Australian Stock Horse

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The Australian Stock Horse (or Stockhorse), has been especially bred for Australian climatic conditions. Horses were introduced to Australia for the first time with the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in January, 1788.

The ancestry of the Stock Horse includes the Arabian horse, Barb horse , American Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred. Horses in Australia were initially bred for their stamina and strength with weaker horses culled and only the stronger horses bred. In the 1830's Thoroughbreds were imported into Australia to improve the local strains and the crossing of the Thoroughbred stallions with the hardy local mares produced the basis of the Australian Stock Horse.

Australian Stock Horse 3 Year Old

1 Breed characteristics
2 Breed today
3 At war
4 Trivia
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Breed characteristics

The Australian Stock Horse is intelligent, with courage, toughness and stamina, and has a good temperament.

Australian Stock Horse 3 Year Old

[edit] Breed today

There are approximately 170,000 Australian Stock Horses registered or foal recorded with the Australian Stock Horse Society.^[1] The Stock Horse is used for rodeos, harness work, Polo playing , Dressage, Campdrafting, Showjumping and Equestrian competitions, as well as for general riding and stock work on rural properties. ('stock' refers to horses and cattle etc.).

[edit] At war

The dependable Australian Stock Horse was used by the Australian Army in the First World War. Approximately 160,000 Australian horses served during WW1 and English cavalryman, Lt Col RMP Preston DSO summed up the Australian Light Horses performance in his book, The Desert Mounted Corps.^[1]

"… Cavalry Division had covered nearly 170 miles…and their horses had been watered on an average of once in every 36 hours…. The heat, too, had been intense and the short rations, 9½ lb of grain per day without bulk food, had weakened them considerably. Indeed, the hardship endured by some horses was almost incredible. One of the batteries of the Australian Mounted Division had only been able to water its horses three times in the last nine days - the actual intervals being 68, 72 and 76 hours respectively, yet this battery on its arrival had lost only eight horses from exhaustion…. The majority of horses in the Corps were Walers and there is no doubt that these hardy Australian horses make the finest cavalry mounts in the world…."

[edit] Trivia

There was a tribute to the Australian Stock Horse during the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony when an Australian Stock Horse reared and then a further 120 Stock Horses were ridden into the Stadium and performed intricate dressage formations to the music of the especially written Olympics version of the main theme of the film "The Man from Snowy River" by Australian composer Bruce Rowland.