EBL
Q-55491
The best of Australian
campdrafters make the annual
pilgrimage to Warwick in
October for the chance to win
the ‘Holy Grail’ of Campdrafting
– the Warwick Gold Cup.
The 2015 Cup went to the
partnership of well known
horseman, Ben Tapp, and
Acres of Roses. Acres of
Roses came into Ben’s
string last year and she
is by the great Acres Destiny
out of
Peter Mutch's
Open mare,
King Ranch
Xanadu, who is
by Peppy Snake.
In their short
time together
Acres Of Roses
has won three
Novices and the
2015 Warwick
Gold Cup.
Ben was born
and raised
on Killarney
Station in the
Northern
Territory by his
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Page 22 • The Australian Quarter Horse Magazine • March • April • 2016
parents,
Bill and June Tapp.
He was in the middle of
10 children, six boys and four girls.
Ben feels privileged to have lived his
younger life on a station surrounded
with horses, when they were actually
still used for work. Before helicopters
and motorbikes came along in the
late 70’s, they would do all their
mustering on horseback with a team
of Aboriginal stockman and go out
for six to eight weeks at a time. This
required a large plant of horses.
The stock camp would consist of
about 12 to 14 ringers and each
stockman would have about four or
five horses each. The stock camp
plant horses would number up to 70
or 80 horses. Their mustering season
would start after the wet season
around Easter time, and go through
until end of October early November.
Each team of plant horses would
only last about three months and
then they got a new team of horses
around July. All up they required
approximately 150 working
horses. To supply their
working horse base they
required around 200 to
250 broodmares.