H
irse
Of Tl
Palomino Is Only Breed
Of Horses Developed
Western Section
United States
In
Of
By Alan Case
of horse that the West can claim as her
own, has at last been given its rightful place
among the other aristocrats of the erjuine world.
An association of breeders of this spectacular
animal have just starter! a Html book in which
the names and pedigrees of all full-blood Palo
minos are registered. Of course you know that
a stud book Is to the animal kindom what
Burke'B Peerage, the Almannch de Gotha, and
the Social Register are to humans. Tf your name,
number and heritage Is duly published therein
you're an aristocrat. If not, you just don't be
long. Up until this year the Palomino hasn't offi
cially "belonged", chiefly because it is a breed
that originated and developed right here on the
Pacific coast where we are notoriously careless
about ancestr". If it had been an Kastem or
English animal it would have been duly recorded
100 years ago. t
No ono knows exactly whore the Palomino
originated but there are two legends, one gives
the honor to California and the other to Ari
zona and Mexico. According to the story current
among the Spanish speaking paisanna of Cali
fornia there was, about 1800, a cattle foreman
at the Mission Santa Barbara who longed for
the distinction of riding the most beautiful horse
fn the country. Of course, he had the pick of
the great herds belonging to the Mission but
there wasn't a horse among them that satisfied
his ambition. He was always on the lookout and
he told the Indians, who herded the brood mares
far back in the hills, that there would be a big
reward In brandy and hard money for the man
who would bring him the most likely colt.
FINALLY one summer, when tne mares were
brought down to the Mission to tread out
the grain on the huge earthen threshing floors,
an old one-eyed Indian en me into the compound
leading a gangling, Ic-ng-legged colt such as had
never before been seen in those parts. The little
fellow was all covered with chaff and dust from
the threshing floor and at first Don Estaban,
the cattle foreman, looked at him with disgust.
"Que Palomino!" Palomino is a word in barn
yard Spanish that isn't at all complementary.
But when the Indian rubbed his hand over the
colt's soft coat, each hair shone like a thread
of gold and when the chaff was brushed from
Its mane and tail, they were the color of rich
milk. Furthermore, the youngster was gentle,
graceful and swift, and showed in Its smalt head,
He Golden West Wins Place In Sun
, .T
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"La Ricna", with her colt, one of two beautiful Palominos owned by the
Wrigley Estate. Eight Palominos are pampered pets of the Sultan of Johore.
"Anywhere west of the Rockies, a pretty girl on a Palomino horse is usually the
leader of any parade."
Tarzan, Palomino who stars with Ken Mavnard in western pictures.
A remarkably intelligent animal, he obeys direction either by voice or
signal and is as camera-wise as any veteran actor.
fine neck, slender legs and deep chest that it
was descended from the famous Spanish Barbs,
which are closely akin to the Arabian horses.
This wasn't surprising because many Barbs had
been brought to California- from Spain by the
way of Mexico, for gentlemen and land owners
disdained to ride any other breed.
However, the colt's color was as new as it
was stnrtlingly beautiful and Don Estaban knew
he had found the horse of hi3 dreams!
In California all true Palominos are descended
from that colt. In Arizona the story goes that
some raiding redskins from Gila county rode
down into Sonora, Mexico, and stole a famous
white stallion from a rich hacienda. The next
year they raided the same ranch and took a
buckskin mare and the year following that the
mare returned to her home leading a golden colt
with a milk-white mane and tail. This occurred
before the Spanish made their first settlements
in California according to the story, and Cali
fornia can only claim the breed by adoption.
At any rate, the Palomino became a very much
prized horse in California when the Spanish and
Mexican flags flew over the Golden State. Palo
minos were always rather scarce and expensive
and for that reason all the more sought after
by wealthy ranchers. A caballero bound for a
wedding or a fiesta, all garbed in plush and
satin, didn't consider himself really dressed for
the occasion unless he had a Palomino horse
under his silver-plated saddle. And, quite natur
ally, as the native Californians were among the
world's best horsemen, they bred the Palomino
with an eye to speed and endurance as well
as beauty.
IN Spanish times .the Palomino horses were not
known by that name except among vaqueroa
and stable hands. Designations such as "Los
Dorados", "the Golden Ones", or "Cremoloa" and
"Canelos" meaning cream-colored and cinnamon
colored yere used in more polite conversation
for this favorite mount of the dons, and "Los
dos Canelos" were the names of the two young
Palominos ridden by an American army officer
who in 1846 made the seven hundred mile round
trip from Monterey to Los Angeles in seven
days. That is a record that has yet to be dupli
cated. After the American conquest of California,
the Palomino breed spread east through Ari
zona and New Mexico into Texas and from Cali
fornia up into Washington and Oregon, but in
most localities the breed deteriorated rapidly
through crossing with wild mustangs that were
common throughcut the West at this period. It
is claimed that most of the buckskin ponies in
Oregon and Idaho have proud Palomino blood.
About 30 or 40 years ago the Palomino breed
began to be revivified from a few horses of the
pure strain that were discovered in the back
country of California and today they are bred
on a dozen ranches in California, Oregon, Ari
zona and Nevada. While they make excellent
cow horses and good polo ponies, their spectacu
lar beauty makes them very popular for parades
and fiestas throughout the West. From British
Columbia to Mexico, anywhere west of the
Rockies, a pretty girl on a Palomino horse is
usually the leader of any parade.
Today we have many nationally and interna
tionally known Palominos, such as "Tarzan"
who stars with Ken Maynard in western pic
tures, "El Rey" and "La Reina," two superb
animals belonging to the Wrigley estate, not to
mention eight Palominos that are the pampered
pets of the Sultan of Johore. And since the breed
is duly recognized and registered it wilt un
doubtedly experience an increasing popularity
among horse lovers.
-
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LEADS TO FREEZE FOR OUR LON& TREK OVER THE ICE. WE COULD
CARRY ONLY BARELY ENOUGH FOOD TO SUPPORT LIFE. AT LAST
THE TEMPERATURE FELL TO 30 BELOW ZERO
we had hoped to walk. actually we
had to crawl painfully over the
up-ended ice Blocks wade waist
deep through drift snow
FOOT BY FOOT I EASED OVER THE SPONGY ICE.
ulatuiu tv&sn( nc safftv t Tiioucr, T-t w&ie
TO MY COMPANION THEM TH8 ICt AV6 WAy1
I SANK UNDER THE ICE SHELF. BUT
SOMEHOW MANAGED TO HOOK THE EDGE
WITH MY ICE PICK. I PULLED MYSELF
uut AND kOLLED TO SAFETY
ONLY PEMMICAN AND DRY QlSCUlT-4':f'5?1
BUT A FEW CAMELS MAKE IT TASTE
rvrvn Akin fffl good incirf '
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I look .1 i smmu 7i
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rTtNWTiC klfEAATH - WARMTH. HLi"
iW liTHESS Vftn afdjy& i rest and good fsiThr.
i'2v If L ,mW I LKHp' food once more.' 7 ""UBioZl
AN EXPLORER NEEDS
GOOD DIGESTION. I FIND
THAT CAMELS ADD GUSTO
TO MY MEALS AN0
BRING ME A GREAT
FEELING OF WELL-BEING.
AND CAMELS NEVER
GET ON MY NERVES
they ausay:"CAMELS SET YOU RIGHT!" -
LIKE SIR HUBERT WII KIKIC rniux niu-u V
6tNE SARAZEN, COL. ROSCOt TURNER, BILt'
TILDEN, AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS -YOU, TOO,
WILL F1NO THAT CAMELS SET YOU RIGHT)
ENJOY THEM OFTEN. ..AT MEALTIMES FOR
THEIR AID TO DIGESTION-INCREASE IN
ALKALINITY.. .AT ALL TIMES FOR THEIR
CHEERY "LIFT" THEIR MATCHLESS
riftVOK AND MILDNESS
..... ...
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