The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-11-09
OLD HORSES.
Commonly Disposed Of Long Before Their
Usefulness Is Ended.

Commonly Disposed OF Long botore Thefr
Usefulness Is Ended.
Doubtless there is a great waste Of
money in the prevalent neglect Of the
farm horses. During the past ten years
y neighbor has bought fresh teams
twice, and he thinks that a team of
young horses will not last more than six
years. 1t is a common opinion that a
horse Of 10 years Is too old for service,
but / have one at the present time that
is 30 years old and good for a ride of 80
miles a day yet. He is doing his usual
work and keeps his level beside a mule
only 8 years old in the pillow or the
wagon. I once bought a mule that was
said to be AZ years old, and the evidence
was certainly trustworthy that ne had
been worked in one family 35 years, as
I bought him from the grandson of the
man who had him all the time. l think
l am correct in saying that the noted
trotting mare, Goldsmith Maid, went
into the breeding stable only when 26
years old, and many of the best of tho
racers have lived over 80 years.
: There is u record Of a Shire horse in
England that reached the age of so
years, at which his teeth and eyes were
still good, and he was then pensioned off
by his owner on q farm. My ~45-year-old
mule did good service in drawing empty
railroad cars into a mine which l was
then working, to be loaded with iron
ore, and ! kept him at it two years,
when l gave him to the person who
bought out my interest in the property.
He was still at the same work two years
after that. My old horse is still able to
shell his corn as we'll as my young mules
can, and how much longer he will work
l suppose depends on his ebility to feed,
which, just at present, seems to be as
sured for several years, as evinced by his
vigorous neigh when l 60 into the sta
BILE at feeding time, and occasionally he
takes a coltlike frolio with his compan-
ions in the pasture.
Now, if it is possible for a horse, by
mean Of good feeding and general care,
to live and work TO such an age as this,
how much is the aggregate loss which
occurs through neglect and mismanage-
ment on all the farms in the country? !
have had this horse ten years, and he
has never missed a feed Or had q mo-
ment's sickness. He has been used with
kindness and has never been touched by
. whip since I have owned him, always
having been eager to work and kind and
gentle. His knowledge is SO wide and
accurate that 1t shows how much more
valuable for use a horse of this age may
become than a young one, for he under
stands many things said to him, and
thus saves lots Of trouble. He can be
used in the c~ultivator without a line
and will as carefully avoid treading
upon a plant in the end of a row as if
he knew why he should no do it, fol-
lowing the ows accurately and turning
at the ends without any guidance, and
this education, only possible after some
years acquaintance with an owner, is
N more advantage of an old horse.
In connection with the above we note
in an Orange county IN. ~ paper the
statement that near Montgomery there
is a horse 86 years old, which raked
this season 90 loads Of hay; one 33 years
old, which is often driven to town; a
mare 80 years old, which does her share
Of work ON the farm and never missed a
meal or was sick a day, and another
mare Of 80 which works on the farm
and takes milk to the creamery .-Coun.
try Gentleman.