The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-02
HORSES APPETITES.
Vagaries of Equine Tastes - Roast
Beef Instead of Fodder.

Mr.. Hardy, in the current number, I'M
der the caption of stCats Eating Corn"
gives an instance of horse which ate
cooked beef. I have in mind some three
different horses which may be said to
have had a perverted appetite. One. a
small half-breed Texas horse which 1 had
for a few months. would eat a fresh piece
OF beef as large as dinner plate and
would, holding it down with his fore
foot, then tearing off chunks of it and
beef was SO well known that none of it
was ever left within his reach except by
accident. When it was. whoever left it
never saw it again. The troop that first
served in had a. horse that died in it
when he was tWenty-three years old. Sew
enteen of those years he had put in with
die. He had been shot several times, once
through the neck and once in the flank;
rear. He never had been sick a day.
The last two years of his life he spent
fit for duty in order to keep him there;
any other horse would have been con-
demned and sold; but he was kept as a
do but eat and sleep The only other
horse that ever knew to be treated this
way was the one which survived the Gus
ter massacre; he was kept in a troop of
the Seventh cavalry until he died. He
was saddled up and led out in every
mounted inspection, but was never ridden
This old horse of ours 1--WE called him
but let go where he pleased He. paid reg
ular visits to the cook house; there get
ting his head in the slop barrel, he would
half empty the barrel 1t did not seem
to make any difference to him what he
found there-bean soup, stale bread, cook
ed meat, or potato parings-an went. He
did not need the stuff; he got just what
the other horses got to eat twice a day.
Soon after the close of the war we were
dismounted at Macon, Ga, and sent to
the Eighteenth New York had been rid
ing, and I kept a lookout for a sorrel
but the best l could get was small sor-
of peace. but for, the last four. years be-
fore this anything that could carry a
saddle would be used. We had three OF
these mares by the time We were all
mounted. They had been captured
down south; none of them had been
bought. My mare just suited me; she
ry me back again next day If 1 wanted
her to do it, I had her about two days
when I found out that she chewed tobac-
CO. She grabbed a small package of fine
cut out of my hand, and then stood chew
ing it, paper and all. Seeing that it did
not hurt her, 1 kept her in tobacco, buy
lean stores sold here then, large hand
Of it for a silver dirne that would not
have paid the duty on 1t had any peen a
yet; when he did come these men had to
stop selling it at any price never went
near my mare without bringing her to-
baeco; If she did not get it right away she
would begin to shove me with her nose
and keep it up until gave her the usual
our mares a few months after this part
ed with her with more regret than have
since felt when parting with a better
1 rode horse for four years, my race
horse Charley. which would eat half a
peck of peaches as fast as could remove
could eat a pound of sugar or candy with
out even stopping.-Forest and Stream.