Waler Horse Owners & Breeders Association Australia Inc

WHOBAA Site make over:
Well well isn't christmas grand ! Our site has had a haul over, this post speaks for itself, we hope you all like the new layout ? As you'll notice it incorporates a NEW image gallery & the forums linked in our menu system.

Enjoy!

DigitalCreations post:
DC has posted some new visual media on their site, 1 including the yarramalong promotional movie done a small while back. Take a look over @ Digitalcreations website if you'd like to see it, or you can go view the movie on our photo's page it's 3mb.

New LOOK & Message Forum:
All going online yep yep.....

As most will know we are now going online !! thats right the whole newsletter is online only to save the tree's and make things run a little more smoothly for all involved. We have a bit of a make over too, thanks to our site Admin *clap clap* - Kane.

Some members and myself have decided that we should also run a message forum, after some lovely works from Kane again here it is. Listed on all pages the forum link is now flowing in our menu, you will notice it's PASSWORD protected too. Those of us whom have received it jump in and post away & those whom don't can email the secretary for it to be sent to you by email, upon being verified as a current member ... otherwise sorry !

FROM DESERT TO DRESSAGE: www.walerhorses.com/d2d.htm
WHOBAA Walers were invited by Kilmore Adult Riding Club to "fly the flag" at the Combined Dressage Championships held at Werribbee Park Equestrian Centre Nov. 12 / 13.

STATEMENT BY THE COMMITTEE in response to recent events. May '06

Around 1987 the founders of WHOBAA ( originally as founders of “another Society” ) identified the Australian evolved pioneering horse known as Walers, formulated qualifying criteria and set about PRESERVING those horses as a Breed.
Over the years since then there has been consistent overtures and attempts by some to Register horses that do not qualify or comply with the principle behind our main and overriding aim which is to preserve the old genes, acquired and inherited characteristics of the Australian evolved horse. We, the Committee, have reluctantly concluded that there is a requirement to state the facts here documented in order to prevent any confusion as to our position.
We do not acknowledge as Registrable ……

• Inbred or closely bred ( e.g. having a common parent, grandparent etc. etc. ) horses, irrespective of their other qualifications.
• Horses genetically influenced by recently imported or nurtured breeds which have neither stood the survival test nor which historically influenced the genetic make up of the pioneering Australian work horse.
• 1st cross horses of any other breeds ( e.g. Clyde X T.B. – a common “quick and easy Waler look alike” a “Waler you have when you don’t have a Waler”.

We are not willing to sacrifice the old, tried and true, hardy and sensible genes inherent in the horses we wish to preserve in order to cater to fashion, the dollar, or “flavour of the month” popularity. We are not involved in a quest for numbers, rather in a quest for purity within the confines of practical reality.
The present Committee of this Association have actively defended the legitimacy of the Newhaven Walers which we located, identified and endorsed at the time on behalf of “The Society”. These horses were subsequently subjected to unfounded castigation by the succeeding Committee of that organisation, the eventual result being the perceived necessity to form WHOBAA in order to protect and acknowledge those horses and protect the original ideals.

Extract from Stud Book Rules and Regs.
To be classed as a Purebred Waler, a horse must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

• be progeny of two registered Purebred Walers, and/or
• have a definable history that meets the Association's Standard, and/or
• be from Foundation Stock, i.e. station bred horses whose history can be validated or reliably interpreted according to the Stud Book Committee.

As determined by the Stud Book Committee, no horse so classed may be descended from any Breed of horse that was not traditionally associated with the term Waler, must not be known to have genetic links to breeds other than those that contributed to the traditional breeding of the Waler horse as researched, defined, recorded / documented by the Association nor from any horse of the same Breed as those contributing to the Waler being a modern derivative or import not containing or displaying the characteristics of those horses traditionally used in Waler breeding.
A Purebred Waler must not exhibit characteristics to indicate the predominance (a limited degree of influence of such being acceptable) of any one breed other than Waler to the extent that the phenotype of this horse resembles that breed.
A Purebred Waler must not be known to contain the genetic influence of less than three contributing breeds as determined to be acceptable by the Stud Book Committee.
A Purebred Waler must conform to the Society Standards, with consideration given to Foundation horses with regard to injury, deprivation suffered prior to being obtained, and potential as breeding stock.
For horses of unknown background, which show Waler characteristics, the Stud Book Committee may consider registration into a relevant section. All horses are judged on their own merit. A Purebred Waler must at some stage in its past be descended from at least one ‘station bred’ or ‘station raised’ horse, that is, a horse which has survived, unaided by human management or interference, to a breeding age, under harsh and natural conditions.

All horses as first obtained and / or located, identified as Waler types with acceptable background that meets the Society's standard and where the station has a history of breeding horses for the remount trade and / or for the domestic market shall be Foundation Walers.

Foundation horses of Waler type or breeding not conforming to the Standards due to injury or debilitation or similar factors not judged to be genetic in nature yet considered to otherwise comply with these Rules and be of potential genetic value to the future of the Waler. The progeny of such horses, when bred to Walers, shall be eligible to be classed as Stud Book Walers upon successful Classification in the appropriate section.

Foundation horses may show the obvious phenotype of the traditional type of a breed accepted by the Association as contributing to Waler breeding, in which case they shall be classed as Foundation Horses. e.g. O’Malley – showed obvious traditional Percheron breeding to the extent that could almost be seen as a purebred of that breed introduced onto the station generations before in order to improve the existing stock. The progeny of such horses, when bred to Walers, shall be eligible to be classed as Purebred Walers upon successful classification i.e. conforming to Standards.

Foundation horses should be considered for their ability to produce Walers conforming to the Standard of Excellence. Consideration must be given to the fact that many such horses will have suffered severe deprivation in the environment from which they were obtained and thus may not obviously exhibit their genetic potential prior to producing progeny under more favourable conditions. Such horses should be assessed by Foundation Classifiers and if necessary placed in a Provisional section pending the assessment of their progeny.

© Waler Horse Owners and Breeders Association Australia Inc. 2005.