The record-union., 1897-09-07
Not ExcelIed in the World for Mill
tay Purposes.
An Experiment Under Direction of the
Agricultural Department.
Two Cowboys Ride Straight
Through From Sheridan, Wyo-
ming, to Salem, Illinois, a Dis
lance of Twenty-Four Hundred
Miles. in Ninety Days.

CHICAGO, Sept. 6.-''No horses in the
world excel the range horses of our
Western States for military purposes,
and 1 think the trip just finished by my
cowboy friends here proves my asser-
ton
The foregoing remark was made by
DR.. William A. Bruett, Special Com
missioner of the Bureau of Animal In
dustry of the Department of Agricult-
ure. He was at his home in this city,
and with him We're two staIwart, sun
Drowned young men, William and Bert
Gabriel
These young men, continued Mr.
Bruett, have Just demonstrated that
the bronchos and range horses of our
plains can cover a distance of >, 400 miles
in ninety days and subsist on grass and
water along the route, without grain,
and, more important still, from q mill
tary point of view without being shod.
Il can say, without fear of contradic-
ton, that no other horses in the world
could have made the trip under those
circumst ances.
The route, beginning at Sheridan,
Wyo., and ending at Galena, this State,
covered all kinds of country, turf, sand,
rock, clay and mud. When they entered
horses We're in as good condition in ev-
cry way as When they started from
Wyoming, but from Dubuque to Water
loo, Ia, the road along the Mississippi
| River was either over jagged rocks or
through deep mud. The heels and frogs
of the horses feet We're so badly bruised
that, although they could have COM
pleted the distance to Chicago, [ tele-
10 10 lot Ian
animals stop at Galena. Had the horses
been shod at Sioux City, Ia, as I tele-
graphed, knowing the roads over which
they would have to travel to Chicago,
the horses would have reached here in
first-class condition Saturday. The tel
egram failed to reach the men, and they
brought the horses through under my
original Instructions
What were the Instructions"
ITO begin with, the Department of
Agriculture some time ago determined
to create, If possible, a foreign demand
for our native Western horses. To do
this it was first necessary to prove the
merit of these horses, particularly for
cavalry and military use, as nearly all
foreign countries are buying large num-
bers of horses for military purposes. 1t
was urged against the native American
horses that they We're lacking in size
and endurance for that work. To an
swer that objection it was decided to
have the horses of the two types known
as bronchos and rangers make a trip in
company from Wyoming Territory to
Chicago, a distance of $500 miles.
ITO ride those horses we happened to
have just the men in the local bureau
at the stock yards of the Department
of Agriculture, two brothers named
William and Albert Gabriel. They had
been cowboys for years, and were thor
oughly familiar with the entire Western
country. They were willing to accept
the task, fully realizing it's hardships,
and on June 9th they started for Chi
cago. Their instructions from the De-
partment of Agriculture were to proceed
to Sheridan, Wyo., select from a ranch
two horses which had never been bridled
or saddled, and bring them to Chicago
without feeding them any grain, so long
as it was possible for the horses to find
grazing, making the trip as quickly as
possible without injuring the horses
Are you satisfied with the test of the
horses?'' DR.. Bruett was asked.
Not entirely. because I wanted them
to finish at Chicago" he replied.
test of the endurance of the Western
range horse, I am sure the Department
of Agriculture will be more than salts
fed with the result, as it demonstrates
the animal is all that has been claimed.
As said before, no other horses in the
world could have made such a trip un-
der such conditions. I believe it will
change the opinions of foreign Gov
eminent, who have felt that our range
horses were too light for military pur-
poses. intend to take some of the buy
ers of horses for export down to Galena
and let them see the horses just as they
are after their unequalled journey.
1T is fact not known, as I said be-
fore, that the range horses has in his
veins the blood of thoroughbred and the
STANDARDIZED Percheron, CIydesdales,
Hambletonians and other famous
strains. Stations of these classes have
been sent to the ranches, and the re-
suit is an increase in the size
and quality of the horse. The range
horses, as they are called, in distine-
tion from bronchos, range in weight
from $50 to l. $50 pounds. The bronchos,
which are of Spanish origin, and have
no improved blood in them, weigh from
$50 to 900 pounds. The trip just made,
however, shows that the broncho is
equal in endurance to the larger horse,
and is a wonderful weight carrier, but
is not as pretty as the range horse. The
demand abroad for our Western horses
is growing, and I believe it will rapidly
increase.
Zone of the important features pos
sessed by the range horse is small, hard
hoofs, which will stand the wear of
paved streets or rough country. The
range horse is more intelligent, ambi-
tious, tractable and enduring than those
grown by Breeders and farmers in the
Middle and Eastern States. In 1893 only
800 horses were sold in Chicago for ex-
port This number will exceed 1000
or 80 per cent. of the total number dis
posed Of in this market. The French
army has to take a great many. We
believe the performance of the two
horses which just came from Wyoming
Will influence the German and Eng
lish army agents and exporters for do
mestic purposes to try our Western
| horses"