The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-05-05
Improving Range Horses.

|
The great horse ranges of the Wesf
are beginning to improve the quality
OF their stock. It is being found hard to-
dispose Of common range animals, and
easy to dispose Of animals containing
good deal of imported blood. AS q
| sesult, the breeders Of good horses are
andlng an ever-improving mar ke1f
among the owners of the great droves
that feed on the western plains Dur
Ing meeting Of horsemen in Chicago
MT. H. e. Fletcher of Minnesota was
called on for few remarks as to west,
ern range horses. He said that he had
been engaged in the business for abou1
sixteen years. AS far back as 1857 he
saw that the time was coming when
the market would no longer pay al
good price for horses brought up on,
the range, unless those horses had IN
them better breeding than is usual
with that kind of horses. He had at
nrst bought about 800 mares, which he
increased in subsequent years to aDoutl
I,OOO. He also bought some fine Pet-i
cheron stations and used them Tor
| three years. After that he put in some
Shire stations, and has been breeding
with them in conjunction with the
Percherons. His horses are divided
into number Of droves, and WITH
| some he uses the Shire stations and
with others the Percheron stations,
He frequently makes change IN THIS
regard. When he sees the hairy teet
getting numerous in drove he puts
in Percheron stations, and when ne
sees a drove becoming very pre-
nounced Percheron he puts in shires,
endeavoring to keep the breeding as
near cross between the Percherons
and Shires as possible. After using
these blooded stations on the native
mares for these years he has large
number of very fine horses, weighing,
when they are ready to leave the range
about 1,4OO to 1900 pounds each and
standing from 1871 to 1871 hands hlgn.'
These animals, if taken at this tune
by the eastern breeder and fed with
proper rations, including grain, can
be made to weigh 1900 pounds each
This result cannot be obtained on the
exclusive grass diet of the range.
| Many farmers are now purchasing
these animals to develop into large
and valuable horses. Some want them
before they are one year OF age, SO
that they can be had before the branU
has been applied. But Mr.. Fletcher
believes that none should be sold De-
fore that age, as the range can carry
| them through the first year at less
cost and safer than is the case ii the
colt is taken into other hands. Few
colts are lost on the range, and more
are brought to maturity than in any
other condition.
This opens up wide field. We have
thought that the range must cease to
be a factor in our economy for the
reason that the poor stock it produces
will no longer find market. But we
now see that the process of breeding
up has been going on for number Of
years. We will wake up some morn
ing to the realization that our western
ranges are producing nothing but fine
blooded stock. This process is likely
| to go on much faster in the west than
with US, for the reason that the ranges,
are largely in the hands of men that
have an abundance of capital and are
always watching for the drift of the
commercial tide. The conditions make
US consider two questions, that Of COM
petition with our own horse breeders
and that of an extensive market for
frst-class breeding males.