Australian Stock Horse
enduring, level-headed, willing to work
Origin
Australia
Withers height
150–163 cm
Cattle workCamp draftingEnduranceEventing
Traits & strengths
- ✦exceptional endurance in great heat — bred for the Australian outback
- ✦very agile in cattle work (camp drafting)
- ✦versatile: from the station to the eventing course
- ✦hard in the limbs, low tendency to wear
Breed-typical predispositions
Load from working in heat
Disease →the breed works in conditions where electrolyte losses are considerable — water and salt supply are the levers
Tendon and suspensory ligament load
Disease →fast turns in cattle work load the forehand — footing quality and conditioning
Few breed-specific hereditary defects documented
the population is performance-selected and broad; systematic screening is largely absent
Latest findings
Performance rather than conformation as the breeding criterion
ongoingThe studbook selects on working performance and endurance rather than colour or frame — the result is a population unusually homogeneous for its task while retaining a broad genetic base.
Source · Australian Stock Horse Society