When I first laid eyes on Tom's gorgeous grey dappled Brumby on Instagram, I knew I had to photograph him. He reminded me of the character the Brolga from the Silver Brumby series. & I was fascinated with him.
When I messaged Tom to ask if I could capture some images of him, he mentioned he also had another Brumby. Wanting to raise awareness for these amazing animals & show their capabilities is something I have been doing for some years now. These Brumby's blew me away with how quiet & affectionate they are.
Tom has such a beautiful, gentle approach to his Horsemanship, & it was such a pleasure to capture him interacting freely with them.
These are their stories.
I met Mirri about six years ago. I’d always dreamed of having a brumby, and when my cousin Braden heard about the culls that were happening, he bought her through the Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse trapping program. The idea was that I would gentle her to become his kids’ pony. It turned out she is wonderful with children, but she has also become such an essential lead mare in our herd that we realised it was best for everyone that she stay here with our herd. She holds everything together. Now the kids come here when they want to ride, and Mirri not only cares for them beautifully, but she also helps teach horsemanship to people who come for lessons. She’s sensitive, willing, and steady with anything we ask of her. She is incredibly special to me. Even though she’s a little small for the kind of riding I’d imagined, I treasure what we do together on the ground. She really sets the tone of harmony and cohesion in the herd, and being around her has deepened my respect for how brumbies lead, relate, and hold space for others.
Experiencing Mirri opened my eyes to just how extraordinary these horses are—so in tune with their instincts and environment, yet curious, open to connection, and deeply trainable. I began quietly looking for a larger brumby whose stature suited both our needs.
When I saw a grey three-year-old stallion Zizzy, who was passively trapped from the Kosciousko national park. and expected to mature around 15 hands, I knew he was the one. He was first bought and fully funded by a friend who believed in him from the very beginning, and who has remained an important part of Zizzy’s life even after generously handing ownership over to me.
Zizzy has been incredible to work with at every step. He is gentle, present, and doesn’t hold onto tension or worry. From him I’ve learned how life can be lighter and more easeful: even when things don’t go perfectly, he meets me with calm understanding and a soft, chilled nature. He’s only six now and was gelded a year ago: he lost a lot of blood at the time and it really knocked him around. Since then, I’ve done very little riding—mostly caring for him and doing groundwork to help him rebuild his strength, body awareness, and confidence so that training feels genuinely good to him. I always try to meet him where he’s at. Over the last year, instead of asking much of him, we’ve focused on building a deep rapport, trust, and partnership so that we have the next 20–30 years to keep deepening that bond and exploring what we can do together, and what he can offer anyone who connects with him.
I feel incredibly privileged to grow alongside these horses and am deeply grateful to my friend Kirralee Jones of Partnership Performance Horses — her expert support has been a huge part of helping Mirri and Zizzy become the horses I always dreamed they could be. I also have Phil Yee to thank for making it possible: he purchased and supported Zizzy financially for two years and poured so much love and time into him. His children spent patient hours camping in the paddock and bonding with Zizzy, who would eagerly leave the herd to greet them at the gate; even now, despite living in Sydney and visiting rarely, Zizzy remembers them and greets them in the same way. I’m especially thankful that my mum has decided to take Zizzy on as her riding horse and to support his ongoing financial needs: her commitment lifts a huge weight and ensures he’ll continue to thrive, as I also have 5 other horses..
The Brumby's were both supported by these great organisations Rosewood Hills Brumby Rescue & The Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association
Please check out their pages & the amazing work they do.
