THE HIGHLAND PONY HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA
The first report I have found of a highland Pony on Australian shores, is of a young girls highland pony being swam ashore near Melbourne in 1835.
I didn’t find any recorded actual importations until 1887 which was the importation of the highland pony stallion “Glengarry”
by Mr Samual McNaughton.
Glengarry was imported as an aged stallion and much sort after, producing numerous offspring in Australia but unfortunately died in mid 1889.
Mr Samual McNaughton then imported the 2 year old dun stallion “Balranald” to replace Glengarry in 1889. Balranald was also a much sort after stud, and I have been able to find numerace recordings of him over the following years.
The next recorded importation of a highland pony to Australian shores was the importation of the stallion “Hyskeer” in 1913 by D.E. Grant of Moonyoonooka, WA.
Hyskeer was breed by the late J.H. Munro Mackenzie of Calgary, unfortunately I couldn’t trace any of his progeny but at the time, breeders were being advised that the highland pony cross, during the Boar War, was far superior to any others and there is records of one of Hyskeers colts being exported to America, from Scotland, for this exact purpose around the same time.
The next importation was of a stallion by the name of “Blair Essan” in 1938 by G.R. Nicholas..
(Drawing of Glengarry sourced from trove/newspaper archives)
(Photo above of Glenearn Brigadier and Penny Farthing, with owner, Mrs Heather Ronalds at Pakenham VIC sourced through the HPA website archives.)
In 1961 the Barrymoor Stud in Victoria imported the stallion Glenearn Brigadier and the mare Penny Farthing.
This combination produced the well-known and influential stallion Barrymoor Grand Final.
In the late 1970s, three mares were imported for the Taranganba Stud in Queensland, Debbiedene, Druid of Croila, Gipsy Melody of Turin Hill along with the stallion, Trooper Macpherson of Croila. Debbiedene was in foal when imported to Glenaylmer, which produced the filly Taranganba Dinah.
More recently, in 2001 the stallion Maverickdene was imported to Australia by Jim & Myra Currie of the Currie Park Stud in Pinjarra Western Australia.
And more recently, Scott McGregor imported 10 Highland ponies to Australia in 2006. These ponies included the stallion Fyfedene and young colt Fourmerk Royal Scott, along with the mares Steffiedene, Brodiedene, Jasminedene, Tathradene, Maliboudene, Roslyndene and Ballinton Islay Sky as well as the gelding Ballinton Islay Bruar.
This year has seen the importation of Gillean of Liosmor by Sue Jarman of the Rosemarkie stud in NSW. Gillean of Liosmor not only brings over new bloodline but the rare silver dilute gene yet to exists amongst the highland ponies in Australia.
Current Highland Pony numbers in Australia
In these census, A breeding aged mare is considered 3-20 years of age as of the 01/08 of the current year.
Although there are mares breeding past the age of 20, those numbers don’t come close to making up for the mare not actually breeding in their prime, for whatever reasons.
Total Purebreds
18 breeding stallions and 2 retired stallions and 6 colts under 3 years
113 breeding aged mares and 15 mares over 20 years and 21 fillies under 3 yrs. (total 137 mares).
110 geldings
Australian Breed Up Program
3 FS2 mares
5 FS1 mares
6 FS mares
2 Appendix mares
30 AHL geldings
as of March 2022