So now we have horses over-running the VIC Alps

[rogespeed]

Word has got out the due to the destructiveness ( organic maintenance of native pasture land ) of wild horses shredding ( adding manure to the soil and suppressing weeds in open ground) of the Alpine region , all claimed 5,000 of them ( count them, nellie , buck, sammy...) within only 5,199 sq kms of high country wilderness , (only half of Melbourne metro area) the decision has been made to remove them with extreme prejudice

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/cattleman-loses-bid-to-stop-a-massive-shooting-cull-of-wild...

I sort of think that the sight of a small herd of wild horses cavorting in a small hidden valley is somehow majestic 

[rogespeed]

---

@*kazumi* wrote:

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

Horses are not natural to Australia.....they were introduced in 1788 with the First Fleet.

It looks like the government wants to grant your wishes.....exterminate all the Brumbies from the High Country.

Personally I would like to see some of the Brumbies rounded up and broken in....they make excellent working horses as they are very sure footed due to where they have been born.

---

It has been done.  Obviously there is no demand for 25000 of them.  It's sad, but they should never been released to start with.  Just like foxes, rabbits, rats,  toads.............. 

---

Popular in those times of the 1800's as Anglos were so ignorant - they had societies called " acclimatisation societies" bringing England to Australia in the form of introducing foriegn animals for fun and profit 

check out the history book called " They All Ran Free" . E. Rolls 

descriptions of bilbies and wombats thick on the ground in newly established farming regions is a real eye opener as to how much has been lost due to rampart feral animals and un-accommodating farming practices of the time 

Anyhow clearly many horses have to go unless they fix them and let them die out naturally - to noble an undertaking 

But I for one think that there should be allowed to remain a few small herds , as mentioned a symbol and homage to of a historic bygone era of modern Australia where such horses assisted in developing the land and supporting the people 

How big an area is 5,000 sq kms of mountainous wilderness ?  

[davewil1964]

How big an area is 5,000 sq kms of mountainous wilderness ? 

Enough to support 0 brumbies in ecological safety.

[lyndal1838]

---

@rogespeed wrote:

What i do not understand is how the horse population having been living there for the last 100 years or more suddenly increased in numbers from about 9000 to 25,000 in the last 6 years , clearly out of control, , or had the high country cattle men been culling then before that self-funded living heritage group got banished as well ? 

---

Yes, the high country cattle men were culling them and breaking them in to use as working horses.

Nobody cared as they were not a protected species and it did help to control their numbers to a degree.

Like a lot of things, once the authorities got involved things spiraled out of control.

[*kazumi*]

Some people seem to have this romantic idea of happy horses; the reality is quite different:

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6101547/starving-brumbies-carving-away-nsw-park/?cs=14231#gsc...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/26/images-of-dead-and-starving-brumbies-prompt-fresh-call...

[lyndal1838]

---

@*kazumi* wrote:

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

Personally I would like to see some of the Brumbies rounded up and broken in....they make excellent working horses as they are very sure footed due to where they have been born.

---

It has been done.  Obviously there is no demand for 25000 of them.  It's sad, but they should never been released to start with.  Just like foxes, rabbits, rats,  toads.............. 

---

I know it has been done....way back in 1986 my then 13 year old acquired a very sweet but very green buckskin filly.  With a lot of help from her instructor she worked with the filly for months and had her going beautifully but she was not up to show standard yet.

We sold her on to another teenager for pony club.  Two years later she ended up in the stables where we had our horses....one of my daughter's friends said there was a new horse in and B went to have a look.  She recognised Sandy at once and said she used to own her.  Nobody believed her until the owner appeared and confrmed that B had been the previous owner.

The filly had never looked back and had become a very accomplished pony cub mount who excelled at the games....she was very sure footed

[rogespeed]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

---

@rogespeed wrote:

What i do not understand is how the horse population having been living there for the last 100 years or more suddenly increased in numbers from about 9000 to 25,000 in the last 6 years , clearly out of control, , or had the high country cattle men been culling then before that self-funded living heritage group got banished as well ? 

---

Yes, the high country cattle men were culling them and breaking them in to use as working horses.

Nobody cared as they were not a protected species and it did help to control their numbers to a degree.

Like a lot of things, once the authorities got involved things spiraled out of control.

---

The vast increase has been over the last 10 years - and they have been there for what ? 100 years of more ? Living history should be preserved as well . High country wild horses , cattle community and back to the beginnings tribal society ( but this time in harmony and understanding and support from ) - and a never ending source of interest for visiting hikers