The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-01-27
Horse Notes
Facts About Range Horses.


him."
How do you know he is bron-
cho?"
Don't you see that brandt
That settles 1t. Brand and broncho
mean everything that is mean and
despicable In a horse to an Eastern
man who does not know the range
horse, writes a South Dakota man in
the Rural New-Yorker. No matter
how fresh an egg Is, throw it at
man and it is rotten. Brand the tru-
est and tried old family horse, and he
is a broncho. Suppose you and five
or ten of your neighbors have from
one to 500 horses each, all running
together in township or county. How
are you going to tell them apart?
You may think you can without
brand, but Sou cannot, and you must
decrease their value from 10 to rs per
cent by putting brand on them. Is it
right for you to insist that brand
ruins a horses character? A range
horse is born and raised out in the
open air Nine-tenths of them never
were in a barn or were fed even hay
until someone wanted to work them,
and many of the brood mares have
died of old age and, always rustled
for themselves; never have known the
use of halter or barn. Is ii any won
der they fight for their liberties?
They have to fight for existence. and
cans, and are apt to fight back, but
with person who understands them
they are easier trained or broken than
your farm-raised horses. You know
just what to expect of a range horse
OF a farm-raised one you do not.
For the last eight years we have
had nothing but range horses, not one
of them afraid of the cars, automo-
biles, or anything of the kind. If a
tumble blows under them while
travelling along the road they step
over it as they would a snowdrift,
and not change the point of their
ears. In all this country | do not
know of a blind, balky, runaway, or
kicking range horse. They do not
know any better than to pull. | have
team that never weighed 1900. the
two of them, and | have hauled 2800
of millet hay off the stubble ground
out of the windrow
All stations are turned out on the
range. Each of them chooses his
band and herds them as well as a
person can. If one gets too far away
you will see him start after her. first
walk, then trot, then run. and lay
back his ears; then she will sta& for
the bunch. They will seldom let
strange one come into the band, and
to try to take one out is sometimes
very dangerous, as the stallion will
often fight. If two riders find one
they want to get on the opposite side
from the why they want the horse to
go, put spurs to their horses, give an
unearthly yell, and away they go,
sometimes four to five miles without
Stacking up. What would your farm
raised horse be at that time? They
never step in a hole if it can be seen.
How can they do this? They are
raised in the pure air, on pure food,
and are never pampered or overfed.
They will live on the prairies with
Is inches of snow on the ground, and
many of them come out hog-fat in the
spring. Because one man has an
even temper, it is no sign they are
all that way. A horse is no better
than a man. IL some of them do
know more than some men, the horse
should not be blamed for it, and 1t Is
often true.
If you do not believe 1t come here
and try to rope a COW or horse. You
cannot be mean to them and have
them gentle and kind. When | was
a boy we lived II miles from the
county seat, and we always took an
early start to make the trip in good
time.