346:… The majority of horses in the Corps were Walers and there is no doubt that these hardy Australian horses make the finest cavalry mounts in the world…. They (the Australians) have got types of compact, well-built, saddle and harness horses that no other part of the world can show. Rather on the light side according to our ideas, but hard as nails and with beautiful clean legs and feet. Their records in this war place them far above the Cavalry horse of any other nation. The Australians themselves can never understand our partiality for the half-bred weight-carrying hunter, which looks to them like a cart horse. Their contention has always been that good blood will carry more weight than big bone, and the experience of this war has converted the writer, for one, entirely to their point of view. It must be remembered that the Australian countrymen are bigger, heavier men than their English brothers. They formed just half the Corps and it probable that they averaged not far off 12 stone each stripped. To this weight must be added another 9-1/2 stone for saddle, ammunition, sword, rifle, clothes and accoutrements, so that each horse carried a weight of 21 stone, all day for every day for 17 days, - on less than half the normal ration of forage and with only one drink in every 36 hours!
344:"… (November 16th, 1917) The operations had now continued for 17 days practically without cessation, and a rest was absolutely necessary especially for the horses. Cavalry Division had covered nearly 170 miles…and their horses had been watered on an average of once in every 36 hours…. The heat, too, had been intense and the short rations, 9½ lb of grain per day without bulk food, had weakened them greatly. Indeed, the hardship endured by some horses was almost incredible. One of the batteries of the Australian Mounted Division had only been able to water its horses three times in the last nine days - the actual intervals being 68, 72 and 76 hours respectively. Yet this battery on its arrival had lost only eight horses from exhaustion, not counting those killed in action or evacuated wounded.
382:
29:
539:, which has always been controversial. While many stock horses do have Quarter horse genetics in their breeding, not all do, as there are still many breeders who only breed horses of the old heritage bloodlines. These heritage stock horses have extensive pedigrees, often back to the 19th century, and are direct descendants of Walers with no Quarter Horse or other modern breeds.
223:
421:. Others, categorised as being unfit, were destroyed. Also, some light horsemen chose to destroy their horses rather than part with them, but this was an exception, despite the popular myth that portrays it as the fate of all the war horses. Parting with their Walers was one of the hardest events the light horsemen had to endure.
215:
182:
which was noisy, liable to dislodge gear and resulted in soreness in the horse's back. The cavalry horse required docility, courage, speed and athletic ability, as it carried the rider into battle. The infantryman's horse was used as a means of transport from one point to another, for example, from
551:
Walers descended from horses that had been set loose in rural regions after the commercial trade ceased. The Waler horse now has two breed associations interested in preserving it, the Waler Horse Owners and
Breeders Association Australia Inc. (WHOBAA) and the Waler Horse Society of Australia Inc
348:
The weight-carrying
English Hunter had to be nursed back to fitness after these operations and for a long period, while the little Australian horses without any special care, other than good food and plenty of water were soon fit to go through another campaign as arduous as the last one!…."
400:"Owing to the cost and difficulties of transportation, the military authorities had decided to kill all Light Horse horses over 12 years and dispose of the remainder locally – that would be in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, or wherever a Light Horse unit happened to be stationed." --
162:
The Walers carried the rider, saddle, saddle cloth, bridle, head collar, lead rope, a horseshoe case with one front and one hind shoe, nails, rations for the horse and rider, a bedroll, change of clothing, a rifle and about 90 rounds of .303 rifle ammunition.
123:
bred under the extreme climate and challenging working conditions of
Australia, the Waler developed into a hardy horse with great endurance even when under extreme stress from lack of food and water. It was used as a
234:
as a tribute to the men of the ANZAC Corps who served in the Boer, Sudan and First World Wars. This memorial was constructed at a cost of $ 150,000, funded by grants from
Federal and State Governments, the
535:
When the
Australian Stock Horse Society was formed in 1971, the majority of horses accepted into its studbook were Waler horses. The ASHS also accepted horses of other breeds, notably
1202:
373:, "Bill the Bastard" took all five men – three on his back and one on each stirrup – .75 miles (1.21 km) through soft sand at a lumbering gallop, without first bucking.
505:. The horses were eventually deemed unfit for jungle warfare. They were sent to India where they served with the Chinese Army before being assigned to the unit known as
198:. While in warfare service in North Africa, some Walers proved successful in races against local Egyptian horses and assorted Thoroughbreds. In 1919, horses from the
1197:
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239:, Joblink Plus and donations from business houses, property owners, RSL Members and the community. It was designed and created by sculptor Tanya Bartlett from
555:
Today's Waler is a functional
Australian horse, bred from bloodlines that came to Australia before 1945, that is free of imported genetics since that time.
552:(WHSA). Only horses and their progeny derived from the old bloodlines, with no imported genetics since 1945, can be registered as Walers with the WHOBAA.
310:
In the First World War, 121,324 Walers were sent overseas to the allied armies in Africa, Europe, India and
Palestine. Of these, 39,348 served with the
318:, while 81,976 were sent to India. Due to the costs said to be incurred for "returning horses home" with their mounts and perhaps to a lesser extent,
521:
75:
that was developed from horses that were brought to the
Australian colonies in the 19th century. The name comes from their breeding origins in
498:
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Most of the early Walers carried a fair percentage of
Thoroughbred blood, with some recorded as race winners and a few being registered in the
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673:
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and broken (spotted) coat colours were also rejected. The selected horses had to be of a good type that could carry sixteen or seventeen
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243:. The military equipment is identical to that used in the First World War. Forty-seven light horse re-enactment riders and the
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532:. The horses were mostly rehomed elsewhere, although the original plan had been to deprive them of water and let them die.
259:
Australian horses were sent overseas from the 1830s; between the 1840s and 1940s, there was a steady trade in Walers to the
183:
camp to a battle ground, where the horses were kept back from the fighting. Heavier animals were selected and used for
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At the end of the war, 11,000 surplus horses in the Middle East were sold to the
British Army as remounts for
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restrictions, only one Waler is known to have been returned to Australia; "Sandy", the mount of Major-General
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officer, Lt. Col. R. M. P. Preston DSO, summed up the Australian Light Horses' performance in his book,
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high (60 to 64 inches (152 to 163 cm)). Those over 16 hands were rejected for use in the
119:. It was originally considered only a "type" of horse and not a distinct breed. However, as a
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to be converted into a wildlife sanctuary in 2000, Alex Coppock and his wife bred Walers on
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302:, Australia dispatched 16,314 horses overseas for use by the Australian Infantry Forces.
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During World War II, 360 Australian Walers were assigned to the Texas National Guard
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mount; it could maintain a fast walk and could progress directly to a steady, level
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822:
Good-Bye, Old Pal: A Trooper in the Australian Light Horse Farewelling His Steed,
28:
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mounted forces. It was especially suited to working in the harsh climate of the
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466: "He floundered in a wombat hole and then lay down to die."
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Major Oliver Hogue, 14th Australian Light Horse Regiment ("Trooper Bluegum")
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42:
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645:"The Waler at War: Our Horses in Palestine: Triumph of the Thoroughbred",
440: Just crawling round old Cairo with a 'Gyppo on his back.
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517:
As demand for remounts declined in the 1940s, the Waler trade declined.
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136:, troopers and exploration expeditions that traversed inland Australia.
369:, when the major (or captain) found four Australians outflanked by the
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450: My broken-hearted Waler with a wooden plough behind.
222:
611:
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476: To go back to Australia and leave my horse behind.
1132:
Waler Database - Waler horse lists, history, breed, genetics, tales
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1053:
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The Kia Ora Coo-ee: The Magazine for the Anzacs in the Middle East
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May be I'll get court-martialled; but I'm damned if I'm inclined
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Waler Horse Owners & Breeders Association Australia Inc.
435:
I don't think I could stand the thought of my old fancy hack
547:
In the 1980s efforts began to reestablish the breed using
230:
A memorial statue to the Waler Light Horse was erected at
159:(102 to 108 kg (224 to 238 lbs)) day after day.
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No: I think I'd better shoot him and tell a little lie:--
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445:
Perhaps some English tourist out in Palestine may find
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In Australia's two wars of the early 20th century—the
583:, said that it would be more cost-effective to train
218:
Memorial to the Australian Light Horse, Tamworth, NSW
972:"29/10/00: New wildlife haven in Australia's centre"
720:, Department of Veterans Affairs, Woden, ACT, 2009,
718:
M is for Mates – Animals in Wartime from Ajax to Zep
226:
A plaque on the Waler horse memorial, Tamworth, NSW.
79:; they were originally known as "New South Walers".
1162:
Waler Horse Information, breeds, genetics and more.
1081:"Horse cull spurs calls to preserve heritage breed"
290:as a means of transporting large bodies of troops.
38:
575:, about 300 km (190 mi) south-west of
708:The Waler Light Horse Statue, Tourism, Tamworth
202:won five of the six events at Heliopolis, near
845:"WWII Summary History: 112th Cavalry Regiment"
1120:, Angus & Robertson Ltd., (Sydney), 1919.
666:Forgotten Heroes – The Australian Waler Horse
8:
587:men to manage the horses than to cull them.
247:took part in the unveiling by Major General
21:
1203:World War I military equipment of Australia
803:"Grief's Tribute: The Horses Stay Behind",
27:
20:
1018:, Feb/Mar 2010, R. M. Williams Publishing
170:of the Waler were considered ideal for a
151:. Unbroken horses, as well as those with
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1177:The Waler: Australia's Great War Horses
1005:. Random House Australia, 2008, ch. 12.
939:
937:
881:
879:
668:, Bookbound Publishing, Ourimbah, NSW,
633:
563:In May 2013, up to 10,000 Walers were
1198:Horse breeds originating in Australia
699:, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1956
251:AC MBE MC (Retd) on 29 October 2005.
7:
1142:The Beersheba ANZAC Memoriaal Center
788:, (Thursday, 19 December 1919), p.5.
982:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
784:Criminal Waste: Horses Being Shot,
774:Gullett & Barrett (1919), p.78.
274:—the Waler was the backbone of the
1014:"Saving a nation builder", p. 17,
826:, (Saturday, 1 February 1919). pp.
649:, (Friday, 29 November 1918), p.8.
357:'s mount, "Bill the Bastard", who
286:, where it proved superior to the
128:'s horse and prized as a military
14:
886:Society, Australian Stock Horse.
807:, (Saturday, 15 March 1919), p.29
749:Society, Australian Stock Horse.
1152:Waler Horse Society of Australia
1029:"Home - Waler Horse Association"
944:Lane, Janet (9 September 2022).
888:"Australian Stock Horse Society"
751:"Australian Stock Horse Society"
87:The Waler combined a variety of
851:from the original on 4 May 2006
739:Vol. 4, Grolier Society, Sydney
520:From 1959 until it was sold to
312:First Australian Imperial Force
1147:Rare Breeds Trust of Australia
1033:Home - Waler Horse Association
245:12th/16th Hunter River Lancers
149:South Australian Bushmen Corps
1:
786:The (Brisbane) Daily Standard
428:sums up the men's sentiment:
386:The Horses Stay Behind (Poem)
33:Australian Light Horse Walers
543:Reestablishment of the breed
1079:Liston, Gail (9 May 2013).
132:. Walers were also used by
83:Origins and characteristics
1219:
377:Not to return to Australia
241:Newcastle, New South Wales
71:is an Australian breed of
869:p.66 Ogburn Jr, Charlton
697:The Australian Bloodhorse
353:One well-known Waler was
339:The Desert Mounted Corps:
326:, an officer who died at
249:William B. "Digger" James
237:Tamworth Regional Council
232:Tamworth, New South Wales
139:The preferred Walers for
48:
26:
873:1959 Harper 1982 edition
737:Australian Encyclopedia,
805:The (Adelaide) Observer
178:without resorting to a
1118:Australia in Palestine
1003:The Horse in Australia
602:Australian Stock Horse
597:Australian Light Horse
482:Australia in Palestine
394:
355:Major Michael Shanahan
351:
276:Australian Light Horse
227:
219:
200:ANZAC Mounted Division
384:
342:
225:
217:
143:duties were 15 to 16
111:and perhaps a little
695:Barrie, Douglas M.,
617:List of horse breeds
559:Threats to the breed
196:Australian Stud Book
55:Equus ferus caballus
1001:Carruthers, Fiona.
813:, 15 November 1918.
647:The West Australian
607:Battle of Beersheba
581:Kings Creek Station
569:Tempe Downs Station
507:Merrill's Marauders
261:British Indian Army
91:; particularly the
23:
1179:(2014 documentary)
946:"Newhaven Station"
922:. 10 February 2023
916:"Newhaven Station"
530:Northern Territory
395:
228:
220:
809:: reprinted from
726:978-1-877007-39-2
674:978-0-9803527-0-2
405:, 1 February 1919
391:"Trooper Bluegum"
105:Cape of Good Hope
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39:Country of origin
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403:The World's News
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1109:Gullett, H. S.
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1058:Walerhorse.com
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641:Gullett, H. S.
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1193:Horse breeds
1117:
1088:. Retrieved
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758:. Retrieved
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573:Kings Canyon
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93:Thoroughbred
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1172:"The Waler"
1113:Barrett, C.
1064:11 November
1038:11 November
897:11 November
892:Ashs.com.au
760:11 November
755:Ashs.com.au
367:World War I
316:Middle East
306:World War I
298:During the
272:World War I
134:bushrangers
22:Waler horse
1187:Categories
1103:References
1054:"WHSA AGM"
585:Aboriginal
424:A poem by
320:quarantine
113:Clydesdale
109:Timor Pony
103:(from the
101:Cape horse
1090:18 August
987:18 August
955:18 August
926:18 August
628:Footnotes
328:Gallipoli
284:Palestine
189:packhorse
117:Percheron
43:Australia
1115:(eds.),
1085:ABC News
977:Landline
855:28 March
849:Archived
591:See also
513:Post-war
300:Boer War
294:Boer War
191:duties.
126:stockman
121:landrace
528:in the
393:(1919).
335:cavalry
255:History
185:draught
172:cavalry
141:cavalry
130:remount
1157:Walers
1111:, and
799:H.S.G.
724:
672:
612:Brumby
565:culled
484:, 1919
363:gallop
359:bucked
176:canter
99:, the
89:breeds
571:near
549:feral
480:From
419:India
415:Egypt
371:Turks
288:camel
204:Cairo
168:gaits
157:stone
145:hands
73:horse
69:Waler
1092:2023
1066:2017
1040:2017
989:2023
957:2023
928:2023
899:2017
857:2009
762:2017
722:ISBN
670:ISBN
417:and
282:and
270:and
187:and
180:trot
166:The
153:grey
97:Arab
67:The
567:at
501:in
115:or
107:),
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1056:.
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980:.
974:.
948:.
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907:^
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878:^
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830:,
801:,
753:.
680:^
655:^
643:,
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95:,
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1068:.
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991:.
959:.
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901:.
859:.
834:.
832:2
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407:.
388:,
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