Getting around on a horse was the primary means of transport for field foresters before vehicles and roads became common.
Forest district boundaries were defined by how far the District Forester could ride in a day.
Horses were still used widely in the forest for harvesting and cartage until after the war years.
The last timber assessment to use pack and riding horses was in the early 1960s
Learning how to ride and manage a horse was an important part of the curriculum at the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick up to the late 1950s.
The school had its own horse, stables, blacksmiths forge and tack room. Very basic riding lessons were given by the gardener.
The school horses were retired from the police force, with Blacky and Triton in the 1940s and Forester and Pardon in the 1960s. Horses were still at the school in the late 1970s grazing quietly in the pasture but weren’t particularly keen on being ridden anymore.
And in the 1940s forestry students at Creswick adopted a country squire look with riding boots, breeches, tie and tailored school blazer. Just missing the Akubra hat.
