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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