The San Francisco call., 1906-10-21
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Lon years the horse -grssins coan-
try has been pushed steadily west
ward. The great herds OF horses
which once roamed over Ohio and
Indiana years ago moved west of the
Mississippi waiie today they are found
or their successors. on the broad plains
Of Montana. Meanwhile, despite the
trolley car and the automobi8e. The de-
mand for horses has Increased untn the
Industry is greater than ever before
Every Eastern city has its western
horses but few people iiave any definite
idea OF the country which supplies
them The herding OF tens OF thou
sands Of horses. the difficulties OF hand
ling them ana the activity OF the great
range sales supply some OF tile most
picturesque scenes in the Far west
the West Of ihc stage. the story books
and the Imagination. which is fast PASS
Ing.
The greatest horse market in the
world. in point OF numbers. is. probably
the range sale held, in Miles city. Nom
tana- Situated as it 5ss at the center
OF the greatest horse-raisinz section OF
the country, il serves as a point OF dis
Sribution- Horses are driven in or
shipped IN from the ranges hundreds Of
miles In all directions to be displayed
before perhaps as critical an assembly
Of horsemen as could possibly be found
Here you may find representatives OF
the British army seated near a buyer
representing similar interests in Japan.
There viii be buyers from Portland
fan IL rfH Il~r IL -
in short, from every section OF the
country, forming an c-1ceediugly mixed
crowd OF Fasteners. cowboys. Indians
and ranchmen.
The great range sale suggests a Wild
West show on an enormous scale. with
bewildering variety OF types gathered
from all over the world for inspection.
More than fifty cowboys are busiiy en-
ployed in herding this great army Of
horses, and they are the pick OF the
plains. No finer riding. no greater
skill with the lariat viii be found any
where in the West than among these
heroers. As a rule about ten Thousand
horses are disposed o. at single sale
and there are three such sales every
year. The work OF herding these
immense herds of dividing them into
uniform lots. OF displaying them be-
fore possible purchasers, and finally
loading them for shipment is one OF
the great sights OF the West
One OF the most interesting features
Of the market 10 the tenderfoot is the
ingenious system OF pens used for
herding the horses. The system en-
ployed is the result Of a long eTolu-
Eion and much experience IN the difi-
cult business OF handling fractious
horses. A herd of a thousand horses.
for example. is driven in by q band OF
cowboys. The horses viii be mixed.
young and old, good and bad together.
so
der ordinary conditions would be enor-
NOUS. The cutting out" pens. as they
are called. enable the men to do the
work OF days in few hours.
The horses are first driven into great
Enclosures fenced with heavy timbers.
A group or cowboys, from long expert
ence. rouri up the most fractions
horses with surprising dispatch. Lead
ing from this pen or inclosure is mar
row passa geway just wide enough to
permit one horse to pass at time
and too strong for him TO break and
TOO high to jump over. Two or three
horses arc driven into this chute, when
gate is dropped into place. shutting
81 or. The gate at the other end OF
this chute is then opened and one horse
At a time rushes ont into a second in
closure. from which a dozen or more
gates open snto various other pens.
At each OF the gates opening from
the cutting out chute is an alert at
tendant. while two or the most trust
cowboys ride about inside. AS tn
horse plunges ont OF the narrow chut
the man who judges him measures hin
with his eye. Instantly Classics hir
and calls the number OF one OF tn
gates The gate is swung open an
the cowboys quickly turn the hors
into the new Enclosure. AS the gat
swings 10 The cutting out chute !
again opened for another horse II
The work only Of seconds. The judg-
ing OF the horses is always done by
the proprietor. A. B. Clarke. who
STANDS on tho platform at the opening
OF the cutting ont pen. The value OF
a quick and accurate derisiOn in group
ing the horses is obvious. The cut
ting out pen is also invaluable in
separatfng the colts from their
mothers.
The pens cover several acres, with
many broad passageways running in all
directions From any point OF view Il
IS an exceedingly busy as well as e pic
turesQue sight Everything is done on
the run. Herds Of horses are constant
~ being driven from one part Of the
Enclosure 10 another. and one sees
through q cloud Of dust half a hundred
horses careerine madly without halter
or bride while cowboy who repro
duces every detail Of the familiar pic
tures OF his type controls them with q
twitch OF his bride.
Incidentally there are probably no