Mar 28th, 2017: America: It’s Folklore

[Snakeadelic]

I've even read the story of the Pacing Mustang, a visually white wild horse that used the lateral gait still found in harness racing horses (pace) rather than the vastly more typical diagonal gait (trot). He was regarded as a menace because he had a habit of breaking into government-run 'remount stations' where cavalry horses were bred for the Army and stealing all the best mares for his harem. I believe the story I remember best was by Earnest Thompson Seaton (spelling may be off), who wrote many stories of adventure, some based on the actions of real people. Dunno about the Pacer as far as real, though I've read that eyewitness accounts from the time claim he was real. The story I remember ended with the horse having to be "creased"--stunned by a shallow gunshot grazing the neck in the right place to knock it out without breaking bones--and refusing to eat or drink once he was confined.

Same author also wrote about real folks like Jim Corbett, one of the foremost explorers and big-game hunters of his day. Killed the Champawat tigress who had eaten something like 300 people, and was one of the first white men ever to find evidence of the existence of snow leopards.