A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



ponies in view, has produced some excellent horses in 

 all classes; but his chief value from a cow standpoint, 

 will be in the cross of some of the Morgan strains, 

 or the race horse on his daughters. 



During the past five years, nine registered Morgan 

 horses from the Richard Sellman Farm, Rochelle, 

 Tex., have been added. They weigh i,ooo to 1,150 

 pounds, naked. 



A constant culling of mares occurs in all ages. No 

 mares are used in any of the ranch work, but a grad- 

 ing of geldings, suitable for farm work for drivers 

 and for cow horses, is made, which helps wonderfully 

 in concentrating in the ramuda the best cow horses. 

 Probably 60 per cent of the horses cut out for cow 

 work make fair cow horses, 20 percent really good 

 ones, and 10 percent "crackerjacks." 



The S. M. S. Ranch horse total is 1,100 head for 

 all purposes; 500 head are used in distinct cattle 

 work, and 100 for farm, freighting or team work. 

 There are about 275 breeding mares, the remaining 

 225 being in various classes and ages coming on. The 

 capacity of one jack is used for mule production. 



The cow horse contingent takes care of 400,000 

 acres of pasture, conservatively stocked with cattle. 

 Cow horses are broken as threes in the spring. Their 

 average use in cow work is 12 years, and it is no ex- 

 ception to find horses 18 to 20 years old still doing 

 good work, notably cutting horses, saved for that 

 work, and not used for general riding. These fig- 



[164] 



