Horses are the unsung heroes of the Yukon Stage Line. The winter mail stages needed at least 200 horses, and as many as 275 animals in peak years. They came from British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming to perform often dangerous work in brutal weather. The horses adapted to the cold by growing long hair, which was kept clipped to stop it from steaming and frosting up as the animals worked. In extreme cold a bag-like device over the horses' nostrils and breast protectors helped prevent frozen lungs. Horses whose lungs were "burned" in severe temperatures usually died in the spring or early summer, although few horses suffered this fate.
