We received a frantic phone call between Christmas and New Year. A little Brumby filly had baled up all the traffic on the main highway, cars and trucks were constantly tooting at her to move. She was terrified and ran this way and that. Luckily a kind lady managed to coax her off the busy road into a paddock that bordered the highway. Hence the phone call to us, could we come and get her? The lady had tried NPWS, RSPCA etc. and they weren't interested, anyway it was holiday time and staff were on leave. The police would come but this little filly would just be shot. We asked the lady did the paddock have a small yard and a loading ramp, the answer, no, no, no. So we had a wild Brumby filly in a ten acre paddock and how were we going to load her onto a horse float !!!. It was all hands to the rescue and together with several volunteers, halters, ropes and a bale of hay etc. we proceeded to Corindi, NSW to attempt to bring the little one home to us.

The float was backed up to the gate, ropes were put up as a barrier on either side and so we began what we thought would be a very long and exhausting day. What a surprise we had !!!. Hay was dribbled along the ground, yummy, our little one followed the hay trail right up to the float. Hay was spread on the ramp and also in the float. Calmly and without any drama she placed one hoof on the ramp, looked around at us and proceeded to load herself !!!. We were amazed and quickly put up the tail gate, made sure she was secure and relaxed and began the long drive back to our Bellingen Sanctuary, home to our injured and disadvantaged Brumbies. On arrival she was transferred into a small holding yard and our Brumby Nanny, Pandora was soon nuzzling her and checking her over. It was instant love at first sight and there they stayed together for several days until we decided it was safe to let them out into a bigger paddock.
 

Of course, our little filly had to have a name, so welcome STB Little Miss Toot Toots, very appropriate all things considered. Toots is just the sweetest little filly we've ever had, no vices except her greed for food !!! Toots is now in basic training and in time will be a bomb proof pony for kids. So another Brumby saved and that's what we do, we Save the Brumbies.

STB Jewel's journey in life wasn't an easy start, neglected by her mother 'Dinah' - Now a 'Golden Oldie' at NEBS Jewel found herself at Bellingen sanctuary, approx 18 months old due to allergies at Armidale sanctuary. There she received hands on car from Jan and thrived tremendously. It was here I met Jewel, known by her nickname 'Storm' back then after the violent storm she was born during. A nervy little pinto filly stole my heart, I immediately began sponsoring her visiting her and Jan as much as my schedule would allow over the following 4-5 years.

As Jewel neared 6yrs, Jan introduced me to a seasoned off-the-track Thoroughbred, Cora, then 20yrs, in need of a new home and much needed TLC. What no one planned was that Jewel took to Cora almost immediately, the two became close, so much so that after some careful consideration, many talks with other people, it was a surprise just months after meeting Cora, that I received news that Jewel could come home to me with Cora. Tears of joy were shed receiving the news. Thus I made arrangements to adopt Jewel formally and organise a transport truck to bring Cora and a then very spooky Jewel home to me one chilly Autumn night in May 2021.

The months that followed pushed me to become the leader within that I'd never been, believe in myself and stand my ground. Jewel being the opinionated little miss she was, made it very clear.... She knew who she was. she knew who I was. There was NO WAY, she was letting this small timid human filly tell her what to do! and that was that! But as my confidence grew, I learnt how to read her, how to hold my body so i wasn't sending her mixed signals. We learnt to trust each other, in the process, helping each other become a better version of ourselves than where our story started.

As our bond grew, so did Jewel's trust in me, although not always sure of my antics with her, equally Jewel learnt i would never intentionally hurt her. Our journey progressed to me starting her for riding - bareback and a halter, with no previous experience of starting horses, We learnt together, I taught her to be soft to all my cues - on the ground and on her back, she learnt, or rather taught herself that she could offer behaviours, often being better than originally planned. From learning to bow, following me willingly at liberty to 14 rides together, Jewel exceeding my expectations of what it means not just to earn a horses trust, but to truly bond with one.

Jan once said to me that 'Brumbies are more like dogs than they are horses', I didn't truly get this concept until Jewel and I really started to connect about a year together. Truth was, odds were stacked against us from the start. Pairing a green horse owner with an equally green, spooky, feisty brumby filly. somehow we defied the odds and Jewel became the friend and constant shadow of my life.

Jewel's Memorial Video

Though a freak accident 2.5 years together ripped her life from me, she is never far from my thoughts, my YouTube channel with her, and now with Kahu, inspires me and others everyday. November 2015 - September 2023. I'm forever grateful to STB for placing her with me, Jewel was and will always be, my heart horse. Today, Kahu is part of that family and my journey with horses. Learning, telling our stories and being apart of a community who loves Brumbies just like we do.

Though Jewel's journey was cut very short, she continues to inspire me everyday, helping me to guide and teach Kahu, through him, Cora and I have learnt to heal too.

Thank You Save The Brumbies, You are the Real Deal!

Zoe - Mid North Coast, New South Wales

Through all the effort to create and establish the concept of Walking with Horses in Nature over the past 3 years, what drives me is giving forever homes to more horses in need. Specifically Australian Brumbies and Thoroughbred ex racehorses, because of the plight both breeds face.
 

So it was only ever a matter of time before I could build the business to a point where I had the confidence to welcome a 7th horse into our family here, for life.
 

Save The Brumbies is a registered Not For Profit that owns and runs The New England Brumby Sanctuary (NEBS) and on May 8 this year, they posted this on their Facebook page:

"...we have until September to get as many horses out as possible before the 'feral horse management plan' is acted upon and they [government contractors] start shooting. So this means if you can take on one of these gentle souls PLEASE DO SO BEFORE SEPTEMBER. Don't wait around because there may not be a next time. We will be housing as many as we can but with winter coming quickly and feed getting low, this is not sustainable so we need to keep horses moving. We also still have a few horses from corindi beach needing homes so we can make room for new horses..."
 

I felt called to put my hand up in response to this post but it wasn't financially possible back in May, in the midst of drought, staring ahead into a pasture-less winter.
How things change. More than a few hundred mils of rain later and with the arrival of spring next week, I feel safe to shout it out with joy: WE'VE MADE IT THROUGH!!
 

As fate would have it, on Brumby Koszi's birthday a couple of weeks ago this little lady popped up for adoption. At not quite 2 years old, she's close to the same age he was when I first met him at the sanctuary in Dec 2018, but she's a lot smaller!
 

And her name? 'Bliss'
 

Given my first tagline for the business was BLISSFUL TRAIL WALKS LEADING HORSES I feel fate has stepped in here. And when the Universe speaks, I've learned not to argue.
A group of guests responded to my personal invitation to be a part of Bliss' journey right from the start, and with their direct support I was able to secure her transport. Following a 4-day journey she calmly stepped off the truck into the worst of winter this season; calmly said hello to Kite and I; then calmly walked with my dad into her new home.
 

This is something to be really proud of - between our Sublime community members, NEBS and myself, we've managed to save one more Brumby. And from this, our newest experience has been born: JUST BE: Just To Be with Horses
Exactly as it sounds; no expectations. Just the opportunity to experience a slice of life with horses. Bliss!

With gratitude for everything I have, to be able to do what I do,

Mel McLaren, Founder, Walk Sublime

The incessant demands of the phone woke me at 5 a.m. one Monday morning. I muttered a sleepy 'Hello' and wished whoever was ringing not very polite thoughts. It was Max Brennan, the trapping contractor for removal of horses from Guy Fawkes River National Park.

"Max here Jan, we have an orphan foal in the yards, her dam died on the weekend and the filly is in a bad way, she's only about three or four weeks old, very poor and dehydrated, she won't survive without the mare. Can you collect her ?? it's urgent, she must have specialised care. We asked NPWS for help but they are not interested, just told us to turn her out of the yards, after all, she's only another feral horse. This filly will die without help."

"We'll be there asap," I replied and in record time the 'residents' were checked, hay tossed over the fence and troughs filled, the float was hooked up and we were on our way. It was the hottest day on record for late November, there were road works going on and traffic was held up for over two hours on the highway.
The ute overheated and we were further delayed a few more hours.

The track into Guy Fawkes had deep ruts and steep inclines and negotiating this with a float on behind was horrific. We finally arrived at Tallagandra depot around 1 p.m., hot, exhausted and hungry. The trip had taken over six hours in extreme heat and we couldn't use the air conditioning due to overheating with the ute. We were not happy.

All our own troubles were instantly forgotten as we met our orphan filly. What a sorry, sad sight this little baby was. We quickly checked her over; she was standing, just, but very thin and weak. Max helped us load her, she straddled her legs and didn't move, she had no energy at all. And so we started the return journey. We didn't think she would survive but Brumbies are tough and this filly had a determined grip on life. Four hours later in unbelievable heat we finally reached Mountain Thyme Brumby Sanctuary. Off came the little filly, stiff and wobbly but otherwise o.k.

First things first, out came a large syringe, water and glucose, we had no milk powder on hand, we managed to syringe a fair quantity over her tongue and amazingly, shortly later she shook her head and began to inspect and nibble the grass. That night we checked and hydrated her every hour and by morning she was looking decidedly better.

The next day was cooler, what a relief, a trip to the produce store for milk powder and her special foal formula was ready. It didn't take long for her to get the idea that buckets came with warm milk and she certainly made up for lost time. By the afternoon she was grazing in the garden and meeting the other 'residents'. The Domestics came up first, it was instant dislike, ears back, snaking at the baby over the fence. Next, the resident Brumbies, what a difference, they pricked their ears, they nuzzled her, licked her and loved her. Perhaps they recognised one of their own by her scent but it was a very interesting lesson for us in Brumby behaviour.

Tallangandra Rose, her formal name as she came from Tallagandra in Guy Fawkes and Rose as she was so beautiful, made great progress. Rosie quickly took over the garden as her own special domain and her four hourly buckets of milk settled into a routine. She became quite pushy with her milk and very demanding; if that bucket didn't appear on time she would stand on the porch and strike at the door for attention. Her ears would lie flat in her greed for that bucket and a tiny halter and manners had to be taught before she became totally spoilt.

The garden became Rosie's home for many months; without her Mum to protect her from the other horses we wanted to be quite sure that she could look after herself in the 'mob'.
She learnt to lead quickly, picking up her feet, grooming her and putting her on and off the float were early lessons she never forgot. She was a constant source of amusement and interest to our Sanctuary visitors and as she was placed in our Sponsorship program she certainly didn't lack from admiring attention. Readers can see more photos of Rosie on our Sponsorship link.

And so Tallagandra Rose grew up; she is now two years old and has developed into a truly beautiful young filly. Well handled from such an early age she is a delight to have at the Sanctuary and she accepts everything easily in her stride. Her only fault, and one that she is gradually outgrowing as she matures, is a tendency to see every human as a food source, the typical foal trick of laying back her ears at her Mum, ducking under the mares' neck and demanding halt to access the milk bar is tried out on the humans, "Gimme my food, now ... this instant ..." and this lesson is one that Rosie has taught us, manners must come first, otherwise poddy foals can grow up over confident and rude. The older horses have also taught her well, she has her place in the mob, which is currently last .. much to her disgust. The joy and pleasure this orphan filly gives and the pride we have in her far outweighs the hassles, worry and expense that a tiny foal inflicted on us. We acknowledge and thank her Sponsors for their generous donations towards her care.