238 MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING OF HORSES 



derous size of the present day draft horse. It is worthy 

 mention that in the acclimation the Thoroughbred lost 

 some of his speed as well as the drafter his size, but both 

 gained in hardiness and endurance. Because of the speed 

 and endurance the light type became widespread, many 

 of the horses finding their way to New York and Ken- 

 tucky, where they entered into the formation of the 

 American trotter and the American saddler. 



While the eastern colonies and the eastern central and 

 southern states were being settled and populated, the 

 horses that had escaped from the Cortez expedition of 

 1519 in Mexico and from the De Soto expedition of 1540 

 in the Mississippi valley and perhaps others, were mul- 

 tiplying rapidly in Mexico and southwestern United 

 States, due to the very nutritious foods available, and to 

 the favorable climatic conditions. 



The Indian pony. — This is the name given the feral 

 ponies in western United States. They are not a dis- 

 tinct breed. Certain it is, however, that they have 

 roamed the plains for so many generations that their 

 characters have become sufficiently fixed to be trans- 

 mitted from parent to offspring, and, in fact, they have 

 beconie perfectly adapted to the environment. 



Mustang, Broncho and Cayuse.^ — The Indian pony is 

 often designated by various names common to particular 

 localities. Thus in the South he is known as the Mus- 

 tang; in the West as the Broncho; and in the North as 

 the Cayuse. Because of the great endurance, the Indian 

 pony has been very useful on the ranges, particularly in 

 herding cattle. In recent years this strain has been much 

 improved by crossing with the Arabian, Thoroughbred 

 and American trotter. In his improved form, the Indian 

 pony is useful wherever hardy, active and enduring 

 horses are needed. 



Description of the Indian pony. — In size the Indian 

 pony averages 12 to 14 hands high and weighs 600 to 800 

 pounds. All colors are found, but duns are perhaps the 



