The sun., 1897-01-03
A WOMAN HORSE TRADER,
MSS KITTr C. WILKTNS :AND HER
UNUSUAL BUSINESS.
She Was Led Into Horse Trading by As.
cident. and Has Been Succs.-ni n,
Heller Opinior or Business Women
A Boor In saddle Horses Com,pu

"A NOON Snuute tOmtnL.
DExvER. Dec. 3l.-"Thcre will be boom f.,
saddle horses ne X t-sprinc." said Miss KlttyC.
wilkins of Mountain Home ranch. Bruacau
Valley. Idaho, 10 n SuN correspondent. If
have already many orders for good saddle
horses to he delivered early In the year at sev.
cral Of the leading horse markets OF the coun-
try. and | expect to sell twenty or more car.
loads OF such stock before next June
"Thc reason Ia easily found. Instead of hurt.
Ing the horse business. the bicycles have given
lis n vcritabe boom. You see. there are thou
sands OF wollto-do people who have Leen In.
duced to take up the bicycle rs fad hut after
-iding q while, though greatly enjoying the ex-
ercise and the pleasure OF outdoor riding, they
have found that t,.ey cannot maintain that ex.
clusivcness which their money cnttlcs them
to enjoy. Clerks on small salary may buy a
wheel upon tho installment plaL: servants
are awhecl and some OF them make more
graceful appearance and look better In cycling
suits than do their employers. All OF this Is
decidedly annoying. and something must DO
done to mark distinction. II costs more to
take.care OF n good saddle horse and there is mn
exclusireness about n horseman or n horsewo-
man that appeals to the vanity Cf the wealthy.
NO horse traders observed this growing do
mand for saddle horses early In the present
year. and b. the inquiries already made We
lust know tnnt mere Will nc u great temnnd
for &c cd stock next wear for saddle purposes.
Horses most in demand will be those Of
coed 5 ock with n running walk or sinHle-foot
gait. The fox trot and the gailopine horses
will also be quite popular. but the running walk
is more u the general taste. doubt IL tho
English style will be much in demand. and
those awkward. heavy trottcrs will not be-
come very desirable. excepting, possibly. for
the very exclusive class OF the larger cities.
You see the bicycle has suggested n .adale
horse with bottom and speed; people will want
10 get over the ground and cover long dis.
tances rather than make dlgnined spectacle
for a few squares.in q city o. take "A short trOt
in park"
As this opinion comes from one OF the best
known and most experienced horse traders IN
this country.it may he taken as being practi-
rally correct. There Is lot q horse market OF
any size In the United States where Miss Will
kins is unknown.
why. every dealer in horsedesh knows me-"
she said TO THT SCS correspon dent. Il am
Just now on my way home after eight months
OF travel about the country attending auction
sales OF horses and trailing with the principal
horscmen OF the country. | have met thou
sands OF traders in nv eight years OF business
experience, and without meaning to boast par
ticularly. | think have done very we'll. You
ask George GoNding riFht here In Denver
what kind OF "A horse trader make. lester-
"'Well. Miss Wilkins. ! always fattered my
self tat ! was n rotd Judge OF horses and
could make a pretty good trade. but YOU could
give me cards and SPADES and beat me them
~ ave done considerable business with
You just ask him some time what sort Of a
trader am. OF course. this business Is one
that seems at first thought not very agreeable
for women TO engage in. but like ii. ! am
shoald ' no1 Si Continue. @ have lived long enough
20 gs s~Taga alf In
respect and good will OF the men meet. and
after the fret surprise and curiosity about q
with WITHIN me ali right, ot course. % cannot held
being talked about. and many men come out TO
with me- but am too old for such nonsense.
lust walk up to them and say:
" Would you gentlemen like TO look at my
They eencrallv hurh up and, suddenly become
sire to firt with me. Whenever | attend an
auction sale o:horses l take scat near the
auctoneer and judges ard attend strictly TO
they leave me alone. and so ret along with
out much trouble or annoyance.
How did you get into such an odd business,
Il became a horse trader by accident am
an only daughter. and my father. who has beer
in the horse business for many years. used 10
TAKE me with him on many OF his Journeys. lie
horses. and he used to ask my opinion. He
found that cou.d make letter bargains than
he lust told me to 90 ahead aud do the selling
and hnying, and ne would stay AZ home and
sF he ds
SO for an indefinite time TO come;
When was little girl displayed great
interest in horses. and my fntLer often saws
lie never saw person who asked as many ques-
tons about horses as I always did when driving
with him. II a horse fell sick. wanted to know
all about IL what caused the trouhle. and how
the cure was made. l guess there is mighty
little about a horse that do not understand.
into in the stock yarls and pOltt
out instantly the two-year-olds. the ihree-year-
Gds and the Tns sro s1es on to
about horse. and one must he abe 20 read
them accurately and pron.ptly when huying at
should be-, or name the best points in horse
tha, thu ' about % as we'll TN as any % horsemen.' w
You attend the horse shows In New York.
hs Madison
had planned this fall TO go and see the horses,
Sut Jus, before sinrting from st LOUIS: inT whers
| telegram from the ranch to meet six car loads
OF horses consigned TO me at Omaha and had
had closed up that business the New York
show had ended.
"Som-timcs. when IL Is convenient. attend
| races. but while we make speciality OF gated
| horses, am not much inclined 10 run after
and like to drive a fast trotter or PAGER. Al
| our ranch we have mile track for speeding
and there exercise some Of our Ca'ted horses,
| ing. We are doing very extensive business.
and have On our ranch OF over 200 acres b~-
| tween 5000 and 1000 horses all the time. The
climate is just right for the breeding Of horses.
and they roam throughout the entire year,
| picking up their own feed on the range. Our
| brand II the diamond on the right shoulder.
| Even our be Il blooded stock must be branded.
| one timo a neighbor imported several ane stall
| lions with ped igrees, and thinking that brand.
ing misht niure their value. he concluded not
| TO so mark them. IL was not week before
| the fence was broken down. and these horses
| were driven OF 10y thieves and sold. We have
| forty-onr imported stations our place,
among which is PAGER. Longitude, with a
| record OF 2:l3. and II trOtteI, Parallel. with n
| record of cara. SO YOU see we expect pretty
| rich results from our breeding. Every year
we have about 800 frsky colts about tho
place. ofton 20 out on the roundup win
| The mon. for | can ride ~ well ms drive, and
J can use the .ariat. too. when necessary"
| Miss wilkins does not affect nny marked
style In dress. and she "hatos a masculine wO-
! mnn." When she goes ont to tho stockyards
| she dresses in y plain SKIRT of walking length
| and OF some quiet color. generally n dark bluo
| shade, n shirt waist. and sailor hat : a
| rides horseback after the conventional STYLE
and would not think OF riding astride. because
| II looks ugly. not graceful. She has set Upn-
| ions regarding business women, and declares