Doug & Mary Treasure
Angela Tiede remembers Doug and Mary Treasure, gone too soon. Image: Mary and Doug, 2008.
Treasure Walers Homelands horses are a wonderful legacy of the support given to the Walers by Doug and Mary Treasure. Sadly we lost Doug in 2012 and Mary in 2018, but of course they live on for us through the Waler horses they bred at their Homelands property in Stratford, Gippsland Victoria.
The Treasure’s were stalwarts of the Mountain Cattleman’s Association, an association formed by grazing families to work together to preserve grazing leases and the history and cultural identity of the mountain cattlemen.
Image: Doug Treasure, Mountain Cattleman’s Association.
Images above: Mary Treasure (& Doug pic1) at the Mountain Cattleman’s Cup event, from Facebook.
Doug and Mary gave a home to rescued foundation mares from Newhaven Station, and with the assistance of their ‘main man’ stallion in residence Classic Akbah, bred many progeny now in the hands of people around the country. Their aim was to have a family project to bring our horse history alive with the rejuvenation of Treasure’s Waler stockhorses in honour of stockman from the past, breeding sensible, quiet horses with great temperaments which make them suitable for almost anything asked of them. In this, they certainly succeeded.
Homelands was always a joy to visit, lots of laughter and stories of adventures. Including the tale of Ben Kindblad and Doug driving all day and night to NSW to re-rescue some Waler mares from a mob of starving rescued Walers, heading straight back again with what they could fit in the horse truck. Which leaked so was not a great wet weather option, but no barrier to the intrepid Treasure’s travels!
You can read about the getting of my TW Homelands horses here, and also mare Piperita.
