Jump to content

Portal:Horses/Selected breed/14

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Montanabw (talk | contribs) at 18:17, 7 June 2010 (Add Brumby (also a GA)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.

(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Brumbies near the Sandover Highway in the Northern Territory, 2006

A Brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although they are found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region in south-eastern Australia. Today, the most are found in the Northern Territory, with the second largest population in Queensland. A grouping of Brumbies is known as a "mob" or a "band".

Brumbies are the descendants of escaped or lost horses, dating back in some cases to those belonging to the nation's early European settlers. These horses included the "Capers" that arrived from South Africa, Timor Ponies from Indonesia, British pony breeds, various British draught horse breeds and a significant number of Thoroughbreds and Arabians.

Today they live in many places, including some National Parks. 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. These horses are the subject of some controversy, sometimes regarded as a pest and threat to native ecosystems, but valued by others as part of Australia's heritage.