Victorian Brumby Association

14/06/2026

One of the big paddocks (run by VBA Zorro and VBA King) coming up for their Lucerne this afternoon. A mixture of Kosi and Barmah Brumbies. It's a much bigger mob than we generally keep them in as we're working our way through spraying paddocks for weeds. Once that is done, the babies will be warned and their Mums get to go back out on the hills. They're all wild caught and for some of them, this could be the first time in years that they haven't been either pregnant or feeding a foal or both. Its such important time for their bodies before they start training to find their homes!

09/06/2026

Today is the day we have all dreaded. The day we have worked so hard to prevent. We've Rallied, we've written letters, we've sat on 'community advisory panels', we've taken in as many Brumbies as we can...
Today the government of Chris Minns started another aerial cull of the Kosciuszko Brumbies.
The peace of Kosciuszko, the haven for its wildlife will be shattered.
All we could do tonight as we rode out to check on our wild ones - riding Kosciuszko Brumby Illie - was to hope desperately that this wouldn't be the last sunset for our beloved Kosi Brumbies.
We're so sorry we couldn't do more for you.

31/05/2026

WINTER HAY FUNDRAISER

We have just put up a Gofundme for our Winter Hay delivery. With 58 Brumbies here currently and hoping to be able to take in more Brumbies prior to the aerial cull, we really need your help!

You can donate directly through the Gofundme (link below), or into the bank account:
Victorian Brumby Association
Bsb: 063 671
Acct: 1006 6183

Please help us to keep helping the Brumbies!

Any donation, large or small will make a difference and of course, as a registered charity, every donation over $2 is tax deductible.

We currently have 58 Brumbies here at our Brumby Junction Sanctuary… Colleen O'Brien needs your support for VICTORIAN BRUMBY ASSOCIATION WINTER HAY FUNDRAISER

31/05/2026

If you are able to get to this Rally (not organised by us), it would mean the world! The ONLY way we can change anything in relation to the upcoming cull is by public outcry!!

30/05/2026

HOW DID WE GET HERE? …..AND WHAT CAN WE DO??

Please read to the end to see what YOU can do for the Brumbies!
We haven’t posted much for a while here. It’s been a real struggle to put our thoughts together into a neat post. I keep asking myself How did we get here? How is it possible that once again, we are about to see an aerial cull of our Kosciuszko Brumbies?

One of my great joys as an Australian has been spending time in the wilder parts of our beautiful country. Watching wild Brumbies is a thrill that it’s hard to put words to. If you know, you know. The disappointment when you think you won’t find any and the sheer joy when you do. As a parent, that joy has been even deeper when I have taken my children and we have gone Brumby watching together. We’ve spent time observing Brumbies at Bogong High Plains in Victoria, where the Brumbies are all bot gone now, as well as Barmah National Park, where only the echoes of the Brumbies remain and of course, Kosciuszko.

Last week, we went up to Kosi to look for Brumbies. We spent days walking around Currango, Long Plain, Kiandra, Three Mile and many other places where we used to be able to see Brumbies. Places that have been so special to us, as they have been to many other Aussies. Last week, the evidence was stark – so few Brumbies remaining and even those will face the firing squad from the air in just another week.

I’ve spent the better part of the last 25 years saying that we simply couldn’t be the generation that could only show their grandchildren photos of wild Brumbies in books. Yet here we are. Facing that reality.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?

Of course there are! We have been working actively for Fifteen years to get fertility control used in our Brumby populations. It has been used with great effect in the USA for more than Thirty years now (look up Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and many more)! When we started asking government to trial it, we were told it would take too long to see a population decline. Although less foals are born immediately, one of the ‘side effects’ is that the mares live for longer due to not spending so much of their energy having and raising foals, so it takes around Seven years for a population decline to be visible statistically. Seven years! Imagine if they has started when we first put a detailed plan in front of them?! Its worth adding that that plan was completely funded by us – no cost at all to the government!

Rehoming groups have done an incredible job with no government support at all. For many years, we as rehomers, along with other groups have asked for government funding to make it possible to save even more Brumbies. Once again, the government has rejected this.

So, on the 8th of June – just eight days time – our Kosciuszko Brumbies will once again face death from the skies. To those who say it is humane, I would challenge them to have their riding horse ‘euthanised’ in this manner. Time after time, Brumbies have been found with more than 10 bullet wounds. Shot in the face, the belly, the neck, time after time. The RSPCA has not only turned a blind eye, they have actively supported this. NPWS haven’t even been required to have cameras on the helicopters to prove that they were ‘humanely’ shooting!

WHAT CAN YOU DO??

First, please sign this petition! If you are not a resident of NSW, please send it to any NSW friends you may have to sign: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=BmohXScSptUiwqbMm5kfBg&fbclid=IwY2xjawSDhdlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR6VsFdt5XuOzbNce9v-qxkpNI5T-A0iQNuqdUTMq5cfhFxsWi63u2fXFV-d_w_aem_g9fgm7YumWUgMqgpsiOtDA

Next - You can write respectful, clear emails to any of the following:

RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman: [email protected]
NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe: [email protected]
NSW Premier Chris Minns: [email protected]
NPWS Wild Horse Team: [email protected]
NPWS Ryan Petrov, Manager Southern Ranges: [email protected]
NPWS Anthony Evans, Director Park Operations Projects: [email protected]
Find your local minister here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/all-members.aspx

WHAT COULD YOU SAY?

You could tell them that:
- Aerial culling must not go ahead - you do not accept aerial culling as a humane control method for Brumbies
- Fertility control must be used to lower the Brumby population humanely
- Rehomers need government support to continue to save and place as many Brumbies as possible
- The current Passive trap program is well run and humane in the way that the Brumbies are trapped, handled and managed by Parks staff but it is badly let down in the way that the Brumbies are them not supported through supporting rehomers.
Is there any point? YES! Every single letter and email is logged in. Historically, although many people will comment on posts, they don’t go on to write those emails and get in contact with their local government minister or relevant authority. This is your chance to have your say!

The Brumbies can’t speak for themselves – will you speak for them?

Photos are some of the beautiful Brumbies we saw in Kosciuszko last week. It was heartbreaking thinking of what they will face in just over a week.

29/05/2026

Today was VBA Barmah Kodys big day! He got to go home to his very own human, Abbey!
Abbey came out to our sanctuary and chose Kody back when he was still wild and unhandled. Since then, Abbey has come out most weeks to be involved in Kodys training, which means that Abbey knows how we have trained Kody and Kody knows Abbey well already!
Its been a delight getting to know Abbey - sure is the story of jobs we dream of for our Brumbies! We've all fallen for Kody too. He is such an amazing mixture of stoic and sweet!!
We can't wait to follow along with Abbey and Kody as he settles in at home.
The first two photos are Kody and Abbey at home today, the others are over the past few weeks of his training here, getting to know Abbey.

10/05/2026

Happy Mothers day to all the Mothers out there, human and Brumby.
It felt good to sit out in one of our 'Maternity ward' paddocks with Zorros mob this morning. Brumby Mummas, VBA Stormee (from Kosi), VBA Abbey Rose, VBA Matilda, VBA Opal and VBA Annie (all from Barmah) are here - raising their foals safely and being cared for.
Our hearts are ripped out at the thought of all the Brumby mares in Kosi right now, grazing peacefully, completely unaware of the horror that will come for them from the skies in just a few short weeks.
Hold your Brumbies close people.

01/05/2026

RELATIONSHIP FIRST!
We're constantly blown away by the incredible relationships we see coming out of our Brumby Gentling Clinics.
In our last clinic, when young trainer Aniese met her Kosciuszko Brumby VBA Bishop, she just fell in love with him. The first photo shows their first meeting. At just 13 years of age, Aniese put her whole heart into gaining Bishops trust and yesterday, Anieses Mum Justine shared the next two photos with us. Taken just 17 days after a totally wild Bishop met his person!!!
I think it's safe to say that they're doing really well together!

16/04/2026

Brumby Gentling Clinic Day 3.

Day 3 is a real day of connection - seeing our young Brumbies really stay to sell safety with their people is so rewarding! We started with the reward of food and release of pressure on Day 1 and now its fabulous to see touch itrself being a reward as people fouod those scratchy places and the Brumbies start to love ove touch!

We also brought our already trained Brumbies up to show our participants what their Brumbies will grow up to look like - sometimes it is hard to look at a baby and picture yourself riding them in the future! Brumbies VBA Illie, VBA Zephyr and VBA True aren't just here for their good looks though! They also act as support horses for our young Brumbies as they start to adventure out of the yard in the coming days.

Thankyou to Justine for the photos of Colleen with True, Illie and Zephyr! I particularly love the one from behind of the girls. I always tell people that the best thing about Brumbies is that if you hear someone behind you saying 'look at the size of that but', you know that they're talking about your Brumby !! ;)

15/04/2026

Brumby Gentling Clinic Day 2

Day two was another fabulous day! Watching our Brumbies trust building is just incredible- so rewarding!

Our training is slow and steady but we know that it sticks! We work through Positive reinforcement (treats) and Negative reinforcement (pressure and release) to build well rounded, emotionally stable horses who know they are listened to and have developed the ability to manage their own emotions.

We found time in the afternoon to pop out to the south paddock and visit with Zorro and King and their families.....an especially special visit as the mothers of Five of our young Brumbies are in those mobs!