The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-31
SURPRISED THE BRITISH.
"Jack" Herford Tells Butte Reporter
Something About Bronchos.

Something About B%ronchos.
"These western horses surprised
the British cavalrymen when they
were first sent to South Africt," said
Jack HEREFORD of Billings, who is buy
ing horses in Montana, Oregon and
Washington for the British govern.
ment, says the Butte Miner. "The
average English cavalryman fancies
the lessons Of his riding master are
the last word about riding. He has
a peculiar style of sitting in the sad
die, and he digs his heels into the
horses ribs in a manner that exas
perates wen the best behaved COW
| ponies that have been sent to the
Boer land. After a voyage across the
ocean some of the horses become alb
s%olutely crazy and all are bad temper
ed.
There are some fractions horses
in England, but the horse that bucks
is strictly a product of the western
continent. English soldiers that
thought they could conquer any horse
did not keep their seat 80 seconds
when they mounted our western
bronchos, I am told by English Off
GERS, who have been in Oregon the
past month inspecting horses that
we had purchased for the English
government. With true British per-
sistency, however, one after another
tried to ride the new horses when the
first ones were shipped over there,
and for awhile, from the description
of these army officers, the cavalry
station looked like an arena where a
rough riding contest was being given,
with the exception that there were no
rough riders.
zone of the greatest difficulties that
the Englishmen had with our ponies
was to learn to stand at the horses
shoulder when putting their feet in
the stirrup preparatory to the mount.
The cavalrymen insisted upon siding
up to the pony after the fashion they
mounted their English horses. All
western people know that to try to
get on a broncho except from the
vantage point near the shoulder is
risking ones life. For a time the
damage done to the English cavalry
men by our western horses was as
much as from the Boer commanders.
Soldiers were daily disabled by be-
ing thrown and others were
laid up from kicks. At last even En-
glish doggedness gave way and a lot
of American cowboys were imported
to break the ponies over again after
they arrived in South Africa. The
Englishmen, when they saw how cas-
lily the Americans conquered the
horses were more chagrined than ever
but they were not presumptuous
enough to dispense with the service |
of the cowboys.
Captain G~rissell, who has been out
with me, has bought some exceeding
[y fine animals, and out of considera-
ton for the feelings of his fellow Of
hcers, he has avoided buying a bron-
cho when he can get others that suit
The horses are sent to New
Orleans, where they are given time to
recuperate from their long railway
and are then put on board
transports. Many die on the way over,
and those that arrive in South Africa
average only about two months of ex-
after they get there. The
and the. feed are unsuited to
them, and the English army officer
has little mercy on his horse. The
Boer wal brought about a boom in
The price of western horses. The
short life of the horse in Africa makes
new supplies constantly necessary,
Ind this part of the west has sent
of horses to carry the en-
emies of the Beers. The expense of
them is something enor-
nous.
'"One OF the most bizarre sights
Imaginable is a lot of bronchos and
English hunters racing side by side.
says Captain Grissell, in some of the
sports of which some of the officers
Ire SO fond. The English hunting
1orses take the lead for the first half
nile, but the wonderful endurance of
ur western horses shows itself af-
er that and the crack mounts worth
times as much as a broncho are
listanced by them in the long races"
Rumors of Revolution,