New tricks, new horses, new season!
ASHOF Welcomes Live Performer Luke Thomas to Longreach
It is with great delight the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame welcomes renowned horseman and performer, Luke Thomas, as the Stockman’s Live Show Entertainer for the 2010 tourist season in Longreach!
Luke Thomas is known as a horse breaker, drover, bush poet and raconteur as well as one of the last bullockies. Originally from Milton on the NSW South Coast, Luke has worked on stations across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Queensland including Lake Nash, Millungera and Wave Hill just to name a few. Luke’s expertise has also seen him work in the thoroughbred industry training horses for Olympic champions.
Using a combination of the Jeffreys Method, the Davies Method, and the J.D.Milton techniques, Luke has a variety of foundations to educate horses across many disciplines. “The most important thing I have learned about breaking in horses is to try and look at things from the horses point of view and if there's a problem to try to break it up into as many bite size pieces as you possibly can so that the horse has a chance to mentally digest the task that you're asking it to perform,” say Luke. “All too often people are asking their horses to perform algebra when the poor animal can't even add 2 and 2!” Luke is genuinely excited to bring his tricks and tales to the Hall of Fame this year.
The new Stockman’s Live Show will commence on May 1 running twice daily. Evening shows at the Cattlemen’s Bar and Grill will also take place as the season progresses. Luke’s performances will vary between the bullock show, breaking demonstrations, and horse clinics for students, encompassing many facets of horsemanship to educate visitors about the skills of the Australian stockman. Luke's own horses are a sight to behold - they can do just about everything but talk! His bullock team in action are full of tricks including loading logs onto a jinker and performing other tasks that teams of working bullocks were required to do in the olden days.
ASHOF CEO, Ben Maguire, says, “Luke has the natural skills and passion for rural heritage to make this show unique to our visitors. There are not many places in Australia you can see a full team of bullocks in action. To have Luke on board working with the team at the hall is reassuring as it means we can continue to give our customers the live theatre they expect and at the same time be entertained and educated about Australian rural heritage”.
The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame invites the township of Longreach to enjoy a week of free “preview” performances on from Tuesday 27 April to Friday 30 April to showcase Luke’s talent. All welcome!
Pictured below: Luke Thomas and his horses who will all be joining us in Longreach.