GUNDAGAI
Uncle Claude, with his big, buckskin Brumby, was the original ‘Man from Snowy River’. At least that’s what my father told me in one of many yarns he spun about Brumbies during my childhood. These stories would always have a romantic, almost mystical aura surrounding them and they became a huge part of our family folklore. Oddly, despite this, I never thought of owning a Brumby although I had everything in between, from Appaloosas to Thoroughbreds, until I settled on Warmbloods in my twenties as my horse breed of choice. In dressage circles, it seemed they were the only sensible option, but I faced a lot of disappointments with these horses and at twenty-nine was just about ready to give it all up when a chance meeting of a friend of a friend brought Brumbies back into my life and changed me forever.
When I met Kath Massey, the President of the Hunter Valley Brumby Association, we hit it off immediately. She invited me to visit the HVBA sanctuary to meet her Brumby Diesal and two rescued foals, Freya and Trooper. Meeting Diesal in particular was incredible. He is everything a Brumby is or should be when you imagine one in your mind: courageous, friendly, strong and solid. And the bond he had with Kath was something I had never seen in all my years around horses—this horse totally loved her; he was hers and she was his. All Brumby owners will tell you that the bond they have with their Brumby is very different to any relationship they have ever had with another horse, and after seeing Kath and Diesal I knew that was something I wanted.
In August 2011 I became the HVBA Treasurer and volunteered at the sanctuary at every opportunity. It was at this time that the HVBA took on four more Brumbies from Kosciuzsko, with Kath travelling all the way to Gundagai to pick them up. I went to visit them the day after they arrived in Newcastle and was amazed at how beautiful they were. Mack, Arany, Gundagai and Bella became my teachers in all things Brumby and challenged me to become a better horse person—these horses were certainly not what I was used to. I spent a lot of time with Gundagai in particular and in February 2012 he was ready to go to a new home—mine! I had bonded with him so deeply that I think if he had been adopted by someone else I would have thrown myself across the driveway so he couldn’t leave.
Image 44: It’s all smiles for newfound friends Kellie and Gundagai.
Gundagai amazes me every day with his ‘can do’ attitude. Nothing seems to faze my handsome little man—only months after he was taken out of the wild I took him to the Upper Hunter Show at Muswellbrook with no dramas! This isn’t necessarily the case with every Brumby though, and Mack, one of the other Brumbies that was captured with him, suffers a lot of trauma. I know with Gundy, however, that if I’m not afraid then he isn’t afraid, and if I can walk up to something and touch it, then so will he. Brumbies know exactly what they need and Gundy’s natural instincts are always evident, such as when he stops to lick the road to get minerals out of the dirt. I have learnt so much from him, including how to be a good leader, always firm but fair. I’ve discovered the enjoyment you can have just taking your horse for a walk down the road so they can discover new things—like the rubbish bin, which Gundy will stop and sniff. He also loves going in the float and heading out on different adventures.
I feel privileged to have Brumbies in my life. My family legacy and folklore will now carry on, but this time for real, not just in tall tales. HVBA may have saved Gundagai but I also believe that he saved me. Without him, I would have lost all interest in horses by now.
Image 45: A stallion of Frozen Lake, Batlow, New South Wales.