Australia has no native breeds of horse. Instead, it has imported stock which, over time, became uniquely Australian horses. They are: the Australian Pony, the Australian Stock Horse, and the Brumby.
The Brumby originated from equine stock brought to Australia in the 1780's. Some of the stock was of the sturdy draft type useful for farming, and some of it was light horse type, such as Arabs and Thoroughbred. When mechanization took over farming, and as horses occasionally escaped from their owners, these now free animals bred and evolved into the wild Brumby.
As the terrain of Australia is harsh and unforgiving, the only horses which survived such freedom were the hardiest, surest of foot, and the most intelligent. In this way, the Brumby is not only an absolutely Australian breed of horse – for what country brings to mind creatures possessing strength of mind and body as much as the "land down under" – but also a breed worthy of preservation and respect.
The name, Brumby, has uncertain origins. Some believe it comes from "baroomby," the Aboriginal word for wild. However, it is also likely that they were named after James Brumby, a soldier in New South Wales and farrier that cared for the imported horses in the early days of Australia's colonization.
They range in color from dun to black to paint, and vary in terms of size. Generally smaller than an average stock horse, they are typically 14 to 15 hands, although ones as small as 12 hands and as big as 16 hands have been observed.
Australia has the largest herds of wild horses in the world, all of them Brumbies. Most of them are in the Northern Territory and Queensland. They live on aboriginal land, which includes national parks. These horses truly belong to the people of Australia. With the continual infusion of new blood through escaped mares who join wild bands, there can hardly be a breed that better suits the term "hybrid vigor."
Unfortunately, some perceive brumbies to be "feral" and a nuisance. However, use of the word "feral" inspires negative connotations and is truly a misnomer. The truth is that the Brumby was shaped by its environment much as the early draft horse was shaped by its environment of cold Northern Europe. And as the early draft horse was wild too, it is immaterial to a breed's usefulness and beauty whether it was at one point wild, even if its sole task might be to simply remain free-roaming as a symbol of something special to a region.
In this way, brumbies are like the American Mustang. Much as I hope the Mustang will be allowed to roam free and continue to breed and shape its own future, I hope the Australian government will grant their Brumbies their own place in the wild where they can remain free from persecution.
The Brumby's life has been memorialized in movies such as "The Man from Snowy River." When a pack of wild Brumbies (known as a "mob") runs off with the hero's mare in the film, only a similar outback horse, one raised in the wild, is able to perform the physical feats necessary to round them up. The horses in the Snowy River/Guy Fawkes area which were the basis of this movie are the very ones in danger of government culling. If you have an interest in learning more about this matter, visit Save the Brumbies.
