Letter from the Snowy Mountains: High Country Riding

14 February 2010

Members

Galston Equestrian Club

P.O Box 243

Galston, NSW

Dear Members,

Snowy Mountains Riding

In late January, I had the privilege of riding in the Snowy Mountains National Park and I thought I would share my fabulous experience with you and let you know how you can try the same.

For those of you who just want to look at the pictures and get to the point, I have attached an entry form for the “Snowy Mountains Bush Users Group” 2010 Awareness Ride. Knock yourselves out with beauty and pleasure!

For the rest of you who like to linger please just read on.

Getting there

I started out from hot Sydney on Friday morning loading up the horse and camping gear and set out for the 5 hour drive to Gundagai at 8 am. As usual the most difficult thing to pack was the horse feed and my heavy western saddle. I was down 2 riding buddies. One had been booked to vacation with family and was green with envy, the other had to work (to pay for her new saddle). I was determined to spend Australia day as high as possible on a hill with my horse so I set out without them and survived. Indeed, rather than being eaten alive by the locals, I was well and truly looked after.

It was afternoon and 37ºC by the time I rolled into Gundagai.  Finally (after some time without telephone reception and feeling decidedly out of touch), I was given instructions by my local riding buddy Mick, to “fill up with petrol and head up the road to Tumut”. I was buzzing with excitement, (or possibly just Red Bull) so the simplicity of the instructions took me a little by surprise. I found out that there were at least two roads up the road and by the time I had made the choice and was half way along, I vaguely remembered the word “highway” in the instructions and realised that the road I taken was the wrong one. “Who cares” I thought, I had my GPS, a patient horse and I was on holiday. 

Finally I met up with Mick in Tumut and his final instructions were “go up the road a bit (‘bout 80 km) and there’s a turn off with a wall. You will know it when you see it. Don’t follow me, I’ll be too slow.” Of course I tried to follow but he was too slow even after I stopped several times to let traffic pass and to check the horse. Eventually Mick waved me on and I took off up the hill where the temperature dropped 3ºC every 1000 meters I climbed. At last some relief from the heat!  Long Plain is about 1350m above sea level.

Suffice it to say I had time to drive 80km, and have a long chat with some campers at “Bullocks Hill” when Mick caught up with me. Of course I had gone to the wrong camp. Mick’s instructions were nearly right and I knew he would find me. My turn off was in fact at 75kms up the road from Tumut at a place called “Long Plain”. 

On arrival at the Long Plain campsite and unloading a tired horse, it was time for a drink. I cannot remember unpacking anything else. The others, Pete and Shirley, had already gone riding and came back to help finish setting up camp. We were joined at various times by locals Graham and his nephew Oliver, by a fisherman, Alan Jamieson and a Queenslander called Fern along with other nightly visitors from other camps looking for gossip.

The Terrain

My first impression was “wow! It is so flat and open”. Perfect riding country. I had expected to be riding in much steeper terrain – like under the chairlifts at Thredbo ski fields. The terrain was similar to Central Plateau in Tasmania but with dingoes instead of Tassie Devils. Not half bad. I was immediately attracted to the rolling green “flat bits” and pictured myself galloping for miles without having to stop for a gate or a car. The alpine grass was making the most of the sunshine and warmer weather. 

The Campsite

As a city slicker I was impressed to find National Parks management had provided the campsite with a loo and a fenced paddock. The only trouble was that the fenced paddock was intended to be shared with all the other horses in the camp! Luckily my camping buddies came equipped with their own fencing so my horse had his paddock all to himself.

Water

None nearby. Come with tubs and buckets and preferably a pump.

The National Park management in its wisdom has decreed that no bush users are allowed to camp right near the water’s edge. The edit has given cause for annoyance for the long time campers used to the water access. For me, having no prior experience, it just meant having to take a 200 litre container and a smaller buckets/tubs daily to the river to fill up for horses and camp use. Mick and Pete had it sorted by filling up the containers from the back of Mick’s truck tray. At one point I heard mention of the word “pump” but it did not register until I had filled 100 buckets by hand. Suffice it to say, warm weather, water and buckets.....Shirley and I still had enough strength to pour water over anyone within reach.  No doubt the favour will be returned in the deep of winter.

The total fire ban meant we had to swim in the river to remove the dust rather than have Mick’s “donkey” set up over a fire to heat water. It is not often that I get to float about in the Murrumbidgee River at its source. I was assured that the water was filtered by the time it came to irrigating the grapes.

Riding

I could hardly wait to tack up for my first ride and my big rich bay felt the same. I had the honour of riding with 4 stock horses who were short and sure footed and an American Saddle horse.  My thumping 16.3hh Irish Sport Horse had huge feet which were not always connected to his brain.

I did not feel so bad when we were joined a day or so later by “Corporal” an even larger warmblood who seemed equally gawky but still gorgeous. 

The Dangerous Bits

Of course like a good city rider, when we first set out, I was determined that my horse would not be allowed to “tune out” and walk single file behind another horse. Besides the other horses were small and (I thought) were bound to walk too slowly.

After about an hour of jogging and my first “bog” experience, I quickly found out that the other ponies walked just fine and single file through the deceptively green flat parts (the bog) was an infinitely wise formation.

The locals were good considering. They only reminded me once or twice about how I very nearly got stuck on the very first pass. The mud under the deceptively green flat bits lent new meaning to the term “boot sucker”.

After finding out about the “boggy bits” I then found out about the sacred grounds (rabbit and wombat burrows) which are abundant and usually situated on higher ground just above the bog to allow for the best views. Of course there is also wire from derelict fences everywhere. It is hard to understand how the wire can be left to tangle with all but the most wary while the brumbies (which are just as much the heritage of the area) are hunted down and shot.

The Best Riding

Notwithstanding the dangers, and after my horse settled down to walk, I began to appreciate the quiet and peacefulness of the area. Our rides were relatively short and, each day after the initial settling down period, we found ourselves not talking for long periods. This was not just due to the tranquillity of the area. The boys were intent on not scaring off the brumbies in their day camps so we could get up close to count the horses and watch the foals. We would see 40 to 60 brumbies a day. I was shushed often. Who was I to suggest that many of the horses were counted more than once?

I cannot understand how even the most ardent conservationist could allow the brumbies to be trapped and shot. There were some pretty awful stories told around the camp at the end of the day about the slaughter of brumbies. The one which really sticks in my mind is the account of a young horse which had been shot from the haunches through to the chest and left to bleed out. There is in fact a heated debate going on between those who believe brumbies are part of our heritage and should not be subject to eradication and those who want complete eradication. You can read more about it on the Snowy Mountains Bush User Group website at www.smbug.com . The website has its own protest letter which you may wish to use. From what I have read on both sides, it seems that eradication is not necessary at all and the protest is necessary to keep our brumbies.

The best riding was following the brumby “pads” (tracks) from the open grassed areas tucked in amongst the hills through the wet lands to the wooded areas where the brumbies have their day camps. Our horses’ hooves made the best hollow “thrumming” sound on the pads as we went along. There was no way my big horse was going to sneak up on a wild horse! Without the humble brumby pad, it would be treacherous for the average camper to ride safely across Long Plain bogs.

Of course you could tell when the boys’ buts were sore. They started cracking jokes. Usually on the way home or after 3 hours whichever came first.

Doing It Again

While I was camping at Long Plain, I had the pleasure of attending the annual general meeting of the Snowy Mountain Bush User’s Group. There must have been more than 50 people at the Long Plain Hut (now renovated but still haunted). With great delight I discovered that the Bush Users Group was going to hold a supervised “awareness ride” in the same high country terrain from 13 March 2010 until 18 March 2010. I have attached a copy of the Entry Form and related information if you were in any way inspired to attend. Perhaps I will see you out there!

If you the 2010 Awareness Ride is too far to travel to or too soon, then perhaps you might like to try the fully catered MS Horse Ride which is to take place in the Hunter Region in the third week of September this year (see: www.mshorseride.org.au and the main website for the 2010 ride information). It is usually the last week of school in term III.

I hope to see you at a clinic back at home soon. If you have any questions about the riding and camping facilities, I would love to help (or put you in touch with someone more knowledgeable).

Regards

Cate Carney

0412 679 101