Statement

Due to claims made elsewhere which conflict with the ideals, criteria and research on which this Society was founded, we have found it necessary to state the following, so that those interested may make an informed judgement as to which organisations or individuals recognises and acknowledges the true and traditional Waler horse.

The Waler Horse Society of Australia set the criteria and standards for the Waler breed after extensive research, including “grass roots” interviews and reference to archival documents from many and varied sources into the circumstances, the contributing breeds, and the selection criteria that were used in the evolution of the horse known as the Waler.

The Waler was not a breed until defined by this Society, a Stud Book created, and Standards set.  Nor, arguably, was it a “type” in that there was never a “typical Waler”.  All Walers, however, have points in common.  These are the points we endeavour to preserve.

We do not attempt to re-create a Waler look alike, or to exploit a Waler horse stereotype.  To do so would involve the degradation of all the strengths and attributes we endeavour to preserve.

Nor do we accept the influence of any ‘modern’ breeds that played no part in the evolution of the original Waler.  Neither do we accept horses of the same breed name as the contributing breeds if they have not endured similar environmental conditions.

This Society accepts that a breed may be defined as animals, which consistently display inherited characteristics conforming to a Standard or Standards. A Stud Book has been created for the Waler, with definitive Rules governing the management, Standards, and breed influences which contributed to the traditional breeding of this horse.

It is worth considering Wilkins as quoted by Daphne Machin Goodall in A History of Horse Breeding (1st published 1977, Robert Hale Ltd., London. page 246). “If conditions for life, under the influence of which the breed form occurred are consistent, then the type is fixed and there is a continuity of inheritance. As soon as these essential conditions change so also will the form and the performance of the breed change. The durability or permanence of a breed is dependent only on certain conditions for life to which it is adapted; there is no such thing as absolute permanence of any form of breed.”

We cannot re-create the old blood, the environmental conditions or the harsh selection processes, which produced the original Waler horses.  We have, however, gathered descendants of these horses, today found amongst genetically isolated herds in inaccessible outback areas (feral Waler descendants) and remote cattle stations where they have continued to be bred and managed. The preservation of these breeding lines will insure a sound and proven foundation for the future of this breed.

Foundation stock are carefully researched and classified prior to selection. The Waler Horse Society of Australia through its members then manage and selectively breed these horses in a captive environment so as to prevent the degradation of their attributes and preserve the Breed.  The results speak for themselves.

Frequently asked questions:

“The Waler was never a breed, so how can it be now?”

Virtually none of today’s accepted breeds were such until someone recognised, identified, documented, governed, set standards, managed, and formalised those Breeds.

The Waler Horse Society of Australia has done this, and established the Waler as a Breed in accordance with common and accepted practises.

Latest Update: Saturday, 28 December 2002