Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-05-09
COW BOYS AND BRoNCHos.
How the Wild and Wooly Horses OF
the w est Are Tanned Rare Sport
for the Boys.

correspondence Ut the Ledger.
ff. RUSSELL, Wy, May 3. DEAR
sih-Please allow me space IN your
columns for these poorly scrubbed
lines, which write for the interest OF
The young men in Andrain County.
Ia begin with my subject is cowboys
and wild horses ia the west. At the
time OF the discovery of America there
was no such thing as a wild horse on
the continent. 1t is said that some of
the horses brought over from Europe
by early settlers wandered away and
now wild horses are To he found all
over the west in large herds and in
some eases as many as Il thousand in
Il drove, The leader of the herd is
generally the biggest one in the bunch.
When there is any danger among them
they generally close in and tramp
their enemy 10 death, or scatter ia ii
circle and welcome him with their
heels.
The capture and breaking of wild
horses In the west is the best sport In
the World-that is, providing a man
once gets used 10 it, but he sometimes
gets his neck broken before he learns
how TO catch one. The lass0 IL used
by the cowboy, or better known as a
herdsman. They are generally mount
ed o horseback when they use the
lasso. The herdsrnen drive the horses
into a corral, which IL a circular space
surrounded by rough posts firmly
driven in the ground. When the cor
raj Is full the chief herdsman, mount
ed on a strong horse, rides into the
corral and throws his lasso over the
neck of a horse and drags him o a
gate. Sometimes it is hard to get
them away from the rest OF the herd,
but when they do get him out the first
thing he thinks of doing is to run
away; but a good jerk on the rope
will soon change his notion about run
ming off.
The first thing they do when he is
out is to throw him on the ground by
pulling his legs out from under him.
Then one nan takes a rest on his head
while some of the others put the sad
die on him, and then let him up at the
same time. The man that is going to
ride him jumps into the saddle. Well,
then is when the fun begins. The
horse jumps and looks like a jack rab-
bit with a greyhound after him. This,
of course, makes it pretty hard for the
rider, but when you get used to il
you don't mind it. 1t is strange to see
the different manners in which horses
act when caught by the herdsmen.
Some of them lay down and roll with
the saddle and rider on them, while
others will stand with their legs stiff
and ready to kick at a moments no
tice.
When a herdsman wishes to have
some fun he mounts his own horse
that is used to the sport and likes it
as well as the man. AS soon as he
gets close enough the lasso is thrown
over his hind legs and the broncho
comes to the ground with a sudden
stop that he was not looking for. Be-
fore the horse can recove from the
shock the rider is upon the ground,
and by taking his cloak off his back
and putting it around the horses head
he chokes him into submission. He
then puts the bride and saddle on hin
and, mounting him, removes the cloak
from his head, when the broncho
springs to his feet and tries to throw
his rider off, but he can't do it, you
know. By a simple treatment which
never fails the herdsman brings the
horse to such complete submission
that he is soon trained and gives hi
whole speed and strength to the cap
ture of his companions.
GEO. E. HILL.