Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-09-01
NO REALLY WILD HORSES.
4li Are Said to Be Descendants of Those
 That Once Were Domestioated.


 An Are Said to Be Descendants of Those
 That Once Were Domestioated.
 Is there such thing as the wild horse, an aboriginal or truly wild horse, in she world now2 The answer is more than doubtful. The mustang of Mexico, the wild horse Of the South American pampas, the brumbi of Aus tralia, all are descendants of the do-' mesticated animals introduced from Europe. The first horse was landed in America at Buenos Ayres in 153Z In 15s0-that is. in less than fifty years horses had spread to regions as remote as Patagonia. In Australia the diff fusion of horses that have escaped from civilization has been quite as rapid, and in 1875 it was found necessary to shoot as many as seven thousand 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 tame domestic horses to join them, and wild stallions also invade the Australian horse runs and violate choice herds in a most an moving manner. They recur to the ancestral manners in way that is al ways the same. Each stallion has his following of mares, ranging from a few up to forty and even fifty, and these parties may be separate or banded to- gether in herds of considerable size, even it is said, four hundred strong The young and the weak mares remain with a scanty or even no following. The stallion has to maintain his su- premacy by frequent combats, which especially occur at certain seasons of She year The animals are suspicious in the extreme, swift in flight, but bold in defense with tooth and heel in emer- gency. They range extensively in search of pasture and water, and when hard pressed by dahger and famine the herds break up. It is said that each troop has leader and implicitly obeys him. He is the first to face danger and give the hint to fly. When pressed the horses form ring, with the mares and foals in the center, and defend themselves vigorously with their heels, or they close in on their opponent in dense masses and trample him to death.
 It is distinctly proven then, that there can be no aboriginal or wIlo 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 Darwins statement that no ab original or truly wild horse is knowr to exist must still be held as explain ing the exact position of this qaestion But we must supplement it by stating that it is not certain that truly wilC horses do not exist; and, on the whole conclude that the evidence is in favor of the existence of the wild horse II Central Asia, but that we have no eyi dence as to his pedigree in relation tt domestieation. The wild horse of tht British Islands is now practically th' Shetland pony, but he is not the pow erful animal described by Cesar. Int domesticated animal, everywhere however, reverts very easily to th' savage state. The paces of wilC horse are a walk and gallop. Th' double and the canter are artificial and it is still mooted question as tC whether the wild horse ever trots.-N