The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-08-18
NO REALLY WILD HORSES.
All Are Said co he Descendants OF Those
That Once Were Domesticated.

| All Arc Said Go he Descendants OF Thos,
That Once Were Demonstrated.
Is there such thing as the wild
horse, an aboriginal or truly wild horse,
i'll tho world now? The answer is more
than doubtful. The mustang of Mex
leo, the wild horse Of the South Ameri-
can pampas, the brumbi of Australia, all
are descendants of the domesticated ami
mails introduced from Europe The first
horse was landed in America at Buenos
Ayres in 1887. In 1680-that is, in less
than 90 years-horses had spread to re-
gions as remote as Patagonia In Aus
tralia the diffusion of horses that have
escaped from civilization has been quite
as rapid, and i'll 1876 it was found nee
essary to shoot as many rs T, 200 wild
horses i'll 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 in
wade the Australiaaa horee runs and witt
ate choice herds In most annoying
manner. They recur 30 the ancestral
manners in n way thsS is always the
same. Each stallion has his following
of mares, ranging from q few up to 40
and even SO, and these parties NAV be
separate or banded together in herds OF
considerable size, even, it is said, 400
strong. The young aud the weak mares
remain with scanty or even ne follow
ing. The stallion has to maintain his
supremacy by frequent combats, which
especially occur at certain seasons of the
year. The animals are suspicious in the
extreme, swift in flight, but bold in de-
Tense with tooth and heel in emergency.
They range extensively i'll search of pas
ture and water, and when hard pressed
by danger and famine the herds break
up. 1t is said that each troop has q
leader and implicitly obeys him. He is
tho first to face danger and give tho hint
to fly. When pressed, the horses form a
ring, with the mares and foals in the
center, and defend themselves vigorous
" with their heels, or they close in on
their opponent i'll dense masses and
trample him to death.
1t is distinctly proved, then, that
there can be no aboriginal or wild horse
i'll 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 state
ment that no aboriginal or truly wild
horse is known to exist must still be
held us explaining the exact position of
this question. 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 tho evidence
IS IN favor of the existence of the wild
horse i'll central Asia, but that we have
no evidence as to his pedigree in rcla-
ton TO domestcation. The wild horse
of tho British islands is now practically
the Shetland pony, but he is not tho
powerful animal described by Caesar.
The domesticated animal everywhere.
however, reverts very easily TO the say
age state. The PAGES of wild horse are
walk and gallop. The double and the
canter are artificial, and it is still
mooted question as to whether the wild
horse ever trots Paper Read Before
tho Bombay Historical Society.