The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-03-11
WILD HORSE PEST.
Forest Supervisor Tells of the Trou-
bile ENtant i'm Big Nevada Section.

Acting Supervisor NJ S. Benedict
of the Nevada forest reserve is now
giving particular attention to the
wild horses which are on the re-
serve. These animals received a
great deal of attention last year. al
though without result OF effective
steps being taken for their elimina-
ton. Mr. Benedict has Just given
out an interview in which he tells
of the present situation as follows:
The Wild horse section is a stock
locality that is up against an unique
proposition in the line of forest
pests, it being nothing less than the
innumerable droyes of wild horses
which roam through the forests strip
ping and trampling the feed of both
cattle and sheep graZed on the range
by the stock owners of the region.
Anywhere from eight TO ten thou
sand horses are now inhabiting a sec
ton of country one hundred miles
square and are proving a serious
menace to the stock grazing inter-
ests. The horses are understood from
in-breeding, weighing an average OF
500 or 900 pounds, and run in droves
of from so to a hundred animals
each. They are exceedingly Wild;
more so. in fact. than the deer of
adjoining districts. and as the coun-
try there. in places, is open allow
ing a wide range of vision, it is next
to impossible to get within even
shooting distance of the animals.
Ii Is thought that these horses are
do nfo ~ nfvraa ic q n
to the new world by the early Span.
ish explorers and resemble the Mexi-
can mustang in appearance. Each
drove is herded and domineered by
a leader who acts at all times as look
out and guard of the drove Upon
seeming approaching danger, the
leader invariably rounds up his herd
with the ability and effectiveness of
the most skilled stock man. and after
getting them under way In ths. direc-
ton he wishes to go. galiops to the
front and leads the drove Therever
his equine mind elects. &ss
The horses are too small and of
such inferior quality that it does not
pay the rancher to make business
of rounding them up and corraiing
ley, which is very narrow and suita-
BILE for the purpose, the ranchers
! have. at times. arranged relay par
ties of cowboys. who single out a
drove of the wild horses and drive
them back and forth through the
valley until the animals are exhaust
ed. Tame horses are then driven in
with the wild and all are then cor
raled with~more or less ease.
Ten years ago the Nevada legis-
/ lature passed a law permitting the
| Strengthening of these wild horses and
thousands were hunted and killed for
their hides. The hunters, however
became careless in determining
whether a horse was wild or tame
and many ranch animals turned out
to Craze were caught in the general
roundups and killed for them skins
This soon resulted in the repeal OF
the law, and hunting the animals Is
| again a misdemeanor. ts
The Central Nevada Live Stock
Growers association is now making
an effort to have certain measures
adopted by the legislature which viii
permit the state police to rid the
range of the troublesome equines
This was tried year or two ago
but congress at Washington was
flooded with protests. from eastern
humane societies with the result tha
the plans weer not adopted. At the
| present stage of affairs, the stock
men dare not turn out any of theii
! horses upon the range. as the ami
mails soon join band of the wilC
horses and become so wild as L
make 1t next to impossible to recover
H them