The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-23
"Never Yet Anything We
Couldn't Ride.
ONLY A FEW UNRULY ONES
"Black Demon" and "Denver
Mud" Best of Lot.
RemOunt Station Is a Horse
power Depot Brigade.
BY sERGT. GEO. c. ADRIANcE.

BY SERGT GEO. c. ADRIANCE.
We have never struck anything yet
that we couldn't ride" said H. V.
Shuler, late trick rope artist and rider
with the 101 Ranch Wild West show,
now a soldier of the auxiliary remount
station at Camp Funston. To this
branch of the service government buy
ers ship horses and mules from all
parts of the country and from the re-
mount the stock is issued to artillery
and supply and wagon train sections of
other organizations here. In other
words. the remount station is a sort
of depot brigade applied to horse
power. The station is under the COM
mand of Major Robert Blaine. and its
enlisted men, for the greater part,
come from western Nebraska and
Arizona. where a horse is quite an es-
sential feature of the landscape.
Altho the stock shipped here is pre-
sumed to be broken to saddle and
harness. the presumption is not always
borne out by the facts as some of
these cowpunchers can tell. Quite
frequently a spirited animal, issued out
for duty, is checked back to the pro-
fessional riders and trainers at the re-
mount. The boys from the corn states
can handle pillow horse all right. but
when it comes to a bronc with blood of
Old Nick the buck is passed to these
lads of the west. One morning a few
days ago Puncher w. S. Cooper of
Prescott, Ariz., was engaged in reduc-
ing one of these to tractable mood.
1t was easy to see that his work was
nearly finished The docility of the
splendid black pleased Lieut.. w. Ii.
Houston, in charge of receiving and
issuing. you've done fine with him,
Cooper the lieutenant remarked. He
Is pretty near made horse. "A lady
could ride MIN, sir" said Cooper.
These punchers have names for the
bad ones. The bad ones make an i'm
precision and the boys want to remem-
Der them "Wopsy John" BLACK
Demon" Denver Mud" are just a few
of the unruly ones and of these Den
yer Mud" seems to have made a hit
Denver Mud" could pitch and fight
and throw himself in sundry wicked
ways. He was just about the best of
the lost" said Schiller, but then we
don't have any trouble; we take 'em
all on anG think little of it." A few
minutes later C. E. Ruby, buster from
Broadwater, Neb., backed the state
ment Camp Funston returned a
splendid black that had worked out
quite a neat little reputation for him
self He was back to the remount
as an incorrigible. Watch out for
his forefeet," warned Lieutenant Hous-
ton. They say he uses them" The
black did. While being snubbed to
the horn Of another mount he reared
to his launches and chopped viciously
at the rider. Fortunately the blows
glanced from the saddle and chaps
and did no harm. Right then it was
decided best to snub him to a horse
less valuable and David Blair, cham
pion roper of Vernon, Arizona, rode in
another.
After snubbing him, Blair placed a
heavy blind over his eyes and Ruby
swung into the saddle. Cautiously the
blind was removed For a moment
the black did not comprehend and
stood motionless in fear. Ruby
prompted him and the fun began.
Head down, back arched, legs straight
and stiff the bad one gave as snappy
and artistic an exhibition as one could
wish to see but Ruby never turned a
hair nor touched the leather. After
his first wild spasm of fright the black
settled down into a wild run. his spirit
and mis- temper broken to bits.
Recruit horses and mules come to
the station branded for that particu-
lar use in the service to which their
build seems to fit them. After the
description of each is taken the herd is
given the Maileen test for CHAMBERS,
vaccinated for distemper and placed
in quarantine for twenty-one days.
Just as wards must be provided for
soldiers who fall i'll so must hospitals
be built for sick horses. They are
here. the hospital sheds, and an oper-
ating room especially equipped for
treatment of suffering steeds, all I'M
der the charge of Lieut.. H C. Gale.
chief of the veterinary corps. assisted
by Lieut.. H. G. Beaumont. who per-
forms many of the necessary opera
TORS.
The Remount Station. composed of
some sixty-eight buildings. which of
course include the barracks, has ca
pacity CT 5000 head of stock Some
1000 horses and mules have been fur
nished the S3th division and at pres
EN- there are about 1900 head on
hand to be issued. Naturally it takes
a considerable quantity of feed to
provender this outfit The $500 head
will consume LOO bales of hay, from
400 to 500 bushels of oats and from
5000 to 5000 pounds of bran each day
of twenty-four hours.