The Australian Stock Horse

Its gaits are clear and straight. It is an excellent jumper. It has also been used in the armies of many Commonwealth countries, and was the preferred army horse in England, India, and Australia.

Cattle horse par excellence, good saddle horse, used by the Australian, British, and Indian armies. It excels in rodeo, polo, competition and cross-country. The Australian Stock Horse originated in New South Wales (Wales) after Europeans colonized Australia in the 18th century. They brought with them Cape horses, Basutos, the result of a cross between Barbe and Arabian introduced to South Africa by the Dutch in the 17th century, then Arabian, Anglo-Arabian, Barbe, and Thoroughbred. Blood from Percheron, Quarter Horse, Clydesdale, and various pony breeds was also brought in. It was the mixture of these breeds that produced the Waler, an excellent cavalry horse. During the First World War, the Waler was very noticeable in the Allied armies. As a result, in the 1930s, the breed declined, and its type changed with the continued infusion of Thoroughbred blood. In 1971, the Waler became known as the Australian Stock Horse.