292 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



The Mustangs, or wild horses, that were found 

 upon the plains of Texas and New Mexico, and 

 elsewhere on our own continent, are a tough, 

 hardy, and usually ill-tempered race of small 

 horses, remarkably agile and sure-footed, and 

 have descended from the original Spanish stock 

 brought to Mexico by the Spaniards in their 

 early efforts at the conquest of that country. 

 The Indian ponies, formerly so common in our 

 Western Territories, have undoubtedly the 

 same origin, and many of them, especially 

 those that have been bred in the higher lati- 

 tudes, approximate very closely the form and 

 size of the Shetland pony. The hardiness and 

 powers of endurance of many of these horses 

 are simply marvelous; but these valuable qual- 

 ities are largely neutralized by ill-temper and 

 lack of size. Thoroughbred sires, as well as stal- 

 lions of the various draft breeds, have been used 

 upon these Mustang mares with excellent re- 

 sults in most cases. When tamed and broken 

 they are especially adapted for use in herding 

 cattle upon the great ranches of our Western 

 plains, and for this purpose the genuine Mus- 

 tang is the chief reliance of the herdsman. 



