Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-10-17
TOUGH POLO PONY.
HOW THE HARDY ANIMAL FARES
AMONG coLoRAoo's FOOTHILLS

AMONG coLoRAoo's FOOTHILLS
The Transformation In Appearance and
value That Takes Place After the Little
brute Is Fitted For Approval by New
ports Heavy sweils.
The sun is beating pitilessly down on the
brown foothills of Colorado. for it is high
neon, and the month is August.
A pony mare. dun in color and only just
ia hands in height, is moving about I'M
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, rs he undoubtedly would,
a second glance at the pony, he would be
sure to see some raro 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 splint 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 stud books
are not kept very carefully on the ranches,
she has drop of the desert blood, her
graudsire being half bred. imported by an
English ranchman somewhere in the iO's
The air is growing hotter each minute.
Far as the eye can reach is the same sun
baked, rolling e-pause 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 foal,
scarcely more than II few hours old. is lying
painting in the shade. She dares not 20
very far away, for the lean wolf aud hungry
COYOTE would soon make short work of her
offspring did they not know that kick
from even IN unshod hoof will pulverize the
stoutc.t wolf that ever pruwled the plains.
The poor little immature thing would.
were it born in the east instead of in the
west, be the object of tender solCltude to
numerous stahlencn, and its every want
would be supplied. but here, among the
foothills, it Will have TO he built of pretty
good timber to stand the strain of exist.
ence The nearest water is five miles away,
and yet that distance will have to he tray
ersed every time the dam has 10 drink, aud
even now she cannot resist the temptation
much longer
With u low whinny the gentle creature
calls the youugsler, aud rs it comes gam
boiling up she starts in direction which
her instinct tells her will be bee line to
the nearest sIring-a dirty. muddy pool,
rolled by cattle, and a favorite haunt ofthe
hungry coyote.
The mare and foal reach their destination
in safety, and. each day the same dreary
path has to I've traversed and retr;lversrtl
Is it any wonder that the western pony is
tough and enduringy Muscles of steel and
l,.t,, No.. a
liant little beast has to carry IL heavy d foot
rider in some cup match at Newport, Cedar
hurst or Wcnham, it is mere Child's play
compared with the daily struggle for cx
istence when a foal.
In due season the foal becomes colt and
Is taken into the corals of the ranch to
which it belongs. Naturally docie, though
spirited, it happily gets broken without be
coming mean" though, seeing that sin
slcshot Mike did the breaking after his
usual rough and ready fashion, this is some
thing to he wondered at.
Ridden at the annual roundup. and also
at the usual routine work of the ranch by
one of the boys, the dun colt, or rs il SHOW
called, buckskin, eventually becomes one
Of the handic>t ponies owned by the outfit,
and heu& naturally gifted with Il very fair
turn of speed, owing to the diluted hut
still potent drop of desert blood inherited
from the imported great lraudslrr finally
attracts the attention Of the boss and he
comes his own especial tavoritc mount.
The dun pony is now just years old, "A
hands high, and just the stamp to catch IA
polo players eve. One fine day Getaway,
he noted horst dealer, comes along, ON the
oohuut for anything taat will sell for a
God price Mt Newport He has an almost
.nlimittd order for really good geldiuG~,
Jut CaHnot sell more than half a dozen
mare, during the season, rs the eastern
players will have nothing to do with them
u Il rule much to the hewIldcrmcnt OF the
cow puuchers. who consider, aud rightly
.uough too, that the mare is usually more
enduring, quicker and handler than the
horse or geldng.
Getaway notes the buckskip AT n Glance
and although be is far too astuic to let on
lnwardly determines to have the little he,
gar Well he knows that he will he amply
Able to give any sum likely tn lie demanded
by the boss, and still make handsome
profit on the transaction when be gets To
Newport.
The scene now shifts couple of thousand
miles to the eastward. The dun WAS pur
chased for $50. and it cost another 81 les
put him where he is--in II comfortable blt
unpretentious stable in the roar uf the
ocean House. a probable purchaser i-cN
ected; the litter in the stall j. changed
HE pony given final rundown, his tail ha-
been locked before starting for the cast
md in the sleek, neatly groomed little nag
20 one would recognize the shaggy, III kept
brute of two months before.
A dogCart stops at the stable d, ar, u dap
| ,ar IA the ftt,'- I,.tI ggItI
Charley Heavyswell alights to layr look
1t Getaways latest bit of equar prrirr.
ion. OF all the swagser Newport uIru
Charley Iieavyswcll is by long odds the
most gorgeous His appearance CA His
tine June morning is thing Of chn-trucd
beauty, but to give HIN his due he also is 50
most finished horseman and absolutely
'carless No man in the country can 'hu~
lie stickcr-a flier can spare quite 50
sel as Charley Hcavyswell.
lie is languidly pleased at the dun pony
and directs that it he sent down to the polo
ied about p. m, so that he may have "A
:haucc to throw n leg over it before the
match begins.
The pony acquits himself so uredltabiy
Tor a green I'M that Getaway sets the price
It $3.50 and gets "A check for that amount
before the week is out something that
:ocs not always happen when Newport
van is the buyer, but Charley llcovyswclt~
locketbook is a cnpaciou- one, and for "a
nan who controls two or three railroads he
: uucommuuly free with his morrl,
After this the dun pony existence i~iike
that of hundreds Of other western ppnie,
HAT have been brought east to play polo
Ms countcrpaIts may br seen thrCr t.u..- 20
geek ut Werhau, bingham. Newport OF
lockaway They are always good. hardy.
yttlc beasts and rarely sick OF sorry Bua