Journey to the Heart of Australia : Meeting with the Aboriginal Cowboys

September 2001: People generally associate the American cowboy rather than the Australian stockman (Australian term for cowboy) as the example of equestrian success. The heyday of the American cowboy lasted barely a generation because of road and rail construction, whereas cattle drives in Australia continued well into the latter half of the 20th century. It is known that Aboriginal stockmen are the smartest cattlemen because they know the terrain inside out. The real stockmen today are almost history, but the aboriginal horsemen continue to break in wild horses and race them on Sundays, on the local red dirt race track outside the community. In a sense, horesemanship, like initiation, became a test of manhood. (Photo by John van Hasselt/Sygma via Getty Images)