AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
FOP. THE 
VOLUME XXXVII.—No. 6. 
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NEW YORK, JUNE, 1878. 
NEW SERIES—No. 377. 
CAPTURING- WILD HORSES. — Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
“.ioke.” Perhaps the white covers of our train of 
a dozen or more 4 and 6-mule wagons attracted 
their curiosity, at all events they seemed to wish a 
nearer inspection, and down they came, in squad¬ 
rons, regiments, and divisions, circling at full 
speed, nearer and nearer, their ample manes and 
tails giving an air of surpassing grace. We did not 
have long to admire the wonderful beauty of this 
scene. The mules, from their well-known sym¬ 
pathy with horses, became fairly excited, and soon 
were unmanagable. It was impossible to keep 
them in line, and though by firing at the wild 
horses with rifles and pistols, they took alarm and 
began to make off, the trouble then was that the 
mules would make off too! Then followed a “ cir¬ 
cus,” compared to which the “ Greatest Show on 
Earth ” is a tame affair. Over 50 frantic mules, 
and a dozen or more equally frantic Texan team¬ 
sters, the mules with braying, trying to go in one 
direction, and the teamsters, with quite the reverse 
of praying, urging them to go in another, all em¬ 
phasized by the staccato of the drivers’ whips, might 
not be called a “ Great Moral Entertainment,” but 
was a very lively one. In the midst of it all, one 
It is generally admitted that the wild horses of 
our far Western plains descended from European 
stock. The term Mustang, applied to the wild 
horse in both South and North America, is a cor¬ 
ruption of the Spanish mesteno (from rnesta, pasture). 
In Mexico, and the portions of our territory bor¬ 
dering upon that country, the Mustang is still 
largely employed, though it is being rapidly re¬ 
placed by better breeds. Large herds of Mustangs 
are found on the broad plains of the South-west, 
and their capture is still followed by both Mexicans 
and Americans. The usual method of capture is 
by the lasso, though sometimes, in favorable locali¬ 
ties, they are taken by driving into an enclosure. 
The skill with which the Mexican throws the lasso, 
is often a subject of comment, but many Ameri¬ 
cans are quite as expert in this very useful accom¬ 
plishment of the herdsman. In lassoing a wild 
horse, or other animal, the horse ridden by the 
hunter plays a most important part. The saddle 
is of great strength, and secured by girths corre¬ 
spondingly strong. One end of the lasso (usually 
30 or 40 feet long), Is made fast to the horn of the 
-saddle, and when the rider makes his cast, which is 
done at a full gallop, and the noose falls upon the 
neck of the wild animal, the horse seems to take 
as much interest m the capture as the rider himself. 
When it is necessary to cheek the captive, the well- 
trained horse braces himself for the tussle, and 
renders essential aid. The writer traveled for 
some months in the region of wild horses, and 
though “ sign ” of various kinds was frequent, and 
our interest was greatly higlitened by the wonder¬ 
ful stories told of them, not a drove, not even a 
single cabaUo , could we see, until at last the party 
concluded the wild horse to be a myth, and it was 
the subject of many a joke. Early one morning, a 
few days out from Corpus Christi, Texas, as we 
reached a crest of one of the great swells of the 
prairie, there wore wild horses at last, and enough 
to make up for any former deficiency ! As far as 
the eye could reach, were horses in every direction, 
in groups and droves—hundreds—no doubt thou¬ 
sands were in view at one time—a sight never to be 
forgotten ! When we first saw them they were 
quietly grazing, but they soon saw us, and we then 
found that the wild horse was far from a “ myth,” 
and the meeting with them was very unlike a 
