Australian Brumbies make the most honest and safe riding horses (and carriage horses). They really bond with their handlers and form strong relationships. They give all that they have, and I recommend them to everyone! I often say once you go brumby you will never go back to domestics.
Distinguishing features: Brumbies are sure-footed, intelligent, hardy, alert, trainable and versatile. They have a good temperament, hard hooves, strong bones and generally sound conformation. Their height, colouring and conformation varies greatly from one mob to the next.
Many Brumbies have successfully adapted to domesticated lives as ridden horses, working horses and even pets, however, one avenue in particular where Brumbies have excelled is as trustworthy Pony Club mounts!
Australian Brumbies are wild horses that initially were domesticated before they escaped from their European captors in the 1800s. Moreover, these horses resemble ordinary horses, and being wild is pretty much the only difference; hence, why they are known as Feral Horses.
Occasionally they are mustered and domesticated for use as campdrafters, working stock horses on farms or stations, but also as trail horses, show horses, Pony Club mounts and pleasure horses.
Feral horses, also known as wild horses or brumbies, have caused serious long-term damage to alpine and floodplain areas, and their population is rapidly increasing. Their hooves destroy habitats that are critical to threatened plant and animal species including alpine skinks and spiny crayfish.
Healthy Brumbies in healthy environments assists species, such as birds, butterflies and insects by sustaining a patchwork of short, green grass that in turn enables biodiversity. We also recognise that removing too many Brumbies can disadvantage species that have benefited from their presence.
Whilst adult brumbies don't have any natural predators, populations are threatened by drought, food scarcity and parasites with very few wild horses reaching their maximum life span of 20 years. The number of brumbies in Australia is disputed.
The horses were versatile types and later they were specifically used as war-horses for the First and Second World Wars and the Boer War in South Africa as well as for mounts used in the gold rush days and as police horses.
The Brumbies that we see in Victoria and NSW today are thought to have originated from some horses left behind when Sergeant James Brumby was transferred from Botany Bay to Van Diemens land in 1806.
Wild horses first appeared in Australia soon after colonisation, as horses escaped or were abandoned. According to historian Eric Rolls, brumbies may have originally got their name from the horses that Private James Brumby abandoned in 1804 when he was transferred from New South Wales to Tasmania.
Brumbies are crepuscular–being most active during the morning and evening and resting during the hottest parts of the day. A brumby's life expectancy is 20-30 years.
Feed good quality pasture (grass) or meadow hay. is normal for a Brumby. containers; hay around the container can encourage the transition.
There are around 400,000 of these wild horses in Australia. They exist in every state except Tasmania. The population is thought to increase by about 20% every year. This growth in numbers presents a significant threat to the environment.
Wild horses are considered to be a pest animal because of the damage they cause to the environment. Wild horses can: increase soil erosion – by killing vegetation, disturbing the soil and creating paths along frequently used routes. destroy native plants – by grazing and trampling.
Brumby History. These feral horses are not native to Australia. In fact, they are descended from escaped, imported horses dating back to the early European settlers. The strongest and most physically resilient horses survived the arduous journey to Australia from various continents by sea.
Of the 37,245 horses dispatched from Australia during the Boer War, most were Walers. Again, in World War I, Walers were the favoured war horse, especially within the Australian Light Horse Brigade.
What is a group of horses called in Australia? Australians tend to use the words band or mob to refer to a group of horses.
Horses were introduced to Australia from Europe by the First Fleet in 1788, and more horses were imported later for a range of uses. Escaped horses went on to form feral populations, which eventually spread across a wide area.
Australia has up to 400,000 feral horses, the world's largest wild population. As big, hard-hoofed animals, they cause immense ecological damage, particularly in the fragile high country of the Australian Alps including Alpine and Kosciuszko national parks.
Horses (Equus caballus) were introduced with European settlement both in Australia and New Zealand. Over time, animals escaped and were released and were first recognised as pests in Australia in the 1860's. In contrast to Australia, the New Zealand population is protected.
The horse, a prey animal, depends on flight as its primary means of survival. Its natural predators are large animals such as cougars, wolves, or bears, so its ability to outrun these predators is critical.
Reasons for brumby shooting include, but are not limited to: demands for grazing land and water for domestic herds, sport, to maintain pastoral stations, to reduce environmental damage caused by the horses, to control disease, and to prevent possible road collisions.
Modern Uses of the Australian Stock Horse
Aside from work, the Australian Stock Horse is used as a competitive breed. You will often find the Stock Horse competing in campdrafting, dressage, endurance racing, eventing, polo, polocrosse and show jumping.