Are Brumbies different from domestic horses?
Yes and no, being born in the wild Brumbies have a strong sense of
‘family’ or mob structure. There is a strict law of ‘pecking order’ and
each horse has his definite place in the mob. His senses are highly
developed, he is an intelligent, alert and thinking animal.
By tuning in to his natural abilities and showing him leadership but
never domination, he will quickly become your friend and bond closely
with you in a way domestic horses rarely achieve. His daily needs in
captivity are no different from a domestic horse.
Are Brumbies savage, do they bite and kick?
Brumbies do not know hate, they live in the wild within a firm social
structure of law and order. They are inquisitive and as they gain
confidence will come to you with innocence and a willingness to trust.
Repay them in like and they have no reason to bite or kick. Biting and
kicking is a form of self defence, caused by fear and fright. Humans
create these problems, not horses.
Are Brumbies diseased or inbred?
Free ranging horses living in the wild look after
themselves very well.
They know what they need in terms of nutrition and will forage for it.
No horse that we have handled has been diseased, unhealthy or inbred;
they have less worm burdens than domestic horses.
Horses from Guy Fawkes were D.N.A tested and showed less inbreeding than
is found in the thoroughbred industry. We have not seen one genuine case
of inbreeding in any horse that has gone through our programs. It is
only when large numbers of horses are confined to small areas of grazing
that inbreeding may occur and this is usual in any animal population,
wild or domestic.
How big are Brumbies and what colours are they?
Brumbies come in all sizes and colours, the average height is somewhere
between 13 to 15 hands high. Some brumbies on outback stations can reach
16 hands plus.
The horses we handle are mainly Galloways. They are stocky and strong
boned and can carry weight. Colours range the spectrum, bays and
chestnuts are the most common, this being the strongest genetic gene
however the renowned Guy Fawkes
palominos and buckskins and the paint horses from the Oxley Wild Rivers,
Northern Tablelands account for around 20% of our horses.
Where are you located?
Our main agistment Sanctuary is situated 28 klms. north west of Armidale
in N.S.W.
Inspection Days open to the public are held as we have horses ready and
available for Adoption. Our smaller Sanctuary is at Bellingen on the mid
north coast of N.S.W.
Horses in our Sponsorship program live here, all are well handled and
quiet and they love visitors.
What
guidelines are there for Adoption?
Owners have legal responsibility for the horse on leaving our
Sanctuaries and the horse is owned outright by the Adoptee. However we
do ask for a signed Agreement in relation to the future wellbeing of the
horse, we reserve the right to place horses to their best advantage and
with the right people in terms of suitability and temperament.
We are available for ongoing advice and like to keep in touch with new
owners.
Owners may sell the horse on but we ask, not within a twelve month
period.
This is to stop exploitation as our Adoption fees are kept to a minimum,
owning a Heritage Australian Brumby should be a privilege, not a
commercial proposition for horse dealers. |