Wild Horses 



Having got within range, the Indian shot the 

 horse in the neck, aiming at a spot about three 

 inches below the crest. If the shot was successful 

 the beast dropped as though stone dead. The 

 man then hurried up, hobbled the legs, and put 

 the running noose of a lariat round its neck. In 

 a few minutes the animal, which had but been 

 stunned or paralysed by the blow and was not 

 seriously injured, recovered. Of course, if the 

 spine was hit, death was instantaneous, but I 

 believe many horses were captured in this way. 

 The method was termed " creasing." If, on 

 the other hand, a few horses had been corralled 

 into a strongly made yard built of stout timber, 

 the captor proceeded to lasso one with his rope. 

 The noose flew over the horse's head on to its 

 neck, and a quick turn of the rope round a post 

 was taken by the man with the end he had in 

 his hand. The horse, struggling furiously, tight- 

 ened up the noose until he nearly strangled 

 himself, and in a few moments fell to the ground. 

 The rope was then at once slackened, both at 

 the post and at the noose, hobbles were put on, 

 and the animal allowed to regain its breath. 

 It is marvellous what an effect this " choking- 

 down " process, as it is termed, had upon the 

 beast. For one or two sharp lessons of the sort 

 were as much as the average one could stand, 

 until at last the end of a rope thrown across a 

 partly broken beast's withers made it shake like 



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