WAR HORSE: THE THOROUGHBRED COUSIN
BY ANDREW LEMON
More than 130,000 Australian horses were sent to the First World War. These animals performed their services valiantly and bravely until the end. At Flemington on Anzac Race Day these incredible equines are remembered with an official commemoration with appearances by horses reminiscent of the ones used at war, complete with military gear. It is a special moment and racing’s way of saying, ‘Lest we Forget’. Historian A.T. Yarwood, the great expert on the Waler breed from its colonial origins, called the Waler ‘an Australian horse abroad, working chiefly in the countries washed by the Indian ocean… Initially it was a horse bred in New South Wales and imported to India for military, sporting or domestic purposes.’ Yarwood devoted a chapter to the Waler at War. The first batch went with New South Wales troops to the Sudan in 1885. ‘Not for the last time, the horses were not brought home.’ Australian Mounted Infantry participated in the Boer War from 1899 to 1902. More than 37,000 Australian horses went to the conflict. ‘As at the Sudan, not one of the horses is known to have returned to Australia.’
Sandy, the only horse to return home to Australia from the war (Australian War Memorial)
2
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software