Page 76 - SPEEDHORSE April 2018

RICHARD KING’S b b y y L La a r r r r y y T T h h o o r r n n t t o o n n
We are all familiar with how the wild horses
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The ranchers found that the wild horses
were hard to handle and train. Needing a more workable horse, the desire to improve the
ranch horse became a significant part of the development of the ranching industry. The King Ranch of Kingsville, Texas, founded by Richard King, is one of those ranches that became very successful in producing outstanding ranch horses. Their success led to a by-product of an important contribution to Quarter Horse racing.
Richard King was a man born to adventure. He started life in Orange County, New York, in 1824. His first great adventure came at the age
of 11 when he stowed away on a ship headed
to Mobile, Alabama. He would overcome his stowaway status to become a cabin boy. The cabin
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that once inhabited South Texas came to merica through the Spanish exploration and
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settlement of the area. Many of these horses would escape, leading to a large population of wild horses. These horses ran free, taking up residency in the uninhabited areas where they could reproduce at a high level.
photo © King Ranch
Richard King was born in 1824. He stowed away on a ship at age 11, became a cabin boy, and worked his way to captain. In 1851, he started a shipping company and came upon Santa Gertrudis Creek while traveling. He then purchased the land that became his Rancho Santa Gertrudis, which after his death in 1885, became the King Ranch.
When the ranching industry was getting a foothold in South Texas, they found the wild horses. Many of these horses were used by the ranchers, but they still had excess horses to deal with. The excess horses were a nuisance, as they ate the grass that was needed for the cattle. So, they were caught and sold, providing a source of income for the ranchers.
74 SPEEDHORSE, April 2018