University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Social Sciences - Honours Theses University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2015 Assembling Horses in Kosciuszko National Park Jennifer Owens University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Owens, Jennifer, Assembling Horses in Kosciuszko National Park, Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science - Human Geography, Department of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong, 2015. https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/7 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Assembling Horses in Kosciuszko National Park Abstract Kosciuszko National Park is located around 350km south-west of Sydney and is the largest National Park in NSW. Kosciuszko National Park is home to a horse population of an estimated 6000 horses. The presence of these horses within the park is highly controversial due to a range of stakeholders having different perspectives based on different contexts that horses can be placed in. With the 2008 Horse Management Plan up for review in 2013, the re-introduction of aerial culling as a control method was being considered. This created a large divide and subsequent debates around factors such as actual horse numbers in the park, horse impacts, horse control methods and the ideas around the horses’ right to belong in the Park. Data for this project was accessed through a range of sources such as semi- structured interviews and online content that was made available through discussion forums and social media. A main focus of the methodology involved situating myself within the project to experience an entirely embodied approach to the research, therefore introducing the idea of ‘brumbiness’. Analysis of the debate was approached by using the conceptual tool of assemblage thinking. By investigating the assemblages of the horse, the horse was deconstructed which allowed the debate to be analysed through these various horse constructs. An analysis of the 2008 Horse Management Plan opened up the view of the NPWS as seeing the horse as feral. Analysis of the public debate saw the horse assembled as ‘brumby’ or ‘feral’, and the politics of blame were explored to uncover different perspectives towards impacts within Kosciuszko National Park. Horse narratives were also analysed to give further insight into the assemblage of the horse as a brumby, and how connections that develop between humans and horses play an integral part in the forming of people’s experiences of brumbiness. Degree Type Thesis Degree Name Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science - Human Geography Department Department of Geography and Sustainable Communities Advisor(s) Professor Gordon Waitt and Professor Michael Adams Keywords Horsles, Assemblage, discourse, management, brumbiness, SGSC This thesis is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/7 UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG Assembling Horses in Kosciuszko National Park Jennifer Owens Abstract Kosciuszko National Park is located around 350km south-west of Sydney and is the largest National Park in NSW. Kosciuszko National Park is home to a horse population of an estimated 6000 horses. The presence of these horses within the park is highly controversial due to a range of stakeholders having different perspectives based on different contexts that horses can be placed in. With the 2008 Horse Management Plan up for review in 2013, the re-introduction of aerial culling as a control method was being considered. This created a large divide and subsequent debates around factors such as actual horse numbers in the park, horse impacts, horse control methods and the ideas around the horses’ right to belong in the Park. Data for this project was accessed through a range of sources such as semi-structured interviews and online content that was made available through discussion forums and social media. A main focus of the methodology involved situating myself within the project to experience an entirely embodied approach to the research, therefore introducing the idea of ‘brumbiness’. Analysis of the debate was approached by using the conceptual tool of assemblage thinking. By investigating the assemblages of the horse, the horse was deconstructed which allowed the debate to be analysed through these various horse constructs. An analysis of the 2008 Horse Management Plan opened up the view of the NPWS as seeing the horse as feral. Analysis of the public debate saw the horse assembled as ‘brumby’ or ‘feral’, and the politics of blame were explored to uncover different perspectives towards impacts within Kosciuszko National Park. Horse narratives were also analysed to give further insight into the assemblage of the horse as a brumby, and how connections that develop between humans and horses play an integral part in the forming of people’s experiences of brumbiness. 2 Acknowledgements First of all I must thank my mother Clare, because if it wasn’t for her constant support and encouragement since I first commenced my journey into uni, there is no way I would have made it through my degree, let alone end up in a position to do Honours. On the other end of the parental side I’d like to thank my dad Ken, whose close proximity to Wollongong University had me taking over his house sporadically throughout my university education and he never ceased being welcoming and supportive. I’d like to thank my close friend Brad who happened to commence uni at the same time as myself as a mature age student. If it wasn’t for his friendship and support, I would have found my time at university a lot more difficult. A massive thank you must go to my fiancé Lindsay. If he hadn’t come into my life during my first year at uni I don’t know whether I would have established the grounding and intellectual drive that kept me going. Him filling me with constant love, self-worth and food is what got me through. A huge thank you to my two supervisors Michael Adams and Gordon Waitt! Both of who are such amazingly inspiring, intellectual and individual humans. I feel so honoured (no pun intended) for the time I got to spend learning from them both and having them offer me so much help and support. I thank them for their patience, constant assistance, and enduring my endless diary-like emails. When it comes to my research I’d like to thank my awesome friend in Jindabyne Nev, who when the moment he found out I was doing my thesis on brumbies kept me constantly in the loop with what was going on. Thank you to the amazing McBride family for providing me with a loving home to stay at whilst in Jindabyne. Thank you to the NPWS staff of the Snowy Region who contributed their help either by providing connections or through interviews despite the highly politicised nature of the issue. I wish to thank every author who I have referenced in my thesis for doing the amazing academic work that has informed, inspired and guided my research. Unrelated to my research project, I would like to thank all the horse rescue sanctuaries that are operating, and in particular the specialised brumby sanctuaries that operate unfunded to ensure the lives of such beautiful creatures can be saved. I would also like to acknowledge the Indigenous groups who are the Traditional Owners of the Snowy Region, those being the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu, Ngunnawal and Monaro Ngarigo people. I am always aware that the romanticism of the Snowies and the love I feel for the region has stemmed from European colonisation and pastoralism, which no doubt was a horrible time for the Aboriginal clans who the Snowy Mountains areas rightfully belong to. I spiritually and respectfully appreciate my time on their land. 3 Preliminary Notes There are numerous terms used to describe non-domestic horses across the literature and across the discussion, and these include: free-roaming horses, free-ranging horses, wild horses, feral horses, pest horses and brumbies. This thesis attempts to avoid categorisations, as each term is representative of the horse within different contexts. The horses within KNP are often referred to as ‘brumbies’ by the local community, as it is this label that links to the Australian identity. To avoid placing myself in a certain category and placing the horse in a particular context, I do my best to always refer to the horse as simply a ‘horse’, yet this is sometimes challenging given the project, so I may interchangeably use the terms ‘brumby’ or ‘wild horse’ when distinction is necessary, or if I am purposefully speaking of the horse in a specific context.