Hanging up the broom in the tool shed, Louise brushed wood shavings from her legs before going to find Patti.
She wondered how the horse trainer always managed to stay clean no matter what she did around the stables. “I’ve finished the mucking out. Is it okay if I take Honey out while you ride Excelsior? I told Ben I’d try to meet him to go and see the ranger about the brumbies being shot.”
Patti continued brushing the big warmblood. “Of course. Tell Adam I’m also very concerned. The helicopter came too close to my place the other day and spooked the mares. I don’t want them distressed so close to foaling.”
Louise hurried from the pristine stable block to catch Honey. The mare lived at Gold River Run, Patti’s horse training establishment, where Louise worked during the school holidays. Normally Louise would lunge Honey in the round yard or the indoor arena before riding out. Today she knew she’d have to hurry if she was going to meet Ben on time.
After picking out Honey’s feet and cleaning the areas where the tack would sit, Louise saddled up and headed out across the road past the Smythe-Waters’ property. Once onto the dirt track she pushed into a brisk trot. Following the fire trail up and along the ridge Louise settled into her horse’s rhythm. She tried not to spoil her ride by thinking about moving to Africa. Worrying about the plight of the brumbies was trouble enough.
The trail came out into open ground revealing views to the east and west. Oil rising from the eucalypts shrouded the trees in a blue haze, softening the starkness of the bright sun. Louise breathed deeply, enjoying the scents of alpine flowers and gum trees. A fresh breeze teased her face and rippled Honey’s mane as they made good time along the fire trail.
Coming down off the ridge Louise applied her right leg to Honey’s side, asking her to move off the track onto the softer grass. Sitting deep she drove the horse into a canter. By the time they reached the locked gate at the end of the fire trail both of them sweated from exertion.
As Louise navigated around the short fence that kept vehicles off the mountain she spotted Ben riding towards her on a chestnut mare. At first Louise’s heart sank as she thought the horse was Lady. Honey never behaved well when they rode with the aggressive part-Arabian mare. With a sigh of relief Louise recognised the chunky profile of the clever stockhorse Ben had bought from Simon. “How’s Ginger going?”
Ben waved a greeting and rode up beside Honey. “Great, but I’m thinking of giving her a spell now that Brandy is in work again. She did a lot through spring with all the mustering and there aren’t any campdrafts for a few months.”
“She did really well at that last one. You won’t have any trouble selling her if you need to.” Louise regretted the words as soon as she said them as she saw Ben’s face drop.
“Yeh, you’re right. Dad reckons I should have accepted the offer I got from that guy down south.”
Trying to make up for her mistake Louise changed the subject. “How’s Eve?”
Ben explained in detail how Harry had come and helped get the filly on her feet. He’d been too busy sharing the news about the clear-felling of the forest when they’d chatted the previous night. “I had to use the barrel again this morning. Once she’s up, she can stand and walk about for a couple of hours. Once she lies down again she can’t get up on her own. Harry says it may take a few days before she’s strong enough.”
Louise thought about the plight of the orphan foal. “It’s a pity Shadow won’t accept her. It must be lonely for her without being near any of her kind.”
“That’s why I’ve put Ned in an enclosure next door to her.” Ben told her how Harry had suggested putting in another horse to keep her company.
Louise was pleased. “He’s such a gentle gelding. He’ll make a great uncle. Sometimes I miss my rides on him.” Ned had been the first horse Louise had used when she and Ben had started riding out together.
Ben explained how he had rigged up a couple of spare gates to make a divider in the large barn. “He fostered an orphan foal before when one of Dad’s mares died from complications giving birth. As soon as Eve can stand on her own I’ll put them in together, and then move them to a small paddock after they know each other better.”
Ginger and Honey strode out along the old homestead track towards the park headquarters where the information centre was located. A family of black cockatoos winged overhead. Ben pointed out an echidna snuffling along the side of the track, its long nose poking under the leaf litter. “The animals don’t have to face tough decisions like we do, do they? Eat, breed, shelter, that’s all they need to think about. I wish my life was that easy.”
Louise considered the idea. “I guess that’s how Harry lives. He avoids people and rules. I think it would be lonely, though, living like he does. And he’s so far from help if he hurt himself or was sick.”
Sharing what Harry had told him the day before, Ben explained how they could find Harry if they needed him in future. “Why don’t we try it out one day soon? We could take him some of Mum’s cakes or something.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll ask Patti for a day off so we can go for a long ride. Did Harry like the idea of having Eve?”
“Yeh, but it’ll be a couple of months or more before she can make a trip all the way to his place. She’s still recovering from the tick poisoning as well as near starvation.”
The friends continued to chat as they rode, not needing to pay much attention to their mounts. Louise found it hard to be gloomy when she was out on a horse away from towns and traffic. She loved the bush and seeing all the animals and birds. Ben had taught her a lot about the plants too, and Harry had given them advice on how to use herbal medicines and other tips for their horses.
She told Ben more about her family moving to Africa. “I can’t imagine giving all this up. I’m sure there’ll be good things there, too, but I love it here. Dean had a huge row with Dad last night and said he’s not going. It’s alright for him, he’s eighteen. I don’t have a choice.”
Louise and Ben tied their horses to the rail of the wooden ramp that led to the front door of the visitor centre. “I hoped no-one disturbs them here. Do you think we should tie them up a bit further away?”
The car park contained half a dozen vehicles. Ben glanced around. “How about under that tree where there’s shade? We should ask the park to get a water trough so horses can drink here.”
As they entered the wooden building that contained the ranger’s office and a display area of plants and animals found in the park, Louise’s stomach rumbled. “Is the homestead café open for the season yet? Perhaps we could call in after we’ve been here?”
“Yeh, it’s Mrs Smythe-Waters’ turn today. Mum’ll be there tomorrow. She really loves getting off the farm and meeting new people even though it’s more work for her.”
Louise knew how popular the homestead café had become since Mrs Naylor and Mrs Smythe-Waters had first opened it to cater for the volunteers during the floods. “Maybe if you have to move to town your mum could open a café there? Everyone loves her baking.”
“Don’t talk about that. We must find a way to stay at the farm.” Ben stomped across the room.
Louise spotted Adam Cartwright, the ranger, explaining possum habitats to three young children at the counter. She was surprised that there were at least fifteen people looking at the exhibits and souvenirs. She hurried after Ben. “Why is it so busy today?”
Ben shrugged and scuffed his feet against the timber floor. “No idea.”
After what seemed like ages Adam became free. Louise reintroduced herself and Ben.
“Of course I remember you. You saved that hiker a couple of winters ago. How are your brumbies going?” The ranger seemed friendly and chatted to them about the horses for a while before they could get to their reason for being there.
Louise brought the conversation around to the shooting. “Why are the horses being culled from the air? It’s really cruel. Can’t you do a muster if you need to reduce numbers?”
Before Adam had a chance to answer Ben explained about the filly they had rescued. “There’re probably lots more out there dying which we haven’t found.”
Folding his arms Adam backed away from the counter. “No-one is interested in a muster and I’m getting pressure from the local landholders to reduce numbers. All their feed is being stolen by invading horses. And there’s concern among the environmentalists about the damage the horses do with their hooves, churning up the waterways and damaging the soil. Add to that the pressure from adjacent landholders lobbying to reopen the country for cattle grazing, the brumbies are a pest. After all, they’re not native.”
Although she had intended to stay calm and rational, this old argument raised Louise’s ire. “Why don’t you shoot the feral pigs and goats instead? They do far more damage. And the foxes. At least if you shot those you’d kill them cleanly. The horses are suffering.”
Ben joined in. “The horses only eat cattle feed when they’re trapped on farmers’ land, like when Mr Smythe-Waters fenced them in. And the park isn’t meant for grazing cattle anymore. They’re not native either.”
A group of people started to gather as the argument became heated. A wiry woman holding the hand of a toddler covered in chocolate butted in. “No animals should be shot. This is a nature reserve. Everything has a right to live here regardless of how they came to be here. It’s not the foxes’ fault they were brought here for rich men to hunt hundreds of years ago.”
The ranger shook his head. “Those pioneers didn’t know what they were doing. Bringing non-native animals into this country is disastrous. Shooting them is the only way to control their numbers at present.”
The woman shook a finger at Adam. “All beasts have a right to life. The country will adjust.”
Not wanting to get side-tracked by a stranger Louise flushed with anger as she turned back to Adam. “Why can’t you organise a muster like you used to do every year? The brumbies make great pleasure or working horses. We’ve proved it. Injured ones are being left to die in agony over days without water.”
Adam held up his hands in defence. “With the floods last year I’m too busy restoring the river areas. Robert Smythe- Waters offered to pay for a cull. I accepted. If you’d let him sell off the horses he caught last year rather than cutting his fences they wouldn’t need to be shot now.”
This last comment proved too much for Ben who had, until then, left the fight to Louise. “We didn’t! He’s lying.”
Ben had told Louise that Harry had admitted to cutting the wire to release the trapped brumbies. They had agreed not to let anyone know who was responsible. She tried to change the subject. “What about the logging in the park? That’s destroying habitat for all the native creatures that have lived here for thousands of years.”
“There’s no logging happening in the park. I don’t know where you got that crazy idea from. Now, why don’t you both go for a ride and let me serve these customers?” Without waiting for an answer the ranger walked over to the till where a man waved a book on alpine flowers.
Louise dragged Ben away. “It’s no good. We won’t get him to change his mind with all these people here.”
Once outside the friends marched across to the tree where they found several children had gathered around wanting to stroke ‘the ponies’.
Ben rushed over to them and started waving his arms. “Get away! Don’t touch the horses. They bite!”
Louise joined him and swiped the flies away from around Honey’s face, trying to make out that was what Ben had been trying to do with Ginger. Normally he would have taken the time to show off his horsemanship and knowledge to the children, crushing tea-tree leaves to use as a fly repellent for the horses.
Instead he untied his reins and tightened the girth with a jerk. The children backed off.
As they rode back up the track towards the old homestead Louise broke the silence. “What do we do now? Maybe we need to write to his boss or something.”
“I can’t believe he thought I would lie about the logging. He must know it’s happening.” Without waiting to see if Louise was ready, he pushed Ginger into a canter.
Louise made Honey wait for her command before letting her follow. From the direction Ben headed she realised they wouldn’t be enjoying a snack at the homestead today. Honey fidgeted as Ginger pulled away. When Louise loosened the reins Honey bounded off. “Steady, girl.”
They rode hard until it came time for them to each go their own way. Ben mumbled a curt goodbye before heading back to Mirraburra.
As Louise turned towards Goldriver Honey tossed her head and fought to follow the other mare. At one time Louise would have had trouble getting Honey to leave. Now she drove her horse onwards almost without thinking. “Don’t worry; we’ll do something to save the other brumbies.” As they trotted off on their own, Louise wondered if what she said was true.