Old Melbourne Memories: Second Edition, RevisedBoldrewood, Rolf
History
Old Melbourne Memories: Second Edition, Revised
Boldrewood, Rolf
Frontier and pioneer life -- Australia -- Melbourne (Vic.); Victoria -- Description and travel; Victoria -- Social life and customs
So was his first foal born at Dunmore. "St. George" was the offspring
of "Die Vernon" by "Peter Fin," well known afterwards as a hunter, when
owned by Alick Cuningham and James Murphy. "St. George," from
circumstances, was a couple of years older than the first crop of
Traveller foals, and, having been made a pet of by Mr. Macknight, was
very quiet when broken in by that gentleman personally, a fine
rough-rider and philosophical trainer as he was, a combination not often
reached. Hence, from "St. George's" docility, great expectations were
entertained of the temper of the "Traveller" stock.
"All depends upon the breaking," says the young and ardent, but chiefly
inexperienced, horse-lover.
"Not so! The leading qualities of horse and man are strongly hereditary.
Education _modifies_, but removes not, the inherited tendency--sometimes
hardly even modifies."
So, whether "Traveller's" dam had an ineradicable taste for "propping,"
or was cantankerous otherwise, disencumbering herself, on occasion, of
saddle, rider, and such trifles, or whether he himself, in early youth,
used to send the stable-boys flying ever and anon, I have no means of
knowing. Nothing can be surer, however, than this fact, that most of the
Traveller colts and fillies at Dunmore and surrounding stations
displayed an indisposition to be broken in little short of insanity.
When ridden for the first time they fought and struggled, bucked and
kicked, fell down, got up, and went at it again with unabated fury.
Tamed by hard work and perseverance, when they were turned out for a
little rest, they were nearly as bad, if taken up again, as at the
first onset. When apparently quietened, they would set to work with a
stranger as though he were some new species of pre-Adamite man. All
sorts of grooms were tried, dare-devils who could ride anything, steady
ones who mouthed carefully and gave plenty of exercise and preparation.
It was all the same in result. They were hard to break in, hard to ride
when they were broken in, and sometimes hardest of all in the intervals
of station work. Of course there were exceptions. But they were few. And
a stranger who was offered a fresh horse at a station in the
neighbourhood was apt to ask if he was a "Traveller"; and if answered in
the affirmative, to look askance and inquire when he had been ridden
last, and whether he had then "done anything," before committing himself
to his tender mercies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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