Wild horses - STATION - Leighton Clark

Wild horses at the station? Yes, there were wild or feral horses at the station. Some were escaped or released, while others were bred in the process of separation.

How many? Usually 500 or so, but I have to say that the drought knocked them hard.

After I carried out an inspection post handover in 2005 I found a few troughs turned off. At one trough at Boodgheree Bore, I was disappointed when i found about 20 head of cattle and a dozen horses dead by the trough. The trough was bone dry. It had been closed for a few weeks maybe. The animals just didn’t have the brains to head off to another watering point, with two points only half a kilo or so.

They stayed, and they died.

The horses were, to some extent, a problem. But they were beautiful to watch. I tried to make sure that they lived a life aligned to that of a retiree with an adequate pension, something not known in this age. I will detail more in my upcoming book about Boorara. LINK Buying and Selling Boorara – the passion.

WILD HORSES OLD TAREEN TANK.

You don’t see it here but my mates and I were having a swim at the other end. I guess we did check each other out, but we all enjoyed the water, and peace was at place, there, at Tareen.

The ferals ran at fences, through fences, and over fences. They could be gentle and unobtrusive, but they could explode into a wild stampede just as easily.

Here we see a mob on the run. They sure did fly.

But let’s face it. From a practical point of view the day of the horse was over for most.

As for me I still have an old packsaddle used in early times at Boorara, and also a vintage WW1 Military saddle (Charge of the Light Brigade style) which I ended up with following the sale to Queensland Government, but this is ancient history.

At Old Budda and also at Boorara, we used everything but horses i.e. Utes, Motor Bikes (both four wheeler and two wheeler), trucks, a helicopter, a gyrocopter, and light aircraft.

We were not too traditional. For example – no camels.