The Waler
If it came to claims as a true pioneer of Australia’s settlement years, few could mount a more genuine case than ‘The Waler’.
The Waler, on reflection, is considered the spirit of Australia, but in the same unassuming and diligent style with which they have served so many, their achievements have often gone unrecognised and have faded with time.
The breed that was to become known as the Waler was developed using horses brought to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788, and it is from the colony of New South Wales that the horse took its name.
Most of the equine ‘First Fleeters’ were of English thoroughbred and Spanish origins. Later importations included: Arabians, Timor ponies and Welsh Mountains ponies, as well as stock from India, the Cape of Good Hope, Chile and Peru. Selective breeding produced a strong horse for a harsh country – The Waler.
They were considered to have an intelligent head, strong sloping shoulders, length of rein, powerful hindquarters, good bone and sound points. The horses quickly established a reputation for reliability, versatility, soundness and honesty.
The Walers bravely served their new masters – explorers, stockmen, settlers, troopers and bushrangers. In the theatre of war there was no finer soldier than the Australian Waler, whose courage under incredible hardship is legendary.
The Australian stock horse owes its origins to the Waler, and flourishing breed societies for these horses play a vital role in protecting the identity of the Australian stock horse and the Waler as an important part of our heritage.
If the Waler were able to recite Australian history, what a tale it might tell.