Horsing Around (at last!)

This week we started working with the horses. HOORAY! I cannot effectively convey just how happy this makes me. The first time we went out to the “yards,” it was like handing an alcoholic a drink. I was practically shaking, I was so excited.
On Monday, Cameron came out with us. Most days I work with four 18 year old guys; Jesse, Jack, Matt, and Sam. Jesse is a second year hand and grew up training horses, but the other 3, for the most part, have not ridden before. So our first day was spent going over the basics- tacking, riding, safety, etc. Although remedial, it was nice to have everything demonstrated because, as with every other aspect of life here, almost everything is just a little different.

The preferred breed of horse in Australia is called the Stock horse. It is similar to the American Quarter horse, except that it is generally taller and stouter. Walhallow raises its own horses and these tend to be Stock horses bred to a Thoroughbred stallion. They are good, solid looking horses, but I must admit, I am a lifelong sucker for the Quarter horse.

Unlike on American ranches where horses are ridden in Western saddles and trained Western style, both Australian tack and training is something of a hybrid between functional Western and classic English. The saddles used here are called Australian Stock saddles. They are very similar to the American Western saddle except they conspicuously lack a horn. They also tend to be lighter and have smaller fenders, or sometimes only stirrup leathers, which allows for better contact between the leg and the horse, more like in English. The obvious question raised by the missing horn is how do they rope? Well, they don’t. Apparently Australian cowboying is centered around calf wrestling and brute force rather than roping, although I have not yet seen this first hand. The rest of the tack is all a little different too- no breast collar, no flank cinch, and a plastic-y, English-style bridle, usually with a simple snaffle bit.

Because the station horses are still all turned out, we got to ride some of Cameron’s nice horses this week. I rode a beautifully trained, if slightly ornery mare named Arcadia. She was amazing. Although fat and out of shape, she responded both to neck reigning (Western) and leg yielding (English). She collected and extended like an English arena pony, but would instantly bear down and cut after a calf. I’m told that this is not the level of horse that I should expect, but boy was she fun to ride!

All told, I spent maybe 30 minutes in the saddle this week, and all of in the arena. But even that was enough to relight my enthusiasm for the work. After a morning spent with the horses, I can happily pick up my shovel and go back to stump digging, knowing that the next day would bring more horse time. Thank goodness!