Living and working on Glengyle Station for the next 2.5 years approximately, Josh really developed his love of horses and the lifestyle of a jackaroo come horseman. As well as developing his skills for all activities associated with a working cattle station of up to 8,500 head of cattle across some 5,500 klms2, he learned everything from general horse maintenance through to breaking in brumbies. Shoeing, handling, camp-drafting, riding, breaking in, horse education and rodeo. You name it, Josh learnt it. He also participated in the local rodeo circuit for the 2-3 years he was based at Glengyle.
For Josh, the lifestyle was idealic! Hard work, outdoor lifestyle, open space and learning new skills…a lifestyle and list of activities he would recommend any strapping young horse or country enthusiast pursues in order to teach good work ethics, values a true appreciation for horses and cattle, not to mention the people that make up this industry. “I’ve met some great people along the way…” says Josh, “…not least of which was a guy by the name of John Shrader, the Head Stockman on Glengyle at the time I was there. The guy is a legend and pretty much taught me the basis of everything I know today. John himself comes from a family line of station men that goes back a long way!” When talking with Josh, it appears to be John’s influence on him that regularly raises it head, which makes it clearly apparent that Josh has a lot of time and respect for the guy and everything he taught him. Josh admires the man and is probably a little embarrassed when he says “I don’t know if John knows or not, but before I went to South Australia to do the Cert III course, I didn’t even know how to ride a horse. I had to ask my mum for help as she had ridden horses a lot before!” It was also on ‘Glengyle’ Station, under the auspices of John, that Josh broke-in his first horse…a dun coloured gelding named Nation. “He wanted to do everything to me…bite me, kick me, trample me, shove me. You name it, he tried it” says Josh. The cantankerous gelding that was his first major achievement is now more history than anything else in light of the fact it’s commonplace for Josh nowadays to manage and educate similar-natured horses.
Although praising the jackaroo lifestyle and giving it due credit, he doesn’t sugar-coat the lifestyle and makes no mistake in suggesting it was hard work. “Cracked ribs, kicked and trampled by horses, 50 degree heat, cattle not cooperating and falling off horses were all part of life out there” Josh states, “but you’ve got no choice…you deal with it, get on with it and work hard or you get your arse fired!”
After a considerable developmental phase in Josh’s life at Glengyle, he took on a general-hand role at Gerry Harvey’s horse stud ‘Baramul’, located in the Widden Valley on the western edge of the Hunter Valley in NSW. Considered a nursery for some of Australia’s most brilliant races horses, many iconic champions have been breed at Baramul Stud. The stud gave Josh the opportunity to further develop and refine his skills which included amongst other things, the training of horses before sales and yearling preparations for the Magic Millions race meet.
8 Love Thy Horse Magazine