Horses of Leeuwin

Horses have been an integral part of the Leeuwin landscape since the first European settlers arrived.
This beautiful shire would never have been settled without horses and many of our residents have lived and worked around horses for their entire lifetime. As a resident of the Leeuwin Ward I have always found the sight of horses to be reassuring, a reminder of how well we continue to cherish and care for those noble beasts who have served us well.

They are expensive to keep and today they rarely serve any utilitarian function, instead they are retained for the psychosocial and recreational benefits they provide. Our relationships with other species define to a great extent what it is to be human, because we alone are a species that shares our life with animals that are not necessary for us to meet our basic needs of food and shelter.

Humans have needs that are not purely functional. For centuries now the developed world has enjoyed many cultural attachments that have no function, but are never the less cherished and necessary to the psychological, social and spiritual well-being of society. Some people are deeply attached to art, or literature, or religion, and when that attachment becomes habitual and constant, enduring over years, it defines their culture.

When I first started to look at the Karridale history it quickly became clear that the culture here was significantly shaped by the love of the horse.  When I moved here to my little hut in Karridale my first visitors arrived on horseback.

When I listened to Jack Dennis talking about the bushfires of 1961 he vividly remembered how his wife was on horseback preparing their farm for the advancing fire as he was out helping wherever possible throughout the district. He told how Pat Dennis was a great horsewoman who rode out to bring the cattle and sheep up to a safe area close to the homestead.

When the first Karridale residents left to join up to serve in the Boer War they rode horses to Perth. The horses of the Light Infantry were shipped from Fremantle with their riders.

Anthony S Benbow spent WWI in France ensuring that the needs of the horses were met by moving ahead of his battalion and arranging everything necessary to provide the food and water required.

Rae and Lloyd Crain used to host horse events at their property close to slabby ford. My nearest neighbour’s father, Cecil Noakes, would regularly win ploughing competitions and only a couple of years ago partnered with Sam Weston to put on a superb display of log rolling at the Weston’s property on Osmington Road.

When “Bubbles” Espinos came back to Karridale to help us with the drafting of a plan to map out the old Karridale townsite on Caves road she brought an album of photos that traced so graphically the impact of the horse on her childhood. As did Taffy Smith’s daughter Janette, who also remembers the horses who have figured throughout her life, including one that was on long term loan from John Benbow.

We included an image of the Light Horsemen on our screen to honour the ANZACS of Leeuwin. Riders from Karridale attended ANZAC ceremonies in Augusta

Why does this history matter?

It matters because the documents published by our shire administration fail to convince the reader that they have grasped the importance of the horse to this community. There is no acknowledgement that horses are an integral element of the intangible cultural heritage of this shire. No empathy, no understanding, and no evaluation of the distress and impoverishment our community will suffer if the shire continues to erode the cultural heritage and social capital of the established community in order to favour and promote the tourism industry and casual visitor. Even the draft policy statement on heritage does not appear to have any interest in the intangible heritage embedded within this community. If they cannot sell, hire, or otherwise trade it for profit, it would seem that the AMRShire will not place any value on it at all.

I feel that this lack of understanding is demonstrated in many documents. Here is an extract from the Witchcliffe Village Strategy;

“5.14 Polocrosse Field

Located to the north of the existing village, this field presents a considerable opportunity to contribute towards the village in the future. This potential is emphasised by its largely cleared, level nature, connection to the village centre and location at its northern entrance. The Structure Plan adopted in 2008 which includes Location 2183 Bussell Highway indicates use of this site for public school and civic/cultural uses. The provision of a recreation ground for shared active sport could also be considered in conjunction with the school site.”

The decision has been made that instead of polocrosse there should be a school and “civic/cultural uses,” which does rather suggest that polocrosse is not considered a cultural pursuit.

The shire planners may have discussed this change with the polocrosse club and all agreed that there was not going to be a polocrosse field in the future, but this should have been documented. The reader needs to be reassured that the polocrosse riders were consulted and agreed they would not require the field any further. I love watching the polocrosse and as I read this it seems sad that a sport so loved by many will be lost. The way it is documented leaves this community member wondering..... did they really consult?

The AMRShire has brought in restrictions to curtail the freedom riders have to enjoy the National Parks, and now it appears they wish to keep the Rails to Trails track free of horses too. This must surely be an impost too far on the community. The intangible cultural heritage of communities such as mine has been recognised as important by the Australian Human Rights Commission;

“The Commission’s advocacy for Australia’s ratification of the Convention is with respect to all Australians. Often, intangible cultural heritage in Australia is focussed on Indigenous heritage only. While this is vital, as the unique intangible cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians is of global significance, the intangible cultural heritage of disappearing cultural landscapes of Australians of all other linguistic and culturally diverse backgrounds require different methodologies and approaches and are rarely given due attention.” Extract from the Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 24 September 2008

The whole submission is worth reading because within the detail the commission clearly express the opinion that although indigenous cultures are important there must also be support for non-indigenous cultures that are threatened with the extinction of their customs and practices. Interestingly they also expound the notion that true cultural diversity enhances the tourism experience for visitors to Australia.

Other interest groups, such as those caring for the environment, must recognise that horses and the environment are not incompatible. Horses have been ridden in the Capes region for the whole of the time Europeans have been here, they must surely have established a precedent by now, this is horse riding country, and we are horse loving people.

Maybe at its heart the issue of horse riding in this shire is more to do with whether the shire supports a diversity of cultural pursuits. Whether they recognise that our culture is defined by our habits and behaviours, our repeated actions, our shared history, and our deep held beliefs and relationships. Certainly the culture of Karridale has been shaped and defined by the human reliance on horses and if this shire continues to ignore that then an appeal to John Day, Minister for Planning, Culture and the Arts, will surely be an inevitable next step.