By Jenel Hunt
The day started soon after 3am at the Stanthorpe Showgrounds as members of the 11th Light Horse Darling Downs began preparing for one of the most important days of their calendar – Anzac Day.
This year their passion for horses and their wartime service found an outlet at the Stanthorpe Anzac Day services and parade.
With the weather chilling their hands, they outfitted eight beautiful dark horses in saddles, stirrups and bridles reminiscent of the 1915 era – some authentic wartime gear and some replicated as closely as possible.
Their own outfits were a combination of original uniforms and carefully crafted lookalikes, and they were a picture postcard of the past as they sat perfectly still on their horses as night gradually lightened into day. It wasn’t all stillness though. They had the chance to show their disciplined stride during the parade before standing at attention once more for the 11am meeting. Despite the fact that the horses were 15 hands or more, there were many from the audience who came forward to meet the horses and pat their noses.
It is the mission of the 11th Light Horse Darling Downs to uphold and remember the work of horses in the theatre of war, and members of the troop from the Toowoomba district do that through training their horses so they can take part in skill-at-arms events and re-enactments. At the 2024 Stanthorpe Show, visiting members of the troop showed off some of the skills that made the horses so valuable in wartime.
But Anzac Day wasn’t the time for tent-pegging, balloon bursting, galloping and jumping events. It was more about solemnity, dignity and remembrance.
For 11th Light Horse Darling Downs troop sergeant Merv Webber, the day was satisfying on many levels – seeing the horses perform as they have been trained, upholding a tradition and bringing an extra dimension of interest to the Anzac Day service.
“Possibly not everyone, but a lot of our members have some link with the military or relatives who served in the first World War in the Light Horse,” he said.
“If you’ve got an interest in horses and you have that in your heritage, you tend to feel that you can give back a little bit by keeping the memory of those people and their horses alive.
“In a 100-plus years, things have changed so much – from when horses were used in warfare to what we have today.
“It’s amazing to think that Harry Chauvel in the Middle East commanded a larger cavalry than Napoleon.”
Merv said he had been involved in the Light Horse for the past decade and that at 73, he was far from old. In fact the president of the group was 80 and the troop commander was 75.
“It’s something that people can still do at 75, including riding in the tent pegging competition,” he said.
But his horse, Sox, is a relative newcomer. Just four years old and only in training since the start of the year, Sox is at the beginning of his light horse adventure.
“I have another horse and he’s 15. I wanted to bring on a younger horse before I retire him, and Sox is doing very well,” he said.
For Merv, training with the troop twice a month to improve the skills of the horse is both a labour of love and a mark of admiration for the light horsemen for whom the group was founded.
“Australia doesn’t have a really long history like overseas countries, but this is part of our history and horses played a big part in one of the first major conflicts. People from Australia came from the bush and yet they achieved great feats in the desert. Against outstanding odds, they really showed their fearlessness and the ability of their horses.”
Merv said the Stanthorpe RSL Sub-Branch had looked after the troop really well and he praised the dedicated people who had put in so much work into the service.
Stanthorpe was not the only town in the Southern Downs where the 11th Light Horse Darling Downs was represented, as some members and their horses attended the Allora Anzac Day service.
