HUNTING WILD HORSES

Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1924, Page 4

HUNTING WILD HORSES

A XUJiTH IHJ-ANI) SPOIIT. AUCKLAND, Dec. 1. 11 is not generally known that thero is within a comparatively lew miles i>| To Awamntu a district where the excitin'; ami dangerous .sport ot hunting wild horses may he indulged in to one's I idlest capacity. The district is a great extent ol undeveloped lorn country, lying m an irregular triangle between the settlements of Aropena ami Ngaroma and the Waikato IDver to tne eastward, it is hardly correct it seems, to term the animals in that area as wild and unclaimed, as the .Maoris m tile vicinity claim that the horses running on this considerahle expanse ol country are theirs. Whether such a claim can he substantiated is a dill'erciu matter. Certain it is, however, that the horses are wild and untamed, and have never known the influence ol handling or even of an occasional rounding up into holding yards, ihe animals are descendants of .Maori-own-ed horses that have escaped from control in years gone by and have roamed the waste lands in droves ol varying size. To come suddenly into view ol a stallion and his small harem grazing on a grass slope a lew hundred yards away is a sight to make a lover ol linrsoliosh rub his eyes. 'I he stallions lire tlii! personification of grace, and Irom their usual vantage point as a small hillock they eye the intrmler, especially if he is afoot, with a demeanour that bodes ill if they come to close ijiiaiters. but this is only momentary, i lie lord of the harem snorts his della nee and then in a Hash he is away down wind, followed by his consorts, and usually also by a nondescript bund of yearlings and foals, and sometimes bv iwo-ycar-olda that have not yet been kicked out of the company to form fresh hands ot their own or to join other established hands. During the past three months or m> the stale ol allairs in wild horse land has been one ol extreme excitement and unrest to Ihe equine community, for in addition to the constant, wntchtdiners necessary to successfully elude raids made by human hunters out for a Sunday’s sport there were lreipieiit combats between stallions. A light between two well-matched stallions is a sight never to he forgot ten. and a young man who was fortunate enough lo he an unseen eye-witness describes it as being thrilling and terrible. Ihe result of them dashes Ireipientl.v is the disablement of one horse, either temporarily or .permanently, according to t|„. luck of the game. Tin: worsted one hobbles oil lo the nearest watei. and maybe he is so grievously maimed that it is only a matter of a short while before he goes the way ol all flesh. The victor, for his part, proudly returns to his own entourage, usually escorting the females of the defeated one’s harem. f l hose latter, in fact, the mares of both harems, have been watching the combat with more or less interest. and at its close they (tickle jades that they are) go oil’ with the cnu<|iicrnr. and the new members are soon aiifait with the original members.

To tell of the many hair-raising incidents associated with the sport of horse hiiiilng would fill a hook. Imt if is worth recording that one of the most prized animals in the territory is a beautiful dapple grey stallion that, so far. has escaped all attempts at taplure. It may he that his turn will come soon, hut up lo the present he has a dean record ol successes in eluding capture. That, ol course, makes the next pursuit more worth while. There are instances of former wild horses changing hand* at CIO to flu. ami of the purchaser being well satislied with his bargain.