The Horses of the Block: 1 2

The following text is extracted,
with the author's permission,
from Arnold McKee's
The Forgotten Corner: The Roundup of 1994

The Elusive Horses in the Block

We have established that horsemen and horse breeders ran horses in the British Block, with or without permission, take your choice. They were managed at that point in any case. Now these were quality horses, no matter if they were draft, thoroughbred, Appendix Quarter horses, maybe the odd Arab or Morgan, grades or crossbred. This area was always known for good using horses and the people who bred them knew how to get his done. Add to the mix, a good climate, hard grass, lots of room, rough country and it just made good strong athletic horses for any job to be done...

Some of these studs at the time, which are known, were good quality whatever the background. They was not, as some stories go, Man-o-War, Poco Bueno, or any grand national award winning stallions turned out in the Block. These were strong old-line horses that had the conformation to stay sound under hard working conditions. They were not judged for pretty in a show ring, they were judged for how hard and how long they could do the job and stay sound and be consistent in whatever they did...

... In any case, in 1964 or there abouts, the word was given to these breeders, the same as people in the Block got word in 1951, "Get the horses out." The next section will deal with what went on in this gather, and how the military fence went up, and the restrictions were enforced from then on. The next segment of this story will fit the puzzle to the best of this unique situation in the Forgotten Corner. Nowhere could a vast army range and a group of horses come together and evolve as these horses did. Old line horses, a restricted area, and Nature's selection at work. It will never happen again. This is it.