Kelly Wilson - Saving the Snowy Brumbies

A herd of roan Brumbies near Long Plain Road in Kosciuszko National Park.

The history of the Brumbies, like that of all wild horses, it seems, is one of many contrasts. Once revered for their hardiness and embraced as a necessary part of Australias high country, today these wild horses are in equal parts loved and hated. For many they are a symbol of the pioneering spirit of Australia, but for others they are little more than pests, damaging a delicate ecosystem that has not evolved to cope with being populated by so many horses.

The three of us me and my sisters, Vicki and Amanda Wilson have always been passionate about horses. Born and brought up in the upper North Island of New Zealand, we grew up reading the Silver Brumby series and watching the The Man from Snowy River the Brumbies we read about were our first exposure to wild horses. As children we often pretended to be Brumbies, and would spend hours cantering around our yards at home, pretending to tame each other, or hiding from humans in the rock formations on neighbouring farmland imagining we were in the Silver Brumbies hidden canyon deep in the heart of the Snowy Mountains.

There wasnt a lot of spare money around when we were growing up, but our parents always supported us in our desire to own and train horses. When we were aged four (Amanda), seven (me) and nine (Vicki), we captured and tamed our very first wild ponies. The oldest of these were a palomino and a chestnut we would often pretend that they were Thowra and Yarraman, the two most iconic stallions from the Silver Brumby stories. These books, which were written from the horses point of view, gave us an appreciation of how scary each new situation must be for our own wild horses, and we strove to befriend them rather than forcing them into submission. Those early years working with young and feral horses gave us many of the skills we needed to succeed. From an early age we trained and competed ponies and horses in local competitions, progressing to showjumping on the New Zealand circuit with success at the highest levels. In between events we began to host camps and clinics on location and at our home property, Showtym Stables, teaching over 1000 riders a year, as well as breeding and training horses for both ourselves and others. Of the three of us, Vicki was (and still is) the most solely focused on her equestrian pursuits, having represented New Zealand a number of times in showjumping competitions. In 2016, while we were in Australia for the Brumby Challenge, Vicki was invited to compete in Road to the Horse the World Championships of Colt Starting which she won in convincing style, gaining her international recognition for her holistic approach to horsemanship. Amanda, while just as successful as Vicki in the competition arena, became equally as passionate about film and writing; and when I was not riding, writing or photographing, I would spend as much time as possible travelling and adventuring.

A herd of wild Brumbies near Kiandra in the Snowy Mountains.