The Portland daily press., 1899-09-06
ROUND UP OF HORSES.
More Exciting Than Cattle Roundup
Says stockman.

Did you ever see horse round upY
queried the stockman. no? Well, you've
missed ths sight OF your life A cattle
round up amt in it with horse round
up. and ought to know. for I've been in
some of the biggest OF both kinds. A cat
tie round up is exciting enough perhaps,
with the saddling up, the drive, the night
herd, the stampede and all that, but il
you want real action you want to see a
horse round up. | guess 1t would be pret-
ty hard to find horse round up nova
days. Ii horses are valuable, they don't
let 'em loose like that, and real wild
range horses are hardly worth rounding
up any more. When was up In Montana
in 1882, there was horse round up on
nearly every range.
Range horses were pretty cheap up in
Montana then. Some buyers used to put
out standing offer of $25 head for
any likely looking wild animal over 3
years old. They'd collect hundreds of
these, take a bunch of horse wranglers
and riders with them and drive overland
10 Dakota. The men would be breaking
horses to ride and drive all the way
down. They'd so TO some Dakota town
and rent corral. Here they'd have a
headquarters. They'd break horses day
and night, and it wouldn't cost much for
feed, because they'd herd the bunch out
ON the prairie.
For ten years before this the ranehers
had been raising horses in northern Mon
tana just like they raised cattle-that is,
they'd let them run loose all the year
round. In the summer they'd have a colt
round up, just like q calf round up only
IL afE4 -
the beef gather. The horsemen would
hold meeting and agree upon the bound
aries of big circle, say 200 miles across.
Each one would furnish so many men
and saddle horses, and they'd start on
certain day ON the outside of this circle
and drive all the horses they found in to-
ward the center, where there was a big
corral
The men as they rode from the outside
of the circle would start the bands of
wild horses toward this corral They'd
start them as gently as they could, but
the horses were as wild as deer and
they'd run like the wind. Each day the
horse wranglers would get nearer and
nearer the corral. The circle would get
smaller and smaller, and it would begin
to look as though all the horses in the
world were grazing and running in those
hills and valleys. After two or three
days the wild stock would get more ac-
customed to seeing the horsemen, and
they were easier to drive
BY the time the circle was drawn
within five or six miles OF the corral
things would get exciting. There would
be 6,000 or 1000 head Of horses inside
the line, aud it puzzled the riders to keep
the lot from spreading. The bands which
fs.s. al 10,
would keep pretty well punched, but the
stallions would break away once in
awhile and hunt fight with some stran.
ger :: vas quick work for the riders
and took lots Of saddle horses, for every
one rode at top speed all the time.
These horses were pretty eight, with
shaggy coats, long names and tails
sweeping the ground. Once in awhile
range stallion would be found herding his
family and offering battle to man on
horseback. Sometimes we had to shoot
them, they made so much trouble. Then
came the cutting out of the mares and
colts.
The colts would be branded, and they
and their mothers driven outside of the
circle, back to the range. Next came the
cutting out of the 3, and year old
geldings, for sale to the buyers, who
would drive them to Dakota. These were
kept in the corral until the corral was
full. Then the bunch would be started
out, closely herded night and day by the
horse wranglers.
'It was an exciting time when 500 or
600 wild geldings were let out OF the cor
raj. The men would saddle their very
best horses and range themselves on
either side of the corral The gate of the
corral was then opened. Out would come
the horses, wild with fright and eager for
liberty. All the wranglers could do was
to ride at their sides and behind them,
keeping the herd headed in the desired
direction. There Is nothing prettier on
earth than q great band of horses in full
fight. Their hoof beats on the prairie
sound like rolling thunder, and the earth
shakes when they pass. At the first burst
they so like the wind, and it takes good
rider ard good horse to keep anywhere
near them. They run for several hours
after leaving tue corral Then they quiet
down, and the horse herders ride them
around in q circle. holding them until an
other bunch comes from the corral the
next day.
Sometimes 1900 of these wild geld
ings would be gathered before the start
was made for Dakota, and the herders
had their hands full day and night. 1t
was all excitement, for men We're roping
and riding wild horses all the time to
take the places of those which were play
ed out on the drive. Behind the herd fol-
lowed the four horse grub wagon, with
the cook and camp outfit. but meals were
mighty Irregular and man was lucky if
he found his bed nj night
After a few days driving the horses
would become quiet, and she work was
easier, and by the time the herd had
reached Devils Lake. N. D., some of
the widest were almost tame There
used to be a great deal OF trouble about
stealing horses on these drives, for If the
hsrd happened across little bunch of