History of Quarter Ponies in Australia

Quarter Ponies have been bred in Australia since the early days when the first Quarter Horses, Paint Horses and Appaloosas were imported into Australia. A few of these cross's have been registered as ponies as they are not eligible for registration in the various "Horse" Associations. Most were not registered at all.

In 2005 a group of interested people got together and after many months of phone calls, emails, meetings over the internet and much discussion, a direction was decided and the first version of Regulations written. The Australian Quarter Pony Association was incorporated early in 2006. The Stud book accepted the first registration in May 2006 and the first AGM was held in Bendigo in October 2006.

The AQPA was established to promote and encourage the breeding and showing of Quarter Ponies within the Australian horse industry. And to maintain a Stud Book and provide services that encourages participation and enhances pony ownership.

The AQPA offers registration to ponies between 11.2hh and 14.2hh of any colour with Quarter Pony and western or quarter type breeding. As there are very few officially registered purebred Quarter Ponies in Australia we currently have a (limited) open stud book.

The AQPA also offers registration to ponies over 11.2hh and horses under 15hh that are used as Quarter Pony breeding stock.

History of Quarter Ponies in America

In 1964 the American Quarter Pony Association was set up by Harold Wymore to register both quarter ponies and stock of unknown breeding with western type conformation. He decided to follow the lead of the American Quarter Horse Association and only allow the registration of solid colored stock.

The International Quarter Pony Association was later set up to cater for quarter pony and western type ponies of any colour (appaloosa, paint etc). Acceptance of various colours is enabling breeders to breed those all so sought after colour patterns such as tobiano and overo paints as well as appaloosas onto the quarter pony size and conformation.

www.australianquarterponyassociation.com

Australian Stock Horses are used for general riding and stock work on rural properties, as well as equestrian competitions. With its versatility, the Australian Stock Horse has achieved outstanding success in a wide variety of sports including: campdrafting, showjumping, dressage, eventing, pony club events, harness, polo and polocrosse.

The Australian Stock Horse is intelligent, with courage, toughness and stamina, and has a good temperament. The Australian Stock Horse is considered possibly the world's most versatile horse, the horse evolved through selective breeding in response to the demands of the environment.

The basic pre-requisites of a high performance horse are a quiet temperament, intelligence and athletic ability. These qualities are essential for a brilliant performance whatever the event.

There was a tribute to the Australian Stock Horse during the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony when an Australian Stock Horse reared and then a further 120 Stock Horses were ridden into the Stadium and performed intricate formations to music including forming the five Olympic Rings and re-enacting part of the 'ride' of the poem "The Man From Snowy River". The music was an especially written Olympics version of the main theme of "The Man From Snowy River" by Australian composer Bruce Rowland.

The Australian Stock Horse Society
The Society's Head Office was established in Scone in regional New South Wales, which promotes itself as the Horse Capital of Australia. Scone is appropriate for the headquarters, as it is in the heart of one of Australia's top horse breeding areas and is in an area where many notable Stock Horse bloodlines originate.

The Society is the largest breed organisation for pleasure horses in Australia. The Society enjoys a loyal and growing membership of more than 9,500 individuals and they have in excess of 170,000 horses registered or foal recorded.

www.moorooluck.com.au
www.ashs.com.au

With powerful muscles beneath its lustrous black lacquered coat, and a gentle disposition, the Friesian has enchanted Europeans for centuries. Experts suspect that the Friesian's most influential ancestor was the prehistoric Equus Robustus, an enormous horse that once roamed Northern Europe.

The Friesian people, that lived in the area that is now included in the Northern part of the Netherlands and Germany, and the South of Denmark, were recruited by the Romans to do battle in their legions. Statues on graves of Friesian soldiers on horseback were found as far as Northern England.

The Friesian was a course looking horse, but strength, docility and endurance was proved when carrying the European Knights during the Crusades to the Middle East. The crusades would keep the knights there for long periods. Friesian became better looking, because breeding with the eastern horses improved the Friesian, as did the infusion of the Andalusian blood when the Spanish occupied The Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War. The descendents of this heavy horse were valued as saddle horses by the medieval nobility and are portrayed in paintings by many of the Old Dutch Masters.

In turn the Friesian was used to create other breeds such as the Oldenburg that was mainly founded on Friesian blood (and in later years Oldenburg blood was used to help re-establish the Friesian breed). The New Forest, Dale, Fell Ponies, the Morgan Horse and from there the Standardbred, Orlov Trotter, Swedish Warmblood, Kladruber and the Norwegian Dole Gudbrandsdal were all influenced by the Friesian. Through its derivative, the Old English Black, the Friesian also influenced England's Great Horse, now known as the Shire.

Friesians are very versatile. They have been used over the ages under saddle, for which they were originally bred, as carriage and cart horse and on the land as an agricultural horse. Nowadays they are increasingly used under saddle, and the majority of Friesians are ridden, as well as driven. They are used in dressage (modern and classic), combined driving (the driven eventing competition) and showdriving, as well as used for pleasure. Friesians are still very rare in Australia and NZ and they are in strong demand.

Gramayre Friesian Horse Stud, Ebony Park Friesian Horse Stud and Wldcroft Friesian Horse Stud are proud to present Friesian horses to the public at EQUITANA Asia Pacific.

For nearly 100 years, the Gypsies have bred and used colourful cob horses to pull their ornately decorated carts and living wagons through the country lanes of England and Ireland. The horses they used were heavy boned and feathered horses, which were strong, sensible, docile, and incredibly hard working.

The beautiful colours of these horses were not only pleasing to the eye, but also made them instantly recognizable, which helped to prevent them from being stolen or swapped discretely for inferior horses. The heavy feather on their legs, along with long flowing manes and tails added to the overall flash and flare long associated with the misunderstood and usually discriminated-against gypsy people.

Traditionally, the Gypsy Horse is involved in every aspect of family life, faithfully pulling the caravan wagon by day, while still being patient enough to teach the gypsy children to ride when the day is done. The horses are tethered at the campsite with the family caravan when they are not working. They live and thrive in all types of weather grazing on the grasses that happen to be growing along the side of the roads. The heartiness and exceptional disposition of these horses are their trademarks. They are known for being one of the most docile and gentle horses in the world.

Worldwide, the various types of gypsy horse have come to be known by several different names. Irish Tinker, Gypsy Cob, Gypsy Cob, Irish Cob, Romany Horse and the like, are all names used to describe the type of horse which gypsies have bred and used in the British Isles for generations. Although many horses of similar type are bred indiscriminately in Europe, the most sought after type of gypsy horses are bred by generations of gypsy families, who have prized and guarded bloodlines that produce the highest quality horses imaginable.

The Gypsy horse is extremely rare in Australia, numbering only around fifteen or so individuals. Around a dozen of these make up the foundation stock of the Gypsy Horse Association of Australia.

www.horsepoint.com.au  

The Highland Pony is a strong and hardy Native breed of Scotland and is found on the mainland and in western isles. Ranging from 13-14.2hh. It is one of the most versatile of the British breeds.

They are hardy and of sound constitution and their winter coat consisting of a layer of strong badger like hair over a soft dense undercoat, enables them to live out in all weather. There are two recognized types: the mainland type, also known as the Garron is taller of the two, standing up to 14.2hh and is the most widely known. The western isle type varies in height and is often regarded as the purer strain.

There are not a great number of Highland ponies within Australia as compared to some of the other APSB breeds, but those involved with the Highland Pony are dedicated to their continued promotion.

They are a very versatile breed, their placid temperament and willingness to please makes them suitable mounts for many facets of equine sport. They have proved this by competing in dressage, eventing and harness in open competition.

In Australia, Highland Ponies are now being crossed with Thoroughbred, Warmblood and other breeds of horses. The crossbred Highland produces a very sound and sensible performance horse to around 16hh.

www.highlandpony.org.au

Their power comes from compact bodies with well-sprung ribs, laid back shoulder, well-muscled hindquarters and chest, and short backs. Hardy horses that do well in all climates, they have sound feet and dense bone and are long-lived.

Versatility - Morgan horses are suitable for a variety of disciplines including dressage, eventing, show jumping, carriage/harness driving, pony club/adult riding club, general show ring events, endurance, Western pleasure, reining, campdrafting and tentpegging. Temperament - makes them an ideal pleasure hack.  Their ruggedness makes them suitable for working on the land.

Morgans have been crossed very successfully with other breeds such as Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Stock Horses and Arabs.  As the Morgan is a very dominant breed, the resulting part breds exhibit many of the Morgan traits and qualities.

Click here to preview more photos of Morgan Horse

Morgan Horse Association of Australia Inc.
In 1990 the Morgan Horse Association of Australia Inc., which is recognised by the American Morgan Horse Association, was established to promote the Morgan horse in this country. Since 1994 the Association has held an annual breed show, often with international judges. The Australian National Morgan Show is now a showcase for the breed in Australia. The Association also hosts seminars, promotion/information days and social activities for members. It maintains Registers for pure and part-bred Morgans. It produces a bi-monthly newsletter, The Morgan Messenger, which brings members local and overseas news, educational and historical articles, and an annual magazine containing longer historical and general Morgan articles.

www.morganhorse.com.au

In 1532, Conquistador Francisco Pizarro came to Peru to conquer and find riches. Legend has it that the key to the conquest was the horses he brought with him, sixteen number of the best Spanish War Horses of the day. The Inca civilization held a religious belief that gods would arrive as half man, half beast, so they feared and revered the conquistadors on their horses. This allowed Pizarro to trick the Inca leaders and rapidly conquer much of the nation. 

The second group of ships that came from Spain brought many more horses, and these were of the riding variety, the ambling Spanish Jennet. That group of laterally gaited horses formed the basis of the Peruvian horse breed, and the selective breeding of smooth gaited horses in Peru was already well under way by the time Europe turned to trotting horses in the mid- 1700’s.

Due to the geographical isolation provided by the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific ocean to the west, the Peruvian Horse was kept pure with a limited gene pool. The horses you see demonstrated today are essentially unchanged from the style of horses used as transportation in Peru over the past 500 years. The traditional saddles and bridles are also very similar.

The Peruvian Horse should naturally have a long stride, but also collect easily and hold their heads arrogantly. They need to be bursting with brio (energy) but also be completely tractable and at the rider's direction without taking initiative. At the same time they should be loose, even while showing all kinds of energy. They should also be an extremely smooth horse (smoothness should be heavily weighted in a gait class).

But at the same time the horse should have a stylish movement. Flashy action does not take precedence over correct timing and execution. And smoothness needs to be carefully evaluated. Smooth coming from weakness and conformation defects, such as a long back or long pasterns, should not be rewarded.

Their hoof is also special because they only require trimming every 4 – 5 months, whereas a normal horse requires trimming every 6 weeks. It is well suited for farm work and acquired the nickname “Punch” because of its low-down pulling power. They were also used to pull heavy artillery in wartime and brewers' drays and omnibuses in their local area of Suffolk, UK.

The Suffolk’s average height is 16.2 hands (66 inches or 168 cm) and weighs between 725 - 900 kg. They are always chestnut, and no other colour is considered for admission to the Stud Book. The traditional spelling, still used by the Suffolk Horse Society, is "chesnut" (with no "t" in the middle of the word). The Society recognizes seven distinct variations: dark chesnut approaching brown-black, liver colour or mahogany chesnut, dull dark chesnut, light mealy chesnut, red, golden, lemon or bright chesnut. White markings are extremely rare and limited to small markings on the face and lower legs.
The Suffolk has a powerful, arching neck; well-muscled, sloping shoulders; a short, wide back; and a muscular, broad croup. Their legs are short, thick and strong, with broad joints; sound, well-formed hooves; and little or no feathering.

The breed may descend from the medieval “Great Horse”. The Suffolk is believed to date back to 1506. A reference to the breed appears in William Camden's Britannia, published in 1586 - The "Punch" in the breed's name refers to their compact, powerful appearance. Ancestry of the breed also has contributions from the Norfolk Trotter and Norfolk Cob. The uniform coloring of the breed derives in part from a small trotting stallion named Blakes Farmer (1760). They were developed in the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk in England. In this isolated area, the local farmers developed the Suffolk to plough the heavy clay soils of the region. The farmers needed a horse with power, stamina, health, longevity, and docility, and they bred the Suffolk to comply with these needs. The foundation sire of the breed, Crisp's horse of Ufford, was foaled in 1760. Because the farmers used these horses locally on their land, they seldom had any to sell, which helped to keep the breed pure and unchanged for near 500 years.

Although the Suffolk was still popular in the 1930s, it was hit hard by mechanization following World War II, heavy horses were not needed any more and within a few year, thousands had been culled. The Suffolk Horse Society (founded 1877) ceased to function for 15 years but restarted in May 1961 to help save the breed.

Today, the Suffolk breed is still on the decline. Five years ago there were 350, now there are only 300 pure-breds. Selected DNA is stored in perpetuity at a special clinic in Suffolk should a catastrophe befall the breed before numbers can increase. There are currently more Giant Pandas in the world than there are Suffolks. A small number of enthusiasts now have controlled breeding programmes to help this situation.

"NASH"

The Shire horse has a powerful and muscular build, a dense rounded body, a broad back, strong loins, powerful hind-quarters and long legs with dense bones. The breed standard is set by the Shire Horse Society in the United Kingdom where they originated.
Shire horses can be jet black, bay or grey (grey is very rare). They are not recognized if roan or chestnut. It is desirable if their legs have white stockings or socks. The hair down the back of the legs is called the "feather", while the hair over the foot is known as the "spats".

An average Shire horse stands around 17.2 hands (178cms) tall at maturity (measured at the withers, with the breed standard being at least 17 hands. One Shire Horse was been recorded standing over 21 hands (this being Noddy’s great, grand sire). The girth of a Shire horse varies from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 8 ft (2.4 m). Shire stallions weigh, on average, between 910 to 1,120 kg.

The head should be long and lean with widely-spaced, kind eyes. The breed standard even specifies that the eyes should be docile in expression. The neck should also be long and lean, with an arch. This leads to a powerful, muscular back, with no pronounced dipping or roaching.

History

The Shire Horse descends from the medieval Great Horse brought to England in 1066 by William the Conqueror. From this medieval horse came a draught horse called the Old English Black Horse in the seventeenth century. The Black Horse was improved by the followers of Robert Bakewell, resulting in a horse commonly known as the "Bakewell Black."

When the Pedigree Society was founded in 1878, the breed name was changed to English Cart Horse, since "black" was a misnomer. Six years later, the name was again changed to Shire. The breed was improved during the following years as ruthless veterinary examinations virtually eliminated the old unsoundness of wind, limb and any temperament problems. With the increased use of mechanized farm and transport equipment, the numbers of Shire horses began to decline. By the middle of the twentieth century their numbers had dwindled to a few hundred, a small fraction of what they had been in their heyday.

Numbers of Shires are on the rise again with 2,000 pure-breds registered. They are still listed as Category One – Endangered. Today Shires are also widely used in breeding heavier hunter types by crossing with the Thoroughbred and the growing number of Heavy Horse Shows has helped promote this breed worldwide.

"NODDY"

Affectionately known as Noddy, he was born “Luscombe Nodram.” You can see his Sire - "Luscombe What's Wanted" (Ted) on www.shirehorsesociety.com.au under 'shire horse studs' section - Shires of Luscombe in Queensland. Noddy looks just like his father but taller.

Noddy was born from UK imported parents on Christmas Eve - 24 December, 2002. He is now 5 years old and still growing. He will mature around 6 or 7 years of age. Noddy is educated to both Harness work and saddle riding. He is so big that all his gear from bridle, saddle, harness to rugs and stabling have to be specially made. He takes 8’ rugs at present and weights over 1.3 tonnes.

At only 2 years of age, Noddy won at Sydney Royal Show. The judge was flown out from the Shire Horse Society in England and made comment then that Noddy stood out and would grow to be an exceptional horse within the breed.

Today Noddy is recognised as the World's Tallest Horse, standing without shoes at 20.1hh. He is listed under the World Records Academy official website

Gheringa Racing Stables is proud to present Noddy to the public at EQUITANA Asia Pacific.

The Welsh Cob is one of the finest ride or drive horses in the world.  Its strength and agility and ‘easy keeping’ qualities make it a wonderful choice for harness, dressage and hunting and when crossed with Thoroughbred and other large breeds it makes a great sporthorse.

Welsh Ponies and Cobs are bred throughout Australia, with studs specialising in each section in every state.  ‘All Welsh’ shows and speciality youngstock and foal shows are run by Regional Promotional Groups and they attract large entries.
The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Australia Inc has its Office in Pakenham, Victoria and enquiries about the Ponies and Cobs and Membership are welcome.

The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Australia Inc is a vibrant and growing society which provides registration, shows, seminars, publicity and support for breeders and owners of the Welsh Breeds, which vary in size from the under 12 hand Welsh Mountain Ponies, through the Section B and Section C ponies which range to 13.2 hands to the very large and substantial Welsh Cobs.  The organization also has a large and flourishing Part Welsh register for animals able to prove at least 12.1/2% of recorded Welsh blood.

Ancestors of the Welsh Mountain Pony lived in the hills of Wales when Julius Caesar invaded Britain and the ponies still graze in a wild state in some parts of the Principality today.  The WPCSA Inc has strong links to The Welsh Pony and Cob Society (Wales) which was formed in 1901 to encourage and foster the breeding of Welsh Mountain Ponies and Cobs.  Ponies and Cobs have been exported from Wales to most parts of the world, with the Australian Welsh Stud Book being one of the strongest and largest of the daughter societies.

www.wpcsoa.com.au