The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-09-28
BREAKING BRONCHOs.
Desperate Rtrneeies n..-- -. 80
Horaa and Its Trainn,.

Desperate EtrueeIae r,-.-
Horse aud Its Trainer.
From the day Of it's birth the
broncho colt knows life as con-
slant battle for. existence. Wolves
and coyotes ceaselessly watch for
opportunities to tear it down, bears
and mountain lions lurk by the wa
tercOurses and in tho foothills to de-
your it, rattlesnakes infest all the
good grazing lands, badgers dig
treacherous traps for it's feet and
cruel droughts i'll summer and terri
bic blizzards in winter assail its life.
One day in autumn, when the
elders Of the herd are about ready
to abandon the plains and lead the
way to some sheltered valley for
winter quarters, the colt has o new
and horrible experience. Mounted
men, swinging snaky coils OF rome.
surround the herd, dashing through
1t to and fro as if selecting victims.
The colt finds himself the object Of
the unwelcome attentions. Sudden
ly som thing tightens about his
neck. h's breathing stops, the blood
rushes to his brain and he plunges
headlong to the ground. When he
recovers, his legs are tied together;
he is powerless, and the man is
probably sitting on his head. Then
comes a moment Of shurp agony,
and he is branded for life as some
body's property. In few seconds
after that cruel indigrity is put up
on him he finds his limbs free and
is allowed to spring up and scamper
away. For year or two moro he
will have nothing to apprehend.
1t is the intent on the great horse
ranches of the west, where bronohos
are raised by hundreds oHd even
thousands, that the young animals
shall be broken when or years
old at the furthest s. But the
ranges upon which the animals are
allowed to seek their own pasturage
are Of vast extent, and frequently
little band Of horses will manage
to seclude themselves when the
spring breaking season" arrives,
SO that some Of them reach the age
Of or 2 years unbroken. It is often
actually impossible to conquer the
wildness Of such mature horses.
They will fight until exhausted.
In the regular process Of break
ing a broncho is first lassoed in a
high walled corral, thrown and
"hog tied"-his feet bound together
Ito prevent his kicking or striking
while the saddle is being strapped
on him. A halter around his nose
is the nearest practicable approx
nation to a bride. Then he is blind
folded and allowed to rise. The
hoodwink seems to stun him with
surprise and alarm, 80 that he stands
still long enough for the breaker to
leap into the saddle, and the blind
is at the same instant removed.
The broncho leaps high and comes
down stiff legged, with his four feet
close together and his back arohed
like camel's hump. He bends his
spine down so that it is like q cross
section Of a trough and then bows it
up with a sudden shoot that would
toss an unskillful rider far above
him. Again he leaps and turns half
around in the air, leaps up and eide
wise at the same time. up and for.
ward, up and backward, each time
coming down " .th his legs stiff as
posts; makes an enormous Jump and,
landing On his FORE fest, kicks with
his hind ones as if trying to reach
the sky, dashes ahead few wild
plunges and stops suddenly and is
liable at any moment to rear straight
up and throw himself backward to
catch and mash the rider he cannot
unseat. New York Herald.