Alex Clark riding Sophie in half section with Anysha Riggs riding Shadow, followed by Jody Moore (Vice President of Lockyer Troop) and Jos Bailey (President of Lockyer Troop). Alex is riding Stannum So Free (aka Sophie), an Australian Heritage Stockhorse mare bred in the Stanthorpe area of Qld. Jody Moore is riding an Emu Gully Australian Heritage Stockhorse.

Queensland Light Horse marks 160th anniversary

By Ellie Jolley

This year marks the 160th anniversary of the formation of the Light Horse, or mounted infantry, in Queensland.

Back in 1860, the first Queensland Governor, George Bowen, decided the state needed a defence force to guard its borders.
Governor Bowen called on volunteers who formed the first mounted rifle volunteer units in Ipswich and Brisbane.

And on Sunday 8th of March, today’s Light Horse members gathered from around the state to march through the streets of Brisbane to honour those who had come before.

In his address at the parade Queensland’s current Governor Paul de Jersey said, “In raising a Queensland defence force, Sir George Bowen and the first volunteers laid the military foundations for any units that have since played a proud, crucial and much-honoured and respected role in Australia’s defence.”

Organised by the Queensland Mounted Infantry Historical Troop, the parade was made up of mounted and dismounted members of Light Horse regiments and the Queensland Mounted Police Unit.

Beth Clark was one of the 68 riders who rode through the Brisbane CBD and she is part of the 2nd Light Horse Troop based in Gatton.
She said riding in all the parades with the Light Horse allows her to represent the past Light Horse members, as well as having a personal connection to the military.  

“For me, there’s a lot of family pride associated with it. My Great Uncle was in the First World War, my father was a World War 2 veteran, and my mother was in the Australian Women’s Army Service,” Beth said.

“So, it’s about riding for all those men and women who served our country, and also the people who stayed behind too.”

“When you think of the hardship, the stoicism, and the history of the whole country, it makes being a part of it really special. And then there are the horses as well.”

Many of the horses used in the 160th Anniversary parade were Walers, the original breed used as military mounts from Australia.

And marching together during the parade were two sibling Walers, one owned by Beth Clark. Because they share the same sire, Beth said they are similar in the temperaments and build, but most Walers will vary depending on the genetic background.

“No two Walers are alike. There’s a big variation in what you can call a Waler. There were Walers that were bred as gun horses, and then some that were bred as Officer horses. And then there’s little ones, more of a Galloway size around 14.2hh,” Beth said.

“But they were very good, brave, and have a wonderful temperament,” she said.

Beth said one of the most important aspects of continuing the Light Horse legacy is keeping the military horsemanship, skill at arms, and other exercises such as tent pegging alive.

“Tent pegging is used in mounted games, but skill at arms is still a fantastic competition today too.”

“We’d love to see more people getting involved with the Light Horse and the competition.”


 

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