Brumbies of the Snowy Mountains
Thredbo Valley Horse Riding is proud of the history of the Snowy Mountains. Our "office" is a hut that was built by the Pendergast family in the early 1900's. Also, we are incredibly fond of our "Snowy Mountain Brumbys". These magnificiant horses that have called the Snowy Mountains and ranges home for the same length of time as white man, are our symbol of freedom and strength.
The Brumby is quintessential to the Snowy Mountains, as famous as in Banjo Patterson's "Man from Snowy River" and Elaine Mitchell's "The Silver Brumby".
Early history says that Brumbies were horses bred by mountain stockman for their hardiness, trainability and pure guts. Recent history has let those unique genetics go. This is due to the establishment of Wilderness Areas, where these magnificant horses roam. Their breeders (mountain cattleman) were no longer permitted to ride in these newly established Wilderness Areas and therefore unable to sustain the numbers of horses, but more importantly their unique genetics.
Thredbo Valley Horse Riding is playing a role in saving the Brumbys from culling. We have many within our mob that are perfect customer horses. We are also breeding horses similar to those of the mountain stockman's trusted mount.
These majestic equines are the true Spirit of the Snowy Mountains in Australia. Recently there has been a major focus on the “Brumby Bill”. This Bill was voted in Parliament on 6/6/2018 to make Australia’s Snowy Brumbies Heritage-listed and therefore formally recognised as part of Australia’s history, heritage and folklore.
This was a mammoth effort that TVHR has advocated for and will continue to for years to come. One of the greatest honours was to be involved in the 'Brumby Rally' at Parliament House in Sydney. TVHR was asked to provide a saddle horse and a pack horse of Brumby blood to march with 350 people down Macquarie Street to stand and protest against the 2016 Draft Wild Horse Management Plan.
Nev, being an active Brumby advocate, jumped at the chance to travel to the city with his horses for the rally. His horses were absolutely perfectly behaved, and a testament to how versatile the Brumby is. Nev had never been to the heart of the city before (let alone ride through it!) and still cannot believe what a truly unique and proud moment that day was.
Links to recent media for Brumby Advocacy:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/aug/20/dont-shoot-brumby-supporters-video
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-27/shooting-brumbies-in-national-parks/5267898
