According to John H. Bradbury's History of Clearwater County series, Cayuse ponies were favored by packers to lead their mule trains into the area during the early days. They were bred by the Cayuse Tribe, a nomadic people that are today part of the Umatilla Confederation, from the area of Walla Walla, WA and Milton-Freewater, OR. The tribe was renowned for their horsemanship and riding prowess.

Bradbury writes that the ponies were small, wiry, fast, sure-footed and had tremendous endurance making them a perfect mountain horse. These horses were also used by Isaac Mossman for his pony express between Walla Walla and Pierce City.

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