Australian Brumby Horse Register

Overview
Aims of the Australian Brumby Horse Register Inc
Rules and Regulations
Recognised Colours and Markings
Brumby Judging Standards
How to Register

Overview

The Australian Brumby Horse Register brings to all Brumby groups the formalization of the Brumby as a unique Breed, thus preserving the bloodlines and the heritage of this tough and sturdy animal, that developed in the wild through natural selection over many decades.

A conglomeration of all manner of horse breeds escaped or let go by pioneers, settlers, troopers and later on drovers and graziers, acquiring the name “Brumby”. Although there are various thoughts as to the origin of the name, the most popular and now traditional version is that of a Sergeant James Brumby who grazed horses and cattle at Hunter’s Hill, now a suburb of Sydney. In 1804 Brumby sailed to Tasmania and left behind horses that were allowed to go free becoming known as Brumby’s horses.

The popularity of the Brumby until now was centred on the demand for endurance the need for strong and reliable hardy tractable and capable animals. Many of these bloodlines contributed to the stock from which the Waler got his name reaching enormous numbers in the late 1800’s early 1900’s then once again demand dropped off with the invention of the car and the mechanization of primary industry.

In 1971 the Australian stock Horse Society was formed out of these bloodlines by setting a point system for classification for type and the use of thoroughbred stallions. Left to themselves in gorge country and unwanted terrain, they had been a little known under utilized resource a mythical and romantic part of our history.

The year 2001 brought a decree from the then NSW Minister for the Environment that all Brumbies are to be removed from National Parks. Being expelled from their long held territories once again brought them and their plight to public attention. Through the diligent and forward thinking work of many groups and in particular the Save the Brumbies and Oxley Heritage Horses out of which the Brumby Register was born, the future of these bloodlines looks secure. Considerable work is still required to secure their territories. The Australian Brumby Horse Register has a vital role in securing the heritage of these treasured Australians.
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Aims of the Australian Brumby Horse Register Inc

The ABHR Inc. is an autonomous non profit organization that is charged with the duty of preserving the Heritage of Australian Brumbies.

By providing :

• a national register for Brumbies;
• the preservation of the heritage of the horses through diligent record keeping;
• the preservation of the bloodlines of the individual Brumby Herds;
• a united voice for all Brumby enthusiasts;
• support by way of a forum;
• a repository for all records for all Management groups;
• a Marketing and Promotion service through the opportunity to promote the Brumby’s attributes, through promotion of the breed in the show ring through the setting up of a National Futurity and National Brumby show being held in a different state each year
• judges for such events
• marketing through images posted on the ABHR web site, internet selling centre

All aimed at making the Brumby a recognised and very desirable breed

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Rules and Regulations

1. Membership

1. Executive members who are appointed not elected consist of up to six in number. The executive members control all policy decisions, the running of the register and the financial arrangements within the register. Executive members can be replaced by a vote within the executive.
2. Ordinary Members will be those persons, not an organization, who have paid their annual membership fees which entitles them to register their horses, receive publications and have access through the web site to minutes of general meetings. A member may be one or several persons but horses registered in the name of several persons will be considered legally to be the property of all those persons.
3. Associate Members will be those persons who have paid their annual membership fees and would like to support the Association but do not wish to register horses. Associate Members receive publications and have access to the minutes of general meetings.
4. Organisational Members are those groups of people or organizations who have paid their annual fees and are involved in the preservation of Brumby horses Australia wide. These members may use their own identification process to authenticate Brumby horses, as long as it adheres to the criteria of the Register, removing the need for three statutory declarations and they may elect one delegate to represent them on the Council which will act as an advisory body to the executive.
5. Overseas Members are those members are those persons who whish to become members of the Association that reside overseas.
6. The quorum for the executive will be three (3) persons and for the Councils will be three (3) financial members.

2. Authentication

1. A Brumby horse is described as a wild horse that comes from a herd that has run without supervision in a substantially unfenced area for at least five (5) generations (about twenty (20) years).
2. A Brumby horse does not have an owner until it is captured from the wild.
3. A Brumby horse can also be a foal from such authenticated or registered Brumbies.
4. A group of Brumby horses can be nominated by a committee of no less than five members and should be authenticated by affidavit and statuary declaration by at least two people. (That is the horses have run in an un-managed condition for 20 years, (5 generations) or longer and that the horses have no owner). This committee, on payment of a fee, can then become an Organisational Member of ABHR
5. Horses captured from this group can then be authenticated by one of the following ways:
   1. by statutory declarations provided by two people who are not members of the applicant’s family that this horse is a genuine Brumby which has come from the nominated group of horses.
   2. by using the authentication from a group or committee who manage such horses and are financial members of the Australian Brumby Horse Register.

3. Appendix Registrations

1. A foal that is by an authentic Brumby stallion or out of an authentic Brumby mare may be registered as an Appendix Brumby.
2. If the Appendix Brumby has 7/8 authentic Brumby bloodlines (defined as 4 crosses) it may then be upgraded to a Registered Brumby.
3. Appendix Brumby stallions may not be used to upgrade or breed Appendix Brumby horses.
4. Appendix Brumby mares may be used to breed Appendix Brumbies.
5. Appendix Brumbies will be charged at the same rate of fees as authentic Brumby Horses.

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4. Schedule of Fees (including GST) Due annually 1 July

5. Maintenance of Current Registration Annual Fees

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Recognised Colours and Markings for Registration of Brumby Horses

Please conform to these guidelines when describing your Brumby for Registration.

Colours

All horses carry either a black or a chestnut gene as a pair. Black is dominant over chestnut so it is the one which shows up.

Black: black all over with a black muzzle and a black mane and tail and legs (points).

Chestnut: horses can be a

• Dark Liver Chestnut almost a black colour diluting to varying shades of brown or tan or gold.
  They do not have a back mane and tail and legs; they may have either a slightly lighter or darker coloured mane and tail and legs than the main body colour but never black.
• Black horses can carry various diluting genes which change black to:
  • Black brown which have a brown muzzle but look black otherwise.
• Brown where the body colour is slightly lighter.
• Bay/ Brown
• Bay which is a bright tan colour with black (points).
• Chestnut horses can have the same set of diluting genes which change dark liver chestnut which is almost black to:
  • Red chestnut
  • Golden chestnut
  • Chestnut with a blond mane and tail (Sorrel)

Grey is a separate gene pair which comes as “grey” and “not grey.” It is a dominant colour so you must have a grey horse to produce a grey.
Gray is actually a disease; not a true colour, much like greying in people and grey horses are born a base colour and go lighter every year. If a foal from a grey parent has white hairs around the eyes or behind the ears it will usually go grey. Some horses have two grey genes present, which means they will always produce grey foals they are known as pure genetic greys. Grey horses can be quite dark. Then, they may be known as steel grey or blue grey they may be covered with large rounded patterns known as dapples or flecks of colour known as flea bites. Sometimes and old grey horses will simply turn white.

Roan horses have white hairs throughout the body but the head and legs are darker. They may change colour with the seasons but do not go lighter every year like greys. Roan is also a dominant colour. Roan over a black will give a “blue roan“; roan over a bay will give a “red roan” and roan over a chestnut will give a “strawberry roan“.

Cremello is a white colour with blue eyes. This is an extreme dilute and if mated to a chestnut will always give a Palomino, which is golden or cream on the body and has a white mane and tail. A cremello mated to a bay or black will give a Buckskin colour which is cream with a black mane and tail.

White or albino horses are very rare. They have white coats and blue or pink eyes rarely they may have brown eyes but the skin pink. Most white horses are just old greys.

Dun or Buckskin genes act to change the coat colours from a brighter colour pattern to a more subdued pattern. Chestnut may become a Taffy brown with a lighter mane and tail, bay may become Buckskin which is gold or cream with a black mane and tail a black horse will become a Grulla which has a black head and legs with an iron grey body (no white hairs as with grey). There are many more dun dilutes but they are not common.

Appaloosa horses have spots on their coats in various patterns, blankets over the rump or spotted all over or just with a few spots, they also have striped feet and often show the whites of their eyes. They also often have very sparse manes and tails.

Horses that have white patches on the body are known as Paints or Pinto’s (USA) or Piebalds (black and white)and Skewbalds(any other colour and white)(UK) there are two basic patterns:

Tobiano’s have darker head and legs with the colour pattern coming down from the back and the pattern has relatively straight edges. Tobiano is a dominant gene.

Overo’s which have white heads and legs with a pattern that resembles clouds, this is a recessive gene and if an overo is mated to a n overo 255 of the foals will be lethal white which are foal born without a colon that in all cases die within a few days of birth.
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Markings

Describe the shape and position of the marking where appropriate using the following guidelines. Include scars.

HEAD
White on the lips or other parts of the head should be also be noted and described.
If two marking are joined please use the word conjoined e.g. Star and stripe conjoined.

• Star: marking on the forehead.
• Fient: a few white hairs on the forehead.
• Stripe: narrow white marking from between the eyes to the nostrils.
• Blaze: wide white marking.
• Snip: a mark on the nostrils. Describe the position of the snip.

LEGS
Terms such as sock and stocking do not adequately describe leg markings.
White on the legs should be described to where the white ends eg white half cannon or white coronet, white half pastern etc.
If the white is uneven then it should be described eg white half cannon in front white fetlock behind.

• Ermine spots: black spots on an otherwise white leg usually on the coronet.

BODY
Whorls in the hair should be described and positioned.
Scars should be described.

• Prophet’s thumb mark: a dent in the muscle on the neck, rump or body.
• Dorsal stripe: a dark line along the back bone.
• Marbling: a series of white marks along the horse’s back which are not the result of saddle scars.
• Tiger stripes: which can occur on the back of the legs on some dun horses.
• Mealy mouth and eyes: which are cream coloured can occur on some dun horses.
• Blood marks: red patches occurring on some grey horses.

MANE and TAIL
Include any colour variation or identifying features of mane or tail eg: half white tail.

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Brumby Judging Standards

Open to all horses registered with the Australian Brumby Horse Register.

Because Brumbies come from a large number of different horse types, there are no restrictions on size or colour of an Australian Brumby. However, the horses should be judged to be a riding type.

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How to Register

Follow these steps to register a Brumby with the Australian Brumby Horse Register.

1. Review Rules for Registration of a Brumby prior to commencing registration.
2. Complete the Membership form.
3. Select and register the Stud Prefix.
4. Complete a Brumby Authentication form
5. Complete Brumby Registration Form and attach photo
   Please ensure the proposed name of Horse and applicant name is on each page and the back of photos.
6. Collect twenty to fifty clean mane or tail hairs including the hair root. Place them in a sealed plastic bag and label clearly.
7. Forward all relevant forms to The Registrar with the appropriate Membership and Registration Fee/s (see Schedule of Fees, Rules and Regulations).

(See a list of all registration forms)
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