From adversity comes opportunity. That’s exactly how Doongara Bantengs came into being.
For years Doongara Stockhorse Stud & Training Facility had difficulty sourcing enough fresh cattle to work their horses. Based in Southeast Queensland, they have limited acreage, therefore accommodating a large number of fresh cattle is not achievable. Consequently, they had to source cattle that would stay fresher and continue working for longer.
Initially they trialled Bison, and whilst they were good at tracking around, they were not as good for cutting out. They found the Bison were more intimidating than cattle and the horses wouldn’t travel the same as they would on cattle. An opportunity arose to trial Water Buffalo, but they didn’t hold up to the workload.
Finally, they got a chance to work 3 Banteng heifers for an extended period, all 3 remained fresh and impressed them with how good they were to cut out on, encouraging expression and desire. They were great for green horses through to open horses.
The business as is, has been 12 years in the making, starting with their initial 3 bulls purchased from Darwin and hand selecting cows to best cross with the Bantengs. All calves are out of proven cows by proven bulls. Importance has been placed on breaking them in as weaners to get them set up for horse work and to ensure they are shaping up for a long-term career.
All Bantengs are dehorned, vaccinated and regularly handled.
