A creation that Australia remain extremely proud of, The Australian Stock Horse is a result of what happened when a Colonial purpose – bred horse was put under harsh conditions. The Ancestors of the Australian Stock Horse were shipped here in unforgiving conditions, where only the strong survived to the mainland to be bred from. The early colonialists made the decision to have horses that possessed strong survival adaptability and instincts, so that the horses that they regarded to be of the best type did not go to waste.
Within a couple of decades from the first shipments, Australian breeders had Barbs from North Africa, Arabians and Thoroughbreds and Timor and Welsh Mountain Ponies all contributing to the progeny of an Australian Stock Horse. The product of these fusions of the above breeds is an intelligent, courageous, strong and enduring breed of it’s own.
William Ranken referred to the breed in 1874 as being “The breed for every need”. I believe that many Equestrians today would agree that this still remains true for the Stock Horse in its many disciplines and purposes, that it still partakes in.
Feature Image courtesy of the Australian Stock Horse Society.
– Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management