The Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association Inc.

About the GFHHA

We hope that the following paragraphs give the general public a greater awareness of why it was necessary for the GFHHA to be formed and how it came to be-

The Guy Fawkes River National Park is regarded as a "biodiversity hotspot" with over 40 different vegetation communities, 28 threatened plant species, 24 threatened fauna species and significant areas of old growth forest protected within the reserve. It contains spectacular examples of valley and rugged river gorges including the deeply incised Guy Fawkes River Valley and the rugged gorges of the Aberfoyle, Sara and Henry Rivers. It also conserves one of the most significant areas of wilderness in northern New South Wales.   

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has a legislative responsibility to protect native habitats and wildlife within its reserves, this includes the Guy Fawkes River National Park. It also has a responsibility to minimise the impact of introduced species, including horses. Horses have been bred on lands in the vicinity of the GFRNP since the 1830s and, since the 1930s, horses have been present in a wild state

Management of wild horse numbers in the  park began in the early 1990s, with capture and removal programs focused on removing horses from river flats along the Guy Fawkes River. In an effort to quickly reduce the large numbers of horses in the park, an aerial cull of horse was planned, and In October of 2000, over 600 horses in the Guy Fawkes River National Park were slaughtered from helicopters. Media coverage of the cull reached every corner of the world and the Australian Government was pressured to 'Please explain'!

In response, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Bob Debus, commissioned a study into the heritage value of horses in the park and indicated that, should the horses be found to have genuine heritage significance, they would be humanely removed from the park so that they can be managed properly in another location by people with an interest in their heritage value. To see this study, please click on the link- Heritage Horse Study . In February 2002, the final report by the Heritage Working Party for the Minister for Environment found that these wild horses had significant historical and cultural value. They are direct descendants of Australia's wartime cavalry horses, known as Walers.The Heritage Working Party concluded that these horses-

  •            are important in the cultural history of the Guy Fawkes area

  • have a special association with a group of persons of importance in the cultural history of the Guy Fawkes area, namely the Light Horse regiments

  • have a strong association with some sections of the communities in the Guy Fawkes area

  • are important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of an item of significant national cultural heritage, namely the brumby.              

 In 2003, as a result of the above findings, and after extensive public research and professional consultations with the National Parks & Wildlife Services, the University of New England (UNE) (Jarman, Gross, Verne & Ballard 2003), Associate Professor A.W English - Faculty of Veterinary Science - University of Sydney, the RSPCA and the CSIRO, the Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association Inc (formerly known as the Guy Fawkes Wild Horse Management Association Inc)  was developed.

 

To this end, The Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association Inc (GFHHA)  maintain specific objectives of managing the Guy Fawkes River National Park  horses once they are removed from the park, maintain the genetic blood lines of these horses for  the future and to relocate the horses by way of private ownership of the horses.

The Constitutional Objectives of the GFHHA are as follows:- 

*    To take possession of wild horses removed from the Guy Fawkes River National Park.

*      To maintain the Heritage Value of the wild horses.

*      To oversee the management of the wild horses once they are removed from the National Park.

*      To seek funding from all available sources to further the Objectives of the Association.

*        To sell suitable horses outright.

*     To maintain the Guy Fawkes Register to enhance the value of the horses removed from the Guy Fawkes River National Park

*     To re-home suitable family groups of horses to retain their Heritage Value.

*      To maintain the search for a suitable sanctuary that complies with The NPWS and RSPCA Guidelines and that complies with the requirements of the Executive Committee of the Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association.

  

We manage the horses to maintain their inherent characteristics and to preserve the unique genetics of these wild horses. A formal register and Stud Book has been established for these purposes.

We work in conjunction with the NPWS and the RSPCA and horses are being captured and removed from the GFRNP in accordance with the current Department of Environment & Conservation (DEC) ruling using passive capture methods.

This program of passive capture and removal was many months in the planning and an eight month trial has been completed- Our success so far has been very rewarding. As of June 2008, 381 horses have been passively removed from the GFRNP.

It has taken several years to progress this far with wild horse management. We have encountered many setbacks however we are finally making a difference and we are confident that our methods will set the standards for the future control of wild horses in Australia.

 

THE GFHHA DOES NOT  RECEIVE GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HORSES

The NPWS does not contribute any monies to the GFHHA Inc, we are totally self funded. As any horse owner can appreciate, our horses, like any other horse, cost a lot to care for. The Association has a number of different products available for sale inc caps, stickers and shirts, all donations are tax deductible. To make a donation please contact the Association.

 Membership of the GFHHA is a positive way in which the public can help and involve themselves. Members receive regular meeting notices, program and brumby updates and details of new horses offered for sale. For more information about becoming a member, please see our 'Membership and Registration' page. 

 

 

The Man From Snowy River-

Banjo Patterson

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle-girths would stand
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast;
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony—three parts thoroughbred at least
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry—just the sort that won't say die
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, "That horse will never do
For a long and tiring gallop—lad, you'd better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you."
So he waited, sad and wistful—only Clancy stood his friend
"I think we ought to let him come," he said;
"I warrant he'll be with us when he's wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.

"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko's side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough;
Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

So he went; they found the horses by the big mimosa clump,
They raced away towards the mountain's brow,
And the old man gave his orders, "Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills."

So Clancy rode to wheel them—he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stock-horse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, "We may bid the mob good day,
no man can hold them down the other side."

When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull
It well might make the boldest hold their breath;
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint-stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the farther hill,
And the watchers on the mountain, standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely; he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
They lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges—but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam;
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten; then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around the Overflow the reed-beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The Man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.