The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-08-10
no REALLY WILD HORSES.
All Are Said 70 Be Descendants o
Those Once Uomegticated.

- tUoI0 O0Co suAo8 - "As~ ss~AoSs
an aboriginal or truly Wild horse, in the
world now2 The answer u more than
doubtful. The mustang of Mexico, the
wild horse of the South American PAM
pas, the brumbi Of Australia, are all de.
scendants of the domesticated animals in
troduced from Europe. The Grst horse
was landed in Africa at Buenos Ayres in
1887. In 1580-that is, in less than 30
years-horses had spread to regions a.
remote as Patagonia. In Australia the
diffusion of horses that have escaped
from civilization has been quite as rapid,
and in 1875 it was found necessary to
shoot as many as 1000 Wild horses in the
colony of New South Wales alone.
In some parts of Australia the horse
pest has received legislative notice. The
wild horses tempt domestic horses to
join them, and wild stations also invade
the Australian horse runs and vitiate
choice herds in most annoying manner
They recur to the ancestral manners in a
way that Is always the same. Each stall
lion has his following of mares, ranging
from few up to 40 or even SO, and these
parties may be separate or banded to-
gether in herds of considerable size, even,
it is said, 400 strong. The young and
the weak mares remain with scanty or
even no following. The stallion has to
maintain his supremacy by frequent com
bats, which especially occur at certain
seasons of the year. The ANIMALS are sus-
picious in the extreme, swift in fight,
but bold in defense with tooth and heel
in emergency.
They range extensively in search Of
pasture and water, and when hard pressed
by danger and famine the herds break
up. 1t is said that each troop has lead
er and implicitly obeys him. He is the
first to face danger and give the hint to
fly. When pressed the horses form a
ring, with the mares and foals in the cen,
ter, and defend themselves vigorously
with their heels, or they close in on their
opponent in dense masses and trample
him to death.
1t is distinctly proven, then, that there
can be no aboriginal or wild horse in either
America or Australia, although there are
tens of thousands of unknown horses.
Tradition points to Central Asia as the
original abode of the horse, and there the
original stock of wild horses may still
possibly exist. Darwin's statement that
no aboriginal or truly wild horse IS
known to exist must still be held as ex
planning the exact position of this ques-
ton. But we must supplement it by
stating that it is not certain that truly
wild horses do not exist; and, on the
whole, conclude that the evidence is in
favor of the existence of the wild horse
in Central Asia, but that we have no evil
dence as to his pedigree In relation to
domestication. The wild horse of the
British Islands is now practically the
Shetland pony, but he is not the power.
full ANNA! described by Caesar. The do
mesticated animal everywhere, however,
reverts very easily to the savage state.
The PAGES of Wild horse are q walk and
gallop. The double and the canter are
artificial, and it is still mooted cues.
ton as to whether the wild horse ever
trots.-From q paper read before the
Bombay Historical Society.