The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-03-05
WILD HORSES
B &c @ M E
A PEST
STOCK INTERESTS UP AGAINST
UNIQUE PROPOSITION.
Thousands Roaming Ranges and
TrampIlng Feed Into the
Ground.

Acting Supervisor NJ S. Benedict OF
the Toiyabe national forest has been
detailed for several weeks OF special
work at the district headquarters, and
arrived here yesterday.
Mr.. Benedict comes from a section
OF the country where the stock inter
ests are up against a unique PROPOSE
ton In the line of forest pests. 1t be-
Ing nothing less than the innumera-
BILE droves Of wild horses which roam
through the forests stripping and
trampling the feed of both cattle and
sheep grazed on the range by the
stock owners OF the region.
Mr. Benedict states that anywhere
from eight to ten thousand horses are
now inhabitating section of country
one hundred miles square and are
proving serious menace to the stock.
grazing interests. The horses are
rndersized from in-breeding, weigh
Ing an average of 500 or 900 pounds,
and rum In droves OF from so to hun
dred animals each. They are exceed
mgly wild: more so, in fact, than the
deer OF adjoining districts, and as the
country there. in places, is open al
lowing a wide range OF vision. it is
next to impossible to get within even
shooting distance of the animals.
1t is thought that these horses are
the descendants Of animals brought
IL the new world by the early Span
lsh 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
scentlng approaching danger, the
leader invariably rounds up his herd
with the ability and effectiveness OF
the most skilled stockman, and after
getting them under way in the direc-
ton he wishes to go. gallops to tho
front and leads the drove where ever
his equine mind elects.
The horses are too small and OF
such inferior quality that it does not
pay the rancher to make a business
CT rounding them up and corraling
them for use Down In the lone val
ley which Is very narrow and suitable
for the purpose, the ranchers have, at
times. arranged relay parties OF COW
toys. who single out drove of the
wild horses and drive them back and
forth through the valley until the ami
mails are exhausted Tame horses
ere then driven In With the wild and
all are then corralled with more or
less ease.
Ten years ago the Nevada legisla-
ture passed a law permitting the
slaughtering Of these wild horses and
thousands were hunted and killed for
their hides. The hunters, however,
became careless in determining wneth-
er a horse was wild or tame. and
many ranch animals turned out to
EiaZe were caught In the general
roundups and killed for their skins.
This soon resulted in the repeal OF the
law, and hunting the animals is again
o mlsdemeanor.
The Central Nevada Live Stock
Growers association is now mnldng
an effort TO have certain measures
adopted by the Legislature which will
permit the state police to rid the
range of the troublesome equlnes,
This was tried year or two ago. but
congress at Washington was flooded
with protests from eastern humane
societies with the result that the plans
were not adopted Az the present
stage OF affairs, the stockmen dare
not turn out any OF their horses upon |
the range, as the animals soon join !