Out on the Nevada ranges he would run. He would steal mares from neighboring ranchers and fight for other stallion’s mares. If you saw him you would think it was remarkable that he did not have more scars on his beautiful body from fighting. Even in the winter his coat would shine reflecting the brightness of the snow.

George made his way out west the hard way. He had many jobs along the way, he had been a lawman, A wrangler, even an out-law. He married and settled down to a ranch in Nevada. It wasn’t much, but it was his. George and Mable scratched a living on that ranch, until their fingers bled. There was growing and harvesting hay for the animals. Growing and canning food for the winter. It was in their second year on that ranch they discovered they were going to have a baby. On the second day after she gave birth Mable insisted on getting up and helping with the chores. George thought to himself how lucky he was to have such a wonderful wife.

The third year, the couple had a daughter; they were blessed with her health like their son. The crops were in; everything was ready for winter. And then it happened.
The black came down from the mountains, he had stolen mares from the other ranchers, George and Mable hoped he had enough mares to keep him busy for the winter. But as luck would have it that wasn’t so, The black raided one more ranch. Mable and Georges. Their boy saw his shadow opening the coral gate but by the time he could tell his father it was to late. George grabbed his rifle from over the fireplace and ran to the coral, but the black was long gone, All there was were mares running out of the gate to freedom with the black.

There are many herds of wild horses in Nevada. Some are small herds; some are large as many as one hundred, The blacks was in the hundred range. He had to lead them to where they could eat grass and drink water. Both of them were getting more and more scarce in Nevada. The cattle ranchers claimed they needed it all to feed and water their cattle.

Part of George and Mable’s livelihood depended on those mares, they would breed them to their stallion and break the colts and sell them every year. Without the mares they could not do that anymore.

George went up in the mountains to see if he could find his mares and the black. But after three days it got too cold and the snow covered their trail. George was thinking on the way back to the ranch, wouldn’t the black make a great ranch stud? His father had been let loose by the army to breed to the wild mustang mares and improve the breed, and that it did. The mustangs of Nevada became larger and more durable. It was the perfect blend of breeds.

George and Mable got through that winter pretty easy. They had no mares to have to feed and water. The ranch stud had a rest. It was a cold winter. Mable often thought while she was doing her chores, I wish the mares would come back to us and be pregnant from the black, we would have the grandest colts in Nevada. [But that was just dreaming] Then she would stop day dreaming and finish her chores.

It got so cold that winter that the children could not get to the school house. Mable and George had to teach them at home. One day, as Mable was helping the girl with a problem, The boy looked out of the window and saw in the empty coral. Their old mare standing alone. The ice was hanging from her mane. Her head was lowered as if she were on her last legs before death. The boy ran quickly for his father and told him about the mare. George went out to the coral and walked right up to the old mare. He petted her on her head as he said, Welcome home old girl welcome home. Within the next three days all of the mares came back. George and Mable never had the black for a ranch stud.
But the next year they had the best looking colts in Nevada for sale.