Origins of the Australian Stock Horse
The Australian Stock Horse, possibly the world’ s most versatile horse, evolved through selective breeding in response to the demands of the environment. The ancestors of the Australian Stock Horse arrived in Australia on the First Fleet in January 1788.
The end of the 18th century saw horses imported into Botany Bay in small numbers, believed to be of Arabian and Barb blood. The Barb, developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, was a desert horse with great hardiness and stamina. Eventually more horses where imported, these were of English Thoroughbred and Spanish stock. Later importations included more Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Timor and Welsh Mountain Ponies.
All horses sent to the Colony needed strength and stamina- not only to survive the long sea journey, but also to work in the foreign, untamed environment that had become their home. After Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813, settlers ventured inland and strong reliable horses became a necessity.
In the 1830s, knowledgeable horse breeders imported a steady stream of Thoroughbreds to improve the local horse strains. The settlers had a keen interest in horse racing, so Thoroughbreds became very popular at the beginning of the 19th century. The use of Thoroughbred stallions over the conditionhardened local mares produced the beautiful strain of tough but stylish animal exemplified by today ' s Australian Stock Horse.
Australian horses had been selectively bred for strength and stamina, reliability and versatility. The strongest were retained for breeding and despite their mixed origins they developed into a strong and handsome type. The horses that developed had a good temperament, were tough and reliable, able to work under saddle and in harness. They were used to clear timber, plough the land and herd sheep and cattle. From this base the breed was refined and developed, using the outstanding sires of the day. Thoroughbreds had a considerable influence, even though the breed carried bloodlines from other breeds.
Explorers, stockmen, settlers, bushrangers and troopers all relied on horses that could travel long distances, day after day. Weak horses were culled; the stronger types were used to breed sturdy saddle horses that were essential for the Colony’ s settlement. Exploits of the explorers and stockmen and their reliable horses in the Australian bush became Australian folklore, and stories such as The Man from Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow depict the character of these pioneers and their horses.
Many Australians refer to their horses as stock horses or station horses. When purchased by a cavalry exporter, the horse became known as a remount horse. Originally all Australian horses came from New South Wales( thus the name‘ Waler’), but as the settlers spread throughout the continent, they took their horses with them. It was in the early 1840s that the term‘ Waler’ was coined. The hardiness of the Waler made him a natural mount for the cavalry. The Australian Army used the Waler in the First World War.
The origins of the Waler date back prior to 1840, and during the Boer War and World War I the Australian Horse received worldwide recognition through the success of the Australian Light Horse regiments, a quite significant achievement for horses in Australia’ s history. The Waler was considered to be the finest cavalry horse in the world, winning International acclaim for its endurance, reliability and hardiness during the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and the First World War. In the Boer War, the Waler served in such regiments as the Lancers, Commonwealth Horse, Mounted Rifles and Bushmen’ s Troop.
Around 160,000 Australian horses served in World War I and their performance was best summed up by the English cavalryman, Lt Col RMP Preston DSO, in his book, The Desert Mounted Corps.
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