Horse sports in Australia pre-1971 . Clockwise from top left : Bob Chittick and Musician , clearing seven feet , three inches at Sydney 1921 , to create a record . Photo : Courtesy Gene Makim-Willing ; Alex Wiseman campdrafting at Scone in 1952 ; Grand Parade at Maitland Centenary Show , 1960 ; Reg Watts on his champion mare , ‘ Norma ’ in 1934 .
By the late 1960s and early 1970s , a small group of horseman and women deemed it important to establish a society , so that these great Australian horses would not be lost genetically and future generations could be recognised and officially recorded . In June 1971 , the Australian horse was given the recognition and formal organisation it deserved with the formation of The Australian Stock Horse Society .
Eligible horses were required to be inspected by a panel of three classifiers , who judged each horse on its merits and classified it according to ‘ Conformation & Type ’ ( 60 points ), ‘ Breeding ‘ ( 20 points ) and ‘ Ability ’ ( 20 points ). By 1979 , eight years into the Society ’ s existence , the classifiers had accepted more than 40,000 horses for registration .
The registry section of the Stud Book was closed on 31st July 1988 , and from 1st August 1988 and onwards , horses which were accepted for registration were required to have satisfied the Society ’ s breeding requirements and did not require inspection . The only exceptions were Australian Stud Book ( Thoroughbred ) mares and stallions , which are still allowed in the Stud Book under a ‘ Breeding Purposes ’ registration .
In 1996 , the Society ’ s Silver Jubilee year , 130,000 horses had been registered or recorded with the Society . In the last decade the Society has experienced unprecedented growth as the demand for Australian Stock Horses and recognition of their many attributes has increased . In 2011 , the Society ’ s Ruby Jubilee year , in excess of 180,000 horses have been registered or recorded in the Australian Stock Horse Stud Book . From humble beginnings over two centuries ago , the Australian Stock Horse has been developed into the wonderful athlete we see today , and one which can rightfully lay claim to being the ‘ Breed for Every Need ’.
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