,
sue has a drop Of the desert blood, her
grandsire being half bred, imported by an
English ranchman somewhere In the EOS.
The air is growing hotter each minute,
Far as the eye can reach ~ the same sun
baked, rolling eNpanse Of dried buffalo
grass. The mare moves toward stunted
patch Of sage bush scrub, and in a second
or two has come TO where little foai,
scarcely more than few hours old, is lying
painting in the shade She dares not 90
very far away, for the lean wolf and hungry
coyote would soon make short work Of her
offspring did they not know that kick
from even an unshod hoof will pulyerze the
stoutest wolf that ever prowled the plains
M. ~ 80,
were It born in the east instead Of in the
west, be the object OF tender solicitude to
numerous stablemen, and its every want
would be- supplied, but here, among the
foothills, IL will have to be built OF pretty
good timber to stand the strain Of exist
encc. The nearest water Is five miles away,
and yet that distance will have to be trav-
ersed every time the dam has to drink, and
even now she cannot resist the temptation
| much longer.
with a low whinny the gentle creature
| calls the youngster, and az it comes gam
boiling up she starts in direction which
| her instinct tells her will be a see line 10
| the nearest spring-a dirty muddy pool,
| rolled by cattle, aud fnyorite haunt Of the
hungry coyote,
The mare and foal reach their destination
in safety, and each day the same dreary
|
| Is II any wonder that the western pony Is
tough and endurng' Muscles of steel and
bones Of iron. When in after life the gal-
| liant little beast has TO carry heavy foot
rider in come cup match ut Newport, Cedar
hurst or Wenham, IL is mere child's play
compared with the daily struggle for eX-
istence when q fo1l
In due season the fonl becomes colt and
IS taken into the cOrals Of the ranch to
which it belongs Naturally docile, though
spirited, It happily gets broken without be-
coming 'mean though seeing that Sin
gleshot Mike did the breaking after his
usual rough and ready fashion, this is some
thing to be wondered at
Ridden Mt the annual roundup, and also
Mt the usual routine work OF the ranch by
one of the boys, the dun colt, or MS 1t isnow
called, buckskin, eventually becomes one
OF the handiest ponies owned by the outfit,
and being naturally gifted with very fair
turn of speed, owing to the diluted but
still potent drop Of desert blood inherited
from the imported great -grandsire, finally
attracts the attention Of the boss and be-
comes ht own especial favorite mount
The dun pony is now just years old, IA
hands high, and just the stamp to catch a
polo players eye. One fine day Getaway
the noted horse dealer comes along, on the
lookout Tor anything that will sell for a
good price at Newport, lie has an almost
unlimited order for really good geldings,
but canaot sell more than half dozen
mares during the season, as the eastern
players will have nothing to do with them
as a rule, much to the bewilderment of the
COW puuchcrs, who consider, and rightly
enough, too, that the mare is usually more
} enduring, quicker and handler than the
, horse or gelding
: Getaway notes the buckskin at a glance,
aud although he is far TOO astuto TO let on
inwRrdly determines to have the little beg
gar. Well he knows that he will be amply
able TO give any sum likely to be demanded
, by the boss, and still make u handsome
profit on the transaction when he gets to
, Newport.
, The scene now shifts II couple OF thousand
, miles to the eastward The dun was pur
l chased for also. and it cost another SIS &c
= put him where he is-in n comfortable but
{ unprctcntious stable in the rear OF the
Ocean House A probable purchaser is ex
: pectcd; the litter in the stall Is changed
r the pony given final rubdown his tail la,
o been locked before starting for the east
t and in the sleek, neatly groomed little nal
= no one would recognize the shaggy, i'll KEEP
+ brute Of two months before,
. A dogcart stops at the stable door, Il dap
= per groom jumps TO the eob's head, ant
= Charley Hcavyswell alights to have a lool
Il Rt Getaways latest bit OF equine perfec
T. ton OF all the swagger Newport mel
n Charley Henvyswell IS by long odds TIN
1 most gorgeous. His appearance on thi
8 Hue June morning is thing OF chastene,
beauty, but to give him his due be also is
most finished horsem0u aud Rbsolutu.'
fearless No man in the country can Illus
|. tie a sticker-a hier can spare''--quite s.
/. well rs Charley Heayyswell
y lie Is langnidly pleased at the dun pom,
md directs that 10 be sent down to the pol
q field about p. M, so that he may have
/. chance to throw a leg over it before tn
u match begins,
y The pony acquits himself so oreditab
"a green un that Cuuway sets the pric
4 $40 aud gets a cheek for that amour
"a before the week is out-something thn
Il does not always happen when Newpor
man is the buyer but Charley Heayyswell'
/. pooketbook is eapacious one, and for
inan who controls two or three railroads
Is uucommonly free with his money.
After this the dun pony scSlstenoe isllk
that Of hundreds Of other western poniC