Plural of cayuse; small, hardy horses originally bred by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest region.
Plural form of cayuse, derived from the Cayuse or Nez Percé peoples. As English traders encountered these horses, the term entered into common usage for the breed.
When gold miners rushed to California and Oregon, they depended on cayuses to navigate impossible terrain—these 'ordinary' horses were the real heroes of the frontier expansion.
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