This is an extremely well researched work which will be treasured by all horse riders. It is a very thorough account of Australian spurs and the bush blacksmiths like Fred Gutte who designed his on Wave Hill Station, but is much more that. If offers a romantic folklore of the horsemen who used the spurs in their sometimes dangerous and often lonely rides on the cattle stations between outback Queensland and the Kimberley.

This study analyzes the actions of the Australian Light Horse in the Middle East campaign during World War I. It shows the basis for their approach to war and how these techniques were successful by adapting to the circumstances of the situation. The Australian Light Horse demonstrated the traits of initiative and flexibility during the campaign in Egypt and Palestine by changing their modus operandi from mounted infantry to cavalry, a seemingly minor shift semantically, a major shift doctrinally. Their adaptability to the situations in the desert was largely responsible for their tactical successes and played a major part in the success of the operational maneuver of the mounted forces under General Allenby during the last year of the war. Most importantly, the lessons learned from their actions sustained the advocates of horse cavalry doctrine long after the apparent usefulness of the horse on the modern battlefield had diminished in importance.

In this volume, Drake focuses on the famous pastoral explorers, drovers and trail drivers; the poddydodgers, horse-thieves and rustlers; the wars of the land grabbers with Australian Aborigines and the American Indians; the clashes of lawless western entrepreneurs with the laws of the bit cities in the east; the colourful females who ventured our into a man¿s world and made thier names, the transport by puffing billies and famous stage coach lines and buckjumpers, roughriders and rodeos.

Foundling Peter Tobin lived through a vanished age, a time when the wide Australian outback was opening up to the force of steel rails, steam power, visionary civic builders, and the power of determined men and their horses.In the remote outback of the late 19th century, Peter makes his own way in the world, from drover, sheep shearer and horse breaker, training horses for the South African War, to wealthy man of the land.The saga of a world now gone is told in powerful terms in the novel Thursday?s Child: Journeys Far and Wide in the Australian Outback.

The New York Times bestseller: “Lifelong equestrian enthusiast Williams takes on the topic at full gallop . . . [a] lively, fascinating read.” —Discover A Best Book of 2015, The Wall Street Journal A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Journalist and equestrienne Wendy Williams chronicles the 56-million-year journey of horses as she visits with experts around the world, exploring what our biological affinities and differences can tell us about the bond between horses and humans, and what our longtime companion might think and feel. Indeed, recent scientific breakthroughs regarding the social and cognitive capacities of the horse and its ability to adapt to changing ecosystems indicate that this animal is a major evolutionary triumph. Williams charts the course that leads to our modern Equus-from the protohorse to the Dutch Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and cow ponies of the twenty-first century. She observes magnificent ancient cave art in France and Spain that signals a deep respect and admiration for horses well before they were domesticated; visits the mountains of Wyoming with experts in equine behavior to understand the dynamics of free-roaming mustangs; witnesses the fluid gracefulness of the famous Lipizzans of Vienna; contemplates what life is like for the sure-footed, mustachioed Garrano horses who thrive on the rugged terrain of Galicia; meets a family devoted to rehabilitating abandoned mustangs on their New Hampshire farm; celebrates the Takhi horses of Mongolia; and more. She blends profound scientific insights with remarkable stories to create a unique biography of the horse as a sentient being with a fascinating past and a finely nuanced mind.

The story of the famous Australian Waler horses is one that records with pride the remarkable journey this original stock horse made from a domestic animal to a war horse without equal. The Boer War and WWI saw thousands shipped overseas and only the advent of mechanization in 1940 saw the horse decline from military use. This book does not only sing its praises, but tracks its worldwide reputation as a horse without equal. You will read about the logistics involved and answers to questions such as the huge problems associated with the horse lines where hundreds of horses were picketed row after row in Egypt and in France; of the heavy horses that pulled the gun carriages and hauled ammunition and stores. So often forgotten, yet their contribution was vast. Yes, they were the Walers. • Who supplied the saddlery? • What happened to the refuse? • Who looked after injured and sick horses? • Where did the fodder come from? All this and much more as today’s heritage horse owners tell their stories. This is a book you won’t be able to put down and in the reading, you will gain not only a great compassion for this brave horse, but you too will want to help preserve and protect the less than 1% of the descendants who exist in Australia today.