Kevin’s Horses, Todd River Downs
© Janet Lane, 2025. All photos taken at Todd River Downs, NT, August 2025. Image: Family of Waler horses at Todd River Downs.
Every morning on Todd River Downs, Kevin drives to the bore and starts the motor up to keep water in the tank – thus trough – for his horses and cattle. Far more horses than cattle – that’s the way he likes it. They look eagerly for his approach – although the trough is never empty, they love to see him. With strangers, they’re wild. But Kevin pushes them out of the way!
In the late afternoon, he returns to the bore and starts the motor again to provide water for the night. Every single day. Flights of birds greet him – budgies, finches, topknot doves, smoke pigeons, magpie-larks, kestrels, red-tailed black cockies, wagtails and more. Kevin also puts bird water out daily by his home.
The bore is by the yards, the horses enter a yard to drink which gets them used to the yards. You can see the mix of sizes, colours, ages.
The grey and whites are descended from some circus horses put on another station back before Kidman’s time. Kidman bought the place and sold them, many went to various stations.
In fact one of Kevin’s grey-and-white horses was named Circus!
He bought his ponies from the station named in the article.
Images: Observer, 29th January, 1931
Kevin, now in his senior years and impacted with arthritis, was a very fit man, a ringer, and did literally hundreds of miles of fencing on TRD where he’s lived for over 50 years, made mighty stock yards, and dug wells 60 feet deep. Apart from a seasonal dam, the bore is the only water left. Without him, the horses, cattle, euros, dingos and birds that depend on the water will perish.
His horses have lines of the oldest in Central Australia. And those were from even older Australian lines. They thrive in the tough country. There’s a good selection of colour genetics and height. Good bone and a lovely upright neck carriage – as a good stock horse and military horse should have. Kevin can reel off the stallions he’s bought, and those before him his uncle had, and their sires too, the stations they came from, and many of the horses he once sold for good money – they were sought after.
As the blue and white horses fade, the coloured parts of their mane and tail remain black, so they look rather pretty! This one is a mare.
There are some nice bays, browns (almost black), a few blacks, and chestnuts too, and some other colours Simi might help with identifying re colour genetic terms (smoky buckskin? hmm!) in other pics.
Skewbald and piebald are the terms used for broken colour there which is good. All seem to have the tobiano pattern.
Kevin used to ride the 200k to Alice Springs Show annually, to show his riding horse of the time and usually took along two others – they invariably sold as soon as he appeared in town. At least two were found making their way home months later, having jumped out of their new homes, they made their way down the Ringwood Road, travelling over 150 kilometres from Alice back to Kevin before being found and returned to the new owners!
Three lots of horses have come off TRD in the past few years, several found excellent homes; the rest went to slaughter, Kevin finds that heartbreaking. Great doers, the best temperament, versatile horses, up for anything. Check out our record of all that we know of now in domestic hands, and please let us know if you have a Todd River Downs horse not listed.
The young mare in front is Kevin’s favorite, she is cream and white. The one behind her is a young circus colour.
You can see how in the morning, the horses come for a big drink, then lie about in the shade of the gidgee trees for a few hours before walking the long way back to grazing.
It was winter and lovely cool weather.
But the end is near for all his horses. A truck will start carting out Kevin’s horses in the next couple of months. All must go. It will be a tremendous loss to Australian genetics, and to Kevin, but one dry summer, one day of being unable to man the bore, and it’s all over. No water, no life. Common sense must rule. It’ll break his heart, but he knows there are too many horses. A small handful will remain to keep him happy: hopefully one or two stallions, a few mares. That of course will end the genetic diversity currently there.
I was a bit obsessed with getting a pic of this mare but my phone went flat. Luckily Angela got one. It is hard to tell, but some of her markings looked like a spot pattern, (I kept thinking Neopolitan Barb) but some look like possible bite or kick marks, but not once over 4 days did we see any horse harm her; and her stallion was a very gentle fellow.
We climbed a jump-up, looked down on horses coming in for water, and cattle… the horses get first serve as they make the cattle wait.
Love those horns. and love how the horses boss the cattle about at drinking time, ha!
It’s hoped the big truck that’ll pick them up will be a well-known carter with a great attitude, known to Kevin’s family by his sound reputation, he’s happy to pull some horses off for re-homers, at journey’s end. His name won’t be given here, for privacy.
Recommend anyone wanting a TRD to get a yearling or younger if practicable. Mature wild horses are too much for most to manage. If anyone is able to take a TRD horse – registerable as a Waler with WHSA Inc. – please feel free to make contact so your details can be passed on to the family. Only serious people who can afford it, please.
Kevin is very fortunate to have close family members in Alice who are helping him arrange trucking of horses, plus branding and trucking of cattle – which will also help the water situation. Some cattle will be kept of course. These amazing people help with so much for him, Kevin’s niece Cheryl looked after myself and Angela with incredible hospitality on our visit to TRD and Cheryl does bore duty including changing pipes over, as well as Kevin, saving him much trouble.
It was beyond words to meet dear Kevin this month, quiet, gentle, a good sense of humour, an incredible memory for the Centre’s history and its horses; to have a yak about the campfire each night (he’s never smoked or drank and doesn’t swear, what a gem!); to see the most beautiful horses on earth and the most beautiful country, but having the grief that soon all the horses will vanish. Hope someone may be able to take one or two, it’ll make an old man very, very happy. And preserve our fantastic Australian genetics.
Enjoy the pics. Most taken on a phone so not good qual, apologies, plus trying to hide by yard rails etc so horses didn’t take fright!
And… the end… howzat?! at the Arltunga pub, which we visited before going home, there are historical pics – of local horses!
Mine host is Brad and his wife Belinda, super people, and Brad makes the best coffee this side of the black stump. He seeks the best beans, uses tank water, and premium milk. Oh yes, and there’s cold beer. They have a camping ground with great showers and loos too!
Up the road is the Garden station which, boohoo sob sob, we ran out of time and fuel to get to. Never mind. We saw those magic TRD horses and had just the very best time!
