The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-29
THE WILD HORSES OF COLORA
To

These bands show all the instincts OK
other wild animals whose original
home was the plains. AS the elk, deer
and buffalo We're forced to abandon the
plains to escape from hunters, so were
the bands of wild horses, And the lat
ter-day stock Ia now in the deep canons
and inaccessible Businesses of the
mountains. They sometimes venture
into the plains but do so cautiously
and usually only in winter, when the
heavy SHOWS shroud the mountains and
1t is difficult for them to gain a liveli-
hood there. They drift down through
the canons and out into the plains. On
the plains they readily find plenty OF
food for however deep the snow it is
always an easy matter for them to flnd
some hillside that the wind has swept
clean. There they find the wild grass
es ready cured for them. Then, too,
they scrape aside the snow with their
hoofs when it is not too deep and find
the dried grass underneath.
During the winter they drift as far
east and north as the buttes of western
Nebraska. With the return of spring
they so west and usually south again
to the mountains. They arrive about
the time the pastures of the hills and
mountain valleys are getting sweet and
well grown. They Craze In these por-
lions until disturbed, gradually work
ing back into the rough country as
spring progresses.
Numerous ranehmen in the valley of
ha
these wild creatures in the last three
years and have noted the increase in
their numbers Several hunts have
been made in the last two or three
years to drive the horses from The
grazing grounds. When started they
invariably leave for the country ada
cent to West Beaver Creek, back of
Morrison, which is rough and broken
and furnishes any number of avenues
of escape through the rough canors
Ranchmen In the neighborhood who
have had occasion to hunt them off
their ranges have observed that they
have a complete system of gang or
band laws. The leader is always some
powerful stallion, who, by his strength,
courage and sagacity, has proved him
self a worthy leader. He Is always in
the lead when the herd travels. When
they are grazing he selects the highest
knoll in the vicinity and stands guard.
He is rarely caught unawares and al
ways selects a grazing ground where
all directions may be swept readily to
detect the approach of foes.
These horses are of a peculiar build
and color They are much better bred,
.1,sx-
from mixture of several good
strains. Among the different bloods
that have been infused into the wild
horse by their mingling with the do
mesticated animals is the Cleveland
bay and Hambletonian. A number of
full-blooded Cleveland bay stud colts.
with their dams have in the last few
years been lost by ranchmen of the vi
cinity, and it is reasonably certain that
they were adopted by the wild herds.
In build they are more rangy than
the ordinary plains horse. They are
deeper and rounder in the chest. They
have small heads, the marked charac-
teristic of good blood, and invariably
eyes that are almost supernaturally
keen. They are tall and rather short
coupled and climb the rocks like noun
tain goats.
Ranchmen of the neighborhood men
toned state that these horses will run
down hllsides at full speed, so steep
that it would be difficult matter for
man on foot to follow them using even
the greatest care.
In the fall, when they drift out on the
plains they again visit the pastures.
The amount of range that band of
two hundred and fifty or three hundred
wild horses will Craze over in few
days is enormous Further than that,
horses crop the grass much more close
ly than cattle, and when herd of cat
tie comes to ground that has been
graZed over by these bands they begin
to drift on, looking for better pastur-
age. For these reasons the bands of
horses are looked upon as a great null
sance.
If they continue to increase at the
rate they have in the recent past, the
ranchmen will take steps to get rid of
them. This can hardly be done in any
other way than by hunting them as
wild animals, with long-range rifles,
and killing them. Ii is almost impos5si-
bic to capture them when once they
reach broken country, so the only re-
course will be to exterminate them.
the few that have been captured live
but short time. They cannot stand
confinement on a ranch, and either
dwindle away to mere skeletons or die
of umption.-Denver Post
QUINNIPIACK CLUB CLAM BAKE
The Quinnipiack club clam bake will
be held at the Sperry farm, Wood