The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-01-02
AGRICULTURAL.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HORSE

70 THE EDITOR OF THE REPUBLICAN,:
At different times during my stay in
,he West, have had different opinions
,f The Rocky Mountain Horse. 1 was
head over heals in love with little
'Orrel saddler for long time, but one
afternoon of brisk fall day that equine
friend seemed to suddenly take the
delirium tremens. He described
geometrical figures all over the ranch,
snorting, rearing, bucking and pitch
ing. l was of the opinion that | could |
ride that horse, but when | went over
his right ear and struck the top pole of |
an adjacent corral fence, my opinion |
Was - The cowboy who |
found me later explained that the horse |
had objected to tight hind cinch.
If Immediately after such an exper-
ience had returned East without in
vestigating further the merits or de-
merits of the western horse, my de-
scription of him would be unfit for pub
lication. But have since become so
enamored with the strong feet and
graceful animal which this country
produces, that [ can now see favorable
points in him, even when compared
with the Eastern heavy farm horse. In
the first place, the horse that climbs
| these very rocky, and very steep noun
tains, is fleeter, more sinewy and surer
of foot than the average animal to be
found in the Eastern sections of the
country. A horse here seldom exceled
thirteen hundred pounds in weight,
but when we consider that probably
since birth he has rustled his living
through winter and summer, and never
enjoyed a warm barn, or been carefully
Icurry-cOmed, is it not remarkable that
he survives at all? The horse raised
in the mountains is, however, of much
larger size and finer stock than the
mustang aud Indian pony of the plains.
And although allowed to run SO wild
and undisturbed, he nevertheless is
usually of very good breeding. The
large horse owners keep only the finest
messenger, and copper bottom stations
and mares, and so the resulting colts as
a rule combine all the good qualities OF
these varieties. Their high nettles
and power of endurance would lead to
the conclusion that they have con-
lcentrated triple-extract of life and vim
lcoursing through their veins. This
"never say die' spirit never forsakes
them through life, although they are
easily broke, and only fight at first be
cause they are unused to man, and have
no idea what he requires of them. Oc
cass onal1y one finds western horse
that has been raised in the barn yard
and he is fully as gentle as any Eastern
one. But even the highest strung ant
widest horse can be handled with i'm
punity, if treat I'd gently and intelli
. lgently for few days.
The usual course of breaking horse
here is interesting. The animal chos
| en- is driven into a strong corral, whic
q has ''snubbing" post firmly plante
: in the center. The horse when lassoe
: (roped, in Western phraseology)
Q / ''snubed up' to this post and the NOR
n he fights the tighter the moose aroun
: his neck becomes until finally he learr
n that to resist will be to choke himse
is land there are few horses that do n,
speedily learn to follow up that roI
rather than to pull on it. When
horse presists in fighting, he ultimat
ly chokes himself into helpless stat
but soon revives when the moose is r
moved, and remembers that experien
: throughout life.
I have led very nervous and hig
strung horses with nothing but a piet
of grocers' cord around their nee
When once broke to lead, their subs
quent handling is much the same
that of any Eastern horse. They spec
lily learn what is required of the1
and even if they do fight every inch
. the way, when once they know yo
will, there is no horse that will OBJ
= more readily, or serve man more fait
:. fully.
But>I hate to dwell on the bro
+ horse. The topic is to common plac
+, I like to see or think of the weste
4 horse in his untamed state-to see hi
as he rushes in mad flight over t.
! plain, or Chambers with almost incre
4 liable skill up steep mountain sid
!. leaping gulches dashing huge boulde
from their resting places for ages, al
making new trails over these pimev
rocks. Such scene thrills me, but
beyond adequate description. I c.
Y lonly reply as did the returned mine
= when questioned as to the glories of t
y tKlondike: $50 and see them yourself