The daily sentinel., 1908-03-26
THE WILD HORSE PROBLEM
IS GLOWING VERY SERIOUS
Outlaw Beasts in the Way in Utah
and Nevada.-Must Make Room
for Cattle To Eliminate
the Horses.

i The wild horse problem in +
:. Utah and Nevada is becoming 70
: more serious as time goes on, i.
!. and as time goes on interest in 1.
+ the problem grows deeper The i
+ wild horse is good for nothing. j.
+ He is a picture to look upon, !
+ but that is as far as his useful i.
+ ness goes. 1t is rarely that he ].
+ can be tanned and made to bear +
+ the burden that is the fate to i.
+ bear of every horse that leads 1.
- legitimate existence. I.
+ + +. 1. + i. 1. j.
He is essentially an outlaw. He is
not only wild himself, but he lures
well-mannered and wel1-behaved
horses to join his bands and quickly
lose their self respect and the respect
of everyone else by becoming mad
dened, plunging, rearing, rip-snort
ing royers of the plains and the hills.
The headquarters of the forestry
service located in Salt Lake City has
received any number of inquiries
concerning the proposed hunt of the
wild horses in Nevada next year.
Some of the letters are extremely
amusing. One correspondent not
long ago wrote from New England
state asking that large number of
the Wild horses be shipped to him,
promising to pay the freight and to
break the refractory stock to the de-
gree that it would be docile and SER
viceable for quiet New England farm
life. Some of the letters contain Of
fers to kill off the horses by con-
tract and many others contain re-
quests for information about the big
hunt.
From a serious standpoint, the
forest service finds itself confronted
with the problem of getting rid of
10000 head of wild horses, more or
less, and replacing them with graz
ing cattle. Recently an arrange
ment or understanding has been ar
rived at between the state officials of
Nevada and the forest service where
by under the state game laws, there
will be great hunt of wild horses
next year. The forest supervisors |
and the rangers will do their best to |
make the hunt success-one may
depend on that.
The sport of hunting wild horses |
is said to be one of the most excit-
ing in all the world, in spite of the |
fact that President Roosevelt hasn't |
found it out yet. Until the automo-
bile came into service and was
equipped for desert work and speed, |
wild horses simply gave their pur-
suers the laugh. keeping at safe |
distance from riders and soon learn
ing that the rifle was a weapon !!
meant for their undoing Compared |
with buffalo hunting, wild horse |
hunting is said to be away and be-
yond the real thing as a thrill pro-
ducer. The automobile has it over |
the wild horse, both in speed and |
endurance, although the wild horse |
Is a marvel when 1t comes to stick |
ing.
The wild horse is found in great |
numbers in Nevada, three of the for
ests there in single county being
afflicted with 900 of these un-
ruly, devouring beasts. The Toiyabe.
Toquina and Monitor forests are in
this wild horse ridden zone. In con-
the wild horse problem the
forest service also takes account of
the great number of these animals
on the Dixie forest in southern Utah
and the Grand Canon North forest
in Arizona, just across the line. On
these two forests there are thou
sands of these useless animals, al
though they are not so numerous as
the herds in Nevada.
~ tiSNuooioh VI liiG VIII nOGSt
question the forester at Washing
ton sends out circular in which he
quotes more or less extensively from
newspaper articles on the subject,
and makes these observations with
respect to the powers and duties of
forest officers:
'If the presence of the horses is
seriously damaging the national for
est range and public sentiment fa-
vors such action, the supervisor may
upon petition of majority of the
permittees of grazing district, al
low the horses to be gathered and
disposed of according to the
state or territorial laws. In such
cases the forest service will, upon
recommendation from the supervis-
or, cooperate in the construction of
corrals or fences for the purpose of
capturing the horses.
Forest officers may drive unper-
mitted horses from the national for