Getting Out of Dodge
Waler meetings often became an adventure. Who’d a’thunk it. Many years ago, Jac and I went to a Society AGM followed by an SGM. It was to haunt us for some time but now we laugh about it.
Horse Sales in Queensland
For decades Toowoomba had one of the biggest horse sales in Australia. The big buyers for overseas as well as buyers for Australia attended. Draughts to ponies all sold well. Auctioneers themselves became very wealthy from the horse trade.
Those Were the Days
Horses were essential for everyday life, serving in a multitude of roles, with no equivalent today. They had to be safe, dependable, strong, and easy to keep.
Shipping Horses to War
Ships were requisitioned by the Navy for war transport of horses and troops. Horse export was part of our economy – most ship crews and horsemen were old hands at the game.
Old-fashioned Names for Old-fashioned Horses
Walers are rare and old-fashioned horses who were developed at a time now long gone. Using horse names from when horses were key may help to create ongoing links to our history.
Scoop Horses
Scoops were a bit of horse drawn equipment used to scoop up earth, sand, rocks, gravel, mud or snow. These days a bulldozer pushes it out of the way…
Horse Bazaars
Horse bazaars were once the place to be seen. They did a multitude of horse services, primarily sales. Some held a weekly sale, some monthly.
Harness, Saddlery & Transport
Australia had an extremely high standard of saddlery and harness, once, these places were tremendous employers too.
War Facts for Kids
Ambulances, famous battles, bugles and more: basic WW1 facts for children to help answer some of those difficult ANZAC Day questions.
Waler Pony in History
Ponies were very popular, particularly for racing, which was run in height classes. There was a huge market for ponies for racing overseas too, a significant trade for us.