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Australian Stock Horse Historic – Australia – Common
height cage is well-sprung and of horse that was elegant, athletic, and extremely hardy. 14–16 h.h. hindquarters are powerful. Often these horses were used extensively on Australia’s appearance color giant cattle ranches or stations and were referred to as A finely modeled, attractive Any color. head, well-set neck, and aptitude Stock horses or Station horses. sloped shoulders. Withers are Riding, working livestock, Through the twentieth century, the role of the horse defined, chest is deep but not dressage, jumping, eventing, began to change. The demand for working horses decreased too wide, and back is of competitive and Western medium length and strong. Rib riding horse sports and there was a move toward breeding a modern, competitive type suitable for horse sports. There was an the australian stock horse is often referred to as increase in crossbreeding to Thoroughbreds and Arabians, “the horse for every need,” and there is perhaps no better with some crosses also made to the American Quarter description of this extraordinarily talented and versatile Horse, which had arrived in Australia in the mid-1950s. breed. These horses can excel in virtually every This impressive horse developed into a distinct type—a equestrian sphere, from show jumping to polo, high-quality, athletic, and elegant animal—and in 1971 it campdrafting to dressage, and everything in between. was finally given a proper name and a society to protect it. As with all Australian breeds, the roots of the Australian The Australian Stock Horse Society was formed in June of Stock Horse trace back to horses imported from the that year, and a studbook was established to try to preserve eighteenth century onward and brought to Australia by its important heritage. Today the society has numerous early colonists. These included Arabians and Barbs, British branches across Australia; it serves to protect the breeding pony breeds, Thoroughbreds, Iberian horses, European records of the Stock Horse through registration and to breeds, Indonesian breeds, and some draft breeds, promote the breed through competitions and exhibitions. providing a diverse gene pool from which the Australian The Stock Horse is now widespread in Australia and has breeds later emerged. The Australian Stock Horse’s history had far greater influence in its formation from other breeds is inextricably linked to that of the Australian Waler, and than the older Waler. In particular, there has been both breeds could be considered one until the end of World Thoroughbred, Arabian, and some pony influence, as well War II. The first place horses arrived in Australia was New as influence from Waler bloodlines. Although it is used South Wales, and today this remains a center of Australian throughout the equestrian leisure industry and competes horse breeding. Horses from there became known as in almost all disciplines, it is also still used as a working Walers and were the original Australian working horse; animal on many of Australia’s cattle stations. The Stock they were highly sought after by the army because of their Horse excels at working livestock and exhibits a natural incredible tenacity and versatility. affinity for cattle, able to track and follow them at great Among the horses to influence the Waler were early speed. It is from this that the Australian sport of English Thoroughbreds, which were first introduced to campdrafting developed, and the Australian Stock Horse is Australia at the very end of the eighteenth century; by the the true champion in this field. Campdrafting tests the 1830s, they were being imported in large numbers. Many of horse’s intelligence, agility, obedience, speed, and ability to these imported Thoroughbreds were crossed to the work cattle and involves a single mounted rider cutting a existing mares, who had by this time developed into hardy, cow from a group and maneuvering it through a series of enduring creatures. These crosses began to produce a type obstacles in an enclosed area according to a set pattern.
outstanding agility