Brumbies in the Outback

By Paula Boer

Ben and Louise discover that life on a remote cattle station is very different to their Snowy Mountains home. Missing her horse, Honey, Louise struggles to adapt to the outback. Ben has a graver concern: he is desperate to prove that Brandy, his stallion, is fit after a serious leg injury, otherwise he may be destroyed. From mustering and working cattle, to tracking and taming desert brumbies, both friends are challenged by their experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IFWG Publishing International
• Release date: Jul 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781925759389

Paula Boer

Paula Boer has been a horse-lover since she learned to ride at age nine. She competed in many equestrian disciplines including endurance, eventing and show jumping as well as working on remote outback cattle stations. Forced to give up riding due to ill health, Paula turned her passion to writing. Many of the adventures experienced by Paula's characters come from her own experiences. Paula is a regular contributor of articles to magazines and blogs on horse management and her life with horses as well as the author of the Amazon-best-selling Brumbies series. Paula's love of nature is also expressed in her other publications including The Okapi Promise (adult travel adventure), Impounded (a tale of a barramundi fish), Of Emus and Seahorses (an anthology of stories from the perspective of a few of Australia’s strange and wonderful animals), plus many short stories published by Indigo Dreams Press (UK).

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Books in this Series

Brumbies

Brumbies in the Snow

Brumbies in the Mist

Brumbies in the Outback

Brumbies in the Mountains

Book 4 of

the Brumbies Series

Brumbies in the Outback

by

Paula Boer

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters portrayed herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places, events or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher.

Brumbies in the Outback

Book 4 of the Brumbies Series

All Rights Reserved

ISBN-13: 978-1-925759-38-9

Copyright ©2018 Paula Boer

All maps in this book were designed by

Paula Boer and rendered by Rowena Evans

Second Edition

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

IFWG Publishing International

Melbourne

www.ifwgpublishing.com

For everyone I met through working at Dunbar, Iffley, and Riversleigh. Thank you for teaching me about life in the outback.

A glossary of horse-related terms

can be found at page 131

Chapter 1

A dust haze hovered above the metal yards, disturbed by thousands of cloven hooves churning up the dry ground.

As Louise opened the door of the horse truck, the heat greeted her like a solid wall. Flies swarmed in her face. Men waved their arms and dogs scurried around the outside of the railings, chivvying the cattle up the ramp onto the decks of the road train with a clatter. Two other trucks with three trailers each parked in line waiting to be loaded.

Louise had to shout above the noise of two thousand cattle lowing and what seemed to be twice as many corellas squawking in a nearby dead tree. The birds looked like white leaves on the silver branches, stark against the dusk sky. Whats happening?"

The store cattle are going to market. They should make good prices too. Look at the condition theyre in. Ben had lived on a farm all his life and happily shared his knowledge with Louise. His family ran livestock at Mirraburra in the high country of southern Australia, but nothing on the scale of Warringul, his Uncle Graemes million acre cattle station out west.

Slamming the door of the old truck, Louise nodded in agreement, though the tall Brahman didnt look fat to her compared to the Herefords of the mountains. Isnt it late to be loading them now?

Ben shook his head. The stockmen will have spent the day drafting out the ones they want. Travelling by night is cooler for the animals.

Louise followed Ben round to the tailgate of the horse truck and admired Brandy. The brumby stallion held his head high with ears pricked as he surveyed his new surroundings. His liver chestnut coat gleamed with health. Spying a mob of stock horses in a set of yards on the other side of the cattle, he gave a shrill whinny. The working horses didn"t answer, though some looked across with interest at the new arrival. Nearly all chestnuts and bays, with only one grey, the working horses appeared sleek and fit.

Clipping a rope onto Brandys headcollar, Ben calmed him down with a stroke on his neck and a gentle voice. Come on, lets find you somewhere safe to go.

Louise hurried up the ramp to close the gate behind the horse. A two-year-old bull snorted and pawed at the floor, keen to descend from the transport that had carried them all for the last nine hours. Brandy had been able to get off and stretch his legs when John, Bens brother, had stopped for a break, but the bull couldnt be walked around like the stallion.

Snifter, Bens three-legged blue heeler, bounded at Louises legs. She stooped to scratch him behind the ears. How did you get out? Did you jump out of the window?

Yeh, he always does that. I guess he wants to have a run too. Ben whistled and pointed for Snifter to sit away from the truck. The dog did as told, pink tongue lolling out to the side of his mouth as if he wore a huge grin. Ben had explained to Louise that the crippled dog wouldnt go mustering with them, but he hadnt wanted to leave his mate behind.

Brandy pranced down the ramp, his tail held up and coat glistening with a light sheen of sweat. He looked magnificent until Louise focused on the scar on his hind leg. The five-year-old brumby had become tangled in a fence six months ago; it had been a close call whether or not he would survive. Ben had started to ride him again, but the vet didn"t know if the injured leg would stand up to serious work.

Louise thought of her own brumby, Honey, left at home. The young mare had made enormous progress with her education since Louise had started working and having lessons at Patti McGraths. Louise had planned to spend the whole two weeks of the winter holiday working to earn money to buy Honey a new rug, but Ben had pleaded with her to come to his uncles place with him instead. Now she didnt know how shed be able to afford another winter of feed for her horse—her parents had told her she must earn Honey"s keep or the mare would have to be sold.

She knew Ben needed a break from Tumbleford Farm, and next week would be his sixteenth birthday, so she had relented and agreed to come along. Since his father had damaged his spine when a bulldozer rolled on him during the summer floods, Ben had worked hard with the stock as well as going to school. She couldnt let her friend down and he seemed desperate for her to join him. Besides, shed never been to the outback, and they hoped to see desert brumbies when they went to Simons, a friend of his uncles, later in the holidays. She wondered how different they"d be to the wild mountain horses she had come to love.

Sweat trickled down Louises cheek from under her hat. She wiped it away with her sleeve, unable to fathom how the weather could be so different only a days drive away from the snow of home. Not much had fallen so far this year, unlike last year when she had almost been caught in an avalanche. She shook her head at the memory; so much had happened since she met Ben two years ago when her family moved to the country.

Louise! Are you coming or what?

Louise realised Ben had taken Brandy over to the horse yards while she had been daydreaming. She hastened to raise and fasten the ramp. Signalling Snifter to follow her, she hurried along with the dog at her heels. She joined Ben as his Uncle Graeme greeted him and started looking over Brandy.

Hes turned into a fine horse. Hows his leg? Graeme ran his hands across the stallion"s back, over his rump and down towards his stifle.

Ben grunted. I havent done much with him yet. The travel might have made it sore again."

Louise had met Ben"s uncle a few times and really liked him. She knew he bred his own stock horses and competed in many of the campdrafts around the area.

Run him out then and well have a look." Graeme straightened up and pushed his hat back on his head.

Turning the brumby away from the yards, Ben encouraged the horse into a trot.

Louise watched for any tell-tale nodding of the horse"s head as he trotted back towards them. There was no sign of lameness; Brandy strode out in fine form.

Graeme gave the stallion a slap on the neck. He looks great. I can certainly use him over a couple of my mares while hes here. Give him a drink at that trough over there by the round yard. Come into the house once youve put him away.

As Ben chained up Snifter outside, Louise kicked off her boots and padded into the kitchen in her socks. The sight of a young woman cooking at a modern stainless steel stove took her by surprise, compounded by Ben rushing over and giving the girl a huge hug.

Jacie! Id hoped youd be here. Ben grinned at the cook who responded by kissing him full on the lips.

The two swapped news of their journeys to Warringul, before Ben became aware of Louise still standing by the door. Sorry, Louise. This is my cousin Jacinta. She normally lives with her mum up north.

Louise followed Bens example by perching on a stool at the long breakfast bar. Hi, Jacie."

Its Jacinta to you. Only my family and very best friends call me Jacie."

Taken aback, Louise apologised. It hadnt occurred to her that Graemes daughter would be like this. The large-busted girl with short black hair wearing a lot of make-up didnt match her idea of a relative of Bens. Nor did the modern brick house match what shed imagined a station homestead to be like. Shed thought she"d be visiting a rambling old house with drooping verandahs and trailing trellises. Although a small garden did surround the house, most of the attention seemed to have gone into building the vast yards and outbuildings. Everything had a place, neat and tidy, with four-wheel-drives and other machinery lined up under cover.

Jacinta continued stirring the sauce she had bubbling on the cook top. Ben and I grew up together. Were almost twins, but Im five weeks older.

Ben laughed as he twirled a knife on its point on the mat in front of him. Yeh, and shes a great rider. And a great cook. Whats for dinner, Jacie? Im starving."

Jacinta waved a sticky spoon at Ben. Corned beef, of course. What else would I feed you on your first night here?

Still being fourteen, Louise felt like a baby in comparison to this sophisticated girl. A pang of jealousy fluttered in her stomach at the cousins close relationship. Then again, maybe it would be fun having another girl around; at least she rode. Do you have your own horse?"

Of course. I have three show horses at home with Mum; theyre all really cool. And my old pony is still here. You get to ride him, because you probably cant cope with the young green stock Dad has. She turned to Ben and the hard look on her face softened. I cant wait to see your stallion, but why did you keep a brumby? Most station owners shoot them out here. Theyre a pest and eat all the feed we need for the cattle.

Louise listened while Ben told his cousin the story of how he and Louise had tried to save the mountain brumbies from being made into pet food, and how they ended up catching and breaking in Brandy and Honey. Louise has ridden her mare without a saddle or bridle. Shes going really well."

Glad that her friend had stood up for her, Louise felt better despite hearing that out here the brumbies werent welcome. She thought Jacintas comment about her inability to cope with green horses a bit ungenerous as she had broken in her own wild horse, but she knew she didnt have a lot of experience with young horses. Then she remembered that the last time she had seen Graeme, she had been having trouble with Honey. Whats your pony like?

Jacinta continued