The Horse Report
Visit the brumbies and explore the region from page 4 Not surprisingly, mascot Adam is a big hit on the show circuit and at sanctuary events. At any one time STB can be caring for between 30 to 40 horses at their main New England Brumby Sanctuary situated near Armidale. The smaller sanctuary - situated near the picturesque arty village of Bellingen - specialises in horses requiring a higher level of care. These special horses are involved in a sponsorship program and horse lovers are invited to become a part of the horses' rehabilitation and ongoing care. Some sponsorship packages include overnight accommodation packages at the stunningly located Bellingen Sanctuary. Potential Adoptees are carefully assessed for an optimal humanhorse pairing. All STB horses available for adoption are well handled, float trained, gelded and primed for further education. They're also registered with the Australian Brumby Horse Register
and are eligible to compete in shows Australia wide. Save The Brumbies welfare crew are available for follow up reports and advice. A visit to the Save The Brumbies Sanctuary near Bellingen provides the opportunity to also explore the surrounding Eden - like landscape. Think long empty beaches, the opportunity to swim with whales, lagoons perfect for relaxed swims, sigh including hinterland drives and ‘arty’ events at Bellingen. We stayed at the very homely, beachfront Aanuka Beach Resort where the lush tropical gardens provide habitat for water-dragons, bush turkeys and black cockatoos that fly close overhead. A little to the north from here is Sapphire Beach, where we watched whales breaching. The hyper-green, uncrowded Coffs Coast also offers horse riding along beaches and into the network of crystalline rivers. For details visit www.savethebrumbies.org and for accommodation check out www.aanukabeachresort.com.au
A must see is the Dorrigo Rainforest Skywalk.
There is lots to see on the Coffs Coast apart from the Brumby sanctuary including hinterland waterfalls, rivers and beaches.
Guy Fawkes brumbies are renowned for their array of colours from creamy palominos through buckskins chestnuts and paints
Brumbies - The Australian Heritage Brumby is a unique equine and epitomizes the spirit of freedom, roaming through rugged bush land and the harsh outback areas of Australia where they are free to run wild and survive in extreme conditions. The largest numbers range freely throughout the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern Western Australia as these States contain the most undeveloped and least populated areas of Australia. Contrary to the perceived belief that the Heritage Brumby is a
diseased, inbred animal not worthy of preservation, they are, in fact, exactly the opposite. Free ranging horses in the wild look after themselves very well. DNA testing of horses from Guy Fawkes, NSW has shown less inbreeding, (less than 5%) than is found in the modern thoroughbred industry. Horses from the Northern Tablelands for example, are mostly Galloways, they have strong bone, sound conformation, their feet are excellent and they are highly intelligent, thinking animals with well developed perception, sight, scent and hearing.
The Heritage Brumby is the descendant of the first horses that came out on the ships from England with the convicts and first settlers; initially only seven horses arrived with the first fleet in 1788. These mares and stallions were sufficiently hardy to survive the voyage and further evolved in the 1800’s by natural selection and survival of the fittest to endure the intense heat as well as the cold and snowy conditions of various parts of this diverse country. The name ‘Brumby’ is generally thought to have originated from an early settler, James Brumby. Horses owned by him were left
to free range and readily adapted to the harsh climate of the Australian bush. As there were vast areas of unfenced land the horses roamed freely and breeding was intermixed; Thoroughbred, Arabian, and working horse breeds, Draft and Clydesdale could be said to shape the bloodlines of the hardy Heritage Brumby. To adopt a Brumby visit www.savethebrumbies.org Email info@savethebrumbies.org or call 02 6655 2224
www.thehorsereport.com www.thehorsereport.com - Ph 07 55909721 - mob 0413 733 294 - Email: cobakibob@bigpond.com
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