The Australian Stock Horse (or Stockhorse), has been especially bred for Australian climatic conditions. Horses were introduced to Australia for the first time with the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in January, 1788. The First Fleet is the name given to the group of people and ships who sailed from England in May 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales. ... Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a few kilometers south of the central business district. ...

The ancestry of the Stock Horse includes the Arabian horse, Barb horse , American Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred. The Arabian horse first appeared in the Arabian Peninsula at least 2,500 years B.C.E. They were carefully bred to maintain desirable features (e. ... Developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, the Barb is a desert horse, with great hardiness and stamina. ... The American Quarter Horse is a breed of horse originally bred specifically to race the quarter mile. ... The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. ...

The Australian Stock Horse is intelligent, with courage, toughness and stamina, and has a good temperament. The Stock Horse is used for rodeos, harness work, Polo playing and Equestrian competitions, as well as for general riding and stock work on rural properties. ('stock' refers to horses and cattle etc.) Note: For the ballet or orchestral piece written by Aaron Copland, please see Rodeo (ballet). ... The term harness has been used for many centuries for part of the collection of equipment known as horse tack, essential in the domestic, military, and agrarian use of horses. ... Polo (also known as Cho-gan) is a team game played on a field with one goal for each team. ... Equestrian has several meanings: An equestrian is a horseback rider: see equestrianism An equestrian (Roman) is a member of one of the upper classes in ancient Rome. ... Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. ...

The dependable Australian Stock Horse was used by the Australian Army in the First World War. The Australian Army Emblem The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

There was a tribute to the Australian Stock Horse during the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony when an Australian Stock Horse reared and then a further 120 Stock Horses were ridden into the Stadium and performed intricate dressage formations to the music of the especially written Olympics version of the main theme of "The Man From Snowy River" by Australian composer Bruce Rowland. The Games of the XXVII Olympiad were held in 2000 in Sydney, Australia. ... The fundamental purpose of Dressage (a French term meaning training) is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horses natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. ... The Man From Snowy River is a poem by Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson. ... Bruce Rowland is a well-known Australian composer. ...

See also

Waler horse The Waler is an Australian working horse breed that originated from the horse stock that was bought to the Australian colonies in the 1800s. ...

External links

• Australian Stock Horse or Waler
• The Waler Horse Society of Australia
• Australian Stock Horse or Waler - at the British Horse Society
• Australian Stock Horse Australian Stock Horse Society
• History of the Australian Stock Horse Society at the OzPets website