10-Day Brumby Starting Camp 2026: Full Guide & Review
| Event | 10 Day Brumby Starting Camp QLD |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 September 2026, 11:00am – 20 September 2026, 4:00pm |
| Location | TBP HQ, 7 Frayne Rd, Amamoor, QLD 4570 |
| Hosted By | The Brumby Project |
| Event Type | Brumby starting camp, horsemanship clinic, hands-on brumby ownership |
| Full Participant Fee | $2,800 (plus GST and ticket service fee), or a $800 non-refundable deposit with the $2,000 remainder paid later |
| Fencesitter Options | Full camp $400, day pass $50, weekend pass $100 (all plus GST and fees) |
| Meal Package | $200 for 8 catered dinners across the camp (optional add-on) |
| Includes | The option to take home your own wild-caught brumby (not compulsory), 10 days of hands-on groundwork instruction, small-group tuition from instructors with 30+ years combined experience |
| Best For | Anyone wanting to own and start a brumby themselves, fit and capable of working with a young horse, no prior horse-starting experience required |
| Official Website | thebrumbyproject.com |
| Book Now | Book directly here |
| Social Media | Facebook / Instagram |
| Contact | 0409 925 526 / thebrumbyproject@gmail.com |
My partner bought me a spot at The Brumby Project's 10-Day Brumby Starting Camp in Amamoor, QLD for my 40th birthday, and it changed my life. I'd never owned a horse before that camp. Ten days later, Jay Jay, my heart horse, was loaded onto a truck and headed home, and I haven't looked back since.
I've now been to this camp twice, once as a participant, once volunteering and helping with their marketing, and I can honestly say it's one of the best, most intense, most rewarding experiences I've ever had. This is my full firsthand account, plus everything you need to know if you're considering it yourself. If you want more stories and events like this landing in your inbox, join The Bush Pony Post and I'll keep you posted.
Me and my Brumby Jay Jay at the 10 Day Brumby Camp
What Is the 10-Day Brumby Starting Camp?
The 10-Day Brumby Starting Camp is exactly what it sounds like: over ten days at The Brumby Project's property in Amamoor, South-East Queensland, you take a completely wild, untouched brumby and, with expert instruction, turn it into a horse you can genuinely call your own. No prior horse-starting experience is required, though you do need to be fit and capable of working with a young horse. Most participants take their brumby home at the end of the ten days, though some attend purely for the experience and to build their own skillset, without taking a horse home, and that's just as valid a reason to go.
Under the guidance of experienced instructors, you'll work through the early stages of handling and education, from first contact all the way through to groundwork, softness, saddling and, for some horses, a first ride. Along the way you'll build a genuine understanding of horse psychology and behaviour, learn how to build trust and softness, develop solid groundwork foundations, safe handling skills and horsemanship communication, and work through catching, leading and saddling preparation. Not every brumby will be ready for a first ride within the ten days, and the instructors are honest about that rather than pushing a horse before it's ready, but plenty do get there. Unlike a lot of modern horse clinics, this camp is immersive, practical and deeply relationship-focused, and you come away having built genuine confidence in both yourself and your horse, plus some great friendships along the way.
The Brumby Project sends out an email before camp with everything you need to bring. Gear packs are also available to purchase ahead of time, or at camp itself, and I'd genuinely recommend getting one, it takes the guesswork out of turning up prepared. The gear itself is genuinely excellent, purpose-built for exactly what you need when starting a brumby. I brought my own headcollar along initially, only to find it was too soft for the job, so I ended up buying one of their headcollars at camp instead. It's now my favourite halter I own, and I'm already planning on buying more of their gear.
Amamoor isn't the only location either. I've also volunteered at a Brumby Project camp in Nymboida, NSW, which was every bit as beautiful, and The Brumby Project has plans for further locations down the track. Don't let distance put you off if you're not in Queensland or New South Wales, people travel from all over Australia, and even overseas as fencesitters, to be part of these camps. It's genuinely worth the trip.
The Brumby Project round yard at their facility in Amamoor
Our group at the Amamoor 10 Day Brumby Camp, met some friends for life!
Getting Jay Jay: How the Brumbies Are Chosen
I'd been out of the equine industry for years and had only recently come back to it, working as a stablehand, when my partner gifted me this camp. I was nervous, excited, and honestly, a little too confident going in. I got humbled fairly quickly.
Once the brumbies had been caught in the lead-up to camp, the excitement was almost unbearable, I kept checking The Brumby Project's social media for updates, already trying to guess which horse might end up being mine. When I arrived and set up camp at Amamoor, I went straight to look at the brumbies. I tried the sensible approach first, assessing type, colour, conformation, old wounds, behaviour, but nothing stood out. Usually when an animal is meant to be mine, I just know, a gut feeling rather than a checklist. I didn't feel it with any of them at first, and that was genuinely unsettling.
The process itself adds its own pressure. All the brumbies are run through the round yards first, with the trainers sharing whatever they know about each one, age, capture location, temperament. Then participants choose in turn, and if two people want the same horse, it comes down to drawing straws. Anna, the founder, and the other trainers kept reassuring us that everyone always ends up with the brumby they're meant to have, somehow it just works out. I believed them, but the anxiety of possibly missing out on the one I wanted was very real.
Before we actually got to choose, we had a break to think through which brumby we wanted and, ideally, come up with a backup plan in case we didn't get our first pick. During that break, I went back to my tent, lay down, closed my eyes, and waited. That's when the feeling finally came, one horse, right at the end of the selection line. I had no backup plan if I didn't get him. When it came to his turn, after most other brumbies had already been chosen, nobody else put their hand up. I won him outright, with no straws needed. There he was: my first horse, after 40 years of wanting one.
Did you go with your gut when you chose your own horse, brumby or otherwise? I'd love to hear how you knew in the comments.
The Instructors at Amamoor
The trainers at my Amamoor camp were, without exception, brilliant (instructors vary by location, so this is specific to the Amamoor QLD camp). Anna, the founder, has a quiet, "been there, done that" confidence that's genuinely impressive to watch, she'd step in personally for the hardest, most difficult horses, and everyone would stop to watch and learn when she did. Sammy disarmed the whole group immediately with her sense of humour, and Chloe, only 17 at the time, already had a genuine depth of brumby-training knowledge that was honestly astonishing for her age.
The Ten Days: From Wild to Willing
The first two days were the hardest, and the most eye-opening. It properly sinks in during those early days just how wild these horses are, they're frightened, purely trying to protect themselves, and that creates real risk if you don't get your timing right. A brumby's reflexes and instincts are far faster than a domestic horse used to people. My horse, Jay Jay, was actually the wildest of the group in those first two days, and at one point Anna had to step in and fix some timing mistakes I'd made simply from inexperience. That's exactly what the instructors are there for, if a participant looks out of their depth, they step in immediately, either guiding you through it or taking over outright.
Each day brought a new milestone: first touch (genuinely one of the most special, emotional moments of the whole camp), getting a halter on, introducing gear, and for some participants, even a first ride. The trainers let you properly savour first touch, since by that point the horse has started to realise you're not there to hurt it, and there's a real shift into curiosity rather than fear. I'll never forget my first touch with Jay Jay.
If you've had a first-touch moment with a wild or rescue horse yourself, I'd genuinely love to hear about it in the comments, it's one of those experiences that never really leaves you.
Beyond taking home your own horse, the education itself is worth the camp alone. I came home understanding horses, and myself, far better than I had going in. I still find myself referring back to what I learned at the Brumby Camp and applying those same lessons to the domestic horses I work with now. It's not just useful for beginners either, even people who come in with plenty of existing horse experience learn a huge amount, since working with a genuinely wild horse sharpens your timing and skillset in a way domestic horses rarely demand. Anyone, beginner or experienced, gets real value out of the education this camp offers.
Volunteering: Seeing It From the Other Side
I've since been back to volunteer at a second camp, this time in Nymboida, NSW, helping with social media and marketing, and got to watch the exact same selection process play out again. It really is true, everyone ends up with the horse they're meant to have, even when it doesn't look that way at first. There are always a few spare horses too, more brumbies than participants, so if a match genuinely isn't working, there's a way to adjust. At the camp I volunteered at, one participant swapped her original brumby for one of the spares after a few days, he'd shown real aggression, and she didn't yet have the skillset to safely bring him home. That's a genuinely responsible, well-handled system, not something to be nervous about.
Honestly, these two camps changed the direction of my life well beyond gaining Jay Jay. Between getting my own brumby and later volunteering on the marketing side, I noticed just how little genuine promotion Australian equine bush culture actually gets. That realisation is directly why The Bush Pony exists, and it's also what led me to start Bush Pony Marketing. Both businesses trace straight back to these camps.
Have you done a Brumby Project camp yourself, or thinking about it? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
What I'd Tell Myself Before Going In
Chloe, taking over from me with Jay Jay to help with his progress.
I went in with more ego than I realised, and got humbled more than once, both as a participant and, if I'm honest, even a little as a volunteer the second time round. The participants who progressed the furthest with their horses were the ones genuinely open to feedback, not the ones who thought they already knew better.
My honest gripe: the days are jam-packed, and I found myself craving more quiet, unstructured time just to sit with Jay Jay and get to know him at my own pace, rather than moving through exercises on a schedule. I understand now why the pace has to be what it is, there's a huge amount of ground to cover before these horses need to load onto a trailer and travel home, and the horses themselves are visibly tired by the end of the ten days too. But if you go in expecting an intense, structured, occasionally exhausting ten days rather than a relaxed retreat, you'll have the right mindset for it.
The work also doesn't stop when camp ends. My instructors were honest that Jay Jay wasn't ready to be ridden at camp, and I respected that completely. Ten months on, he's still only 3.5 years old, and I don't plan to ride him until at least 4. We've spent that time building trust through groundwork instead, and that slower pace, entirely at home, has been genuinely wonderful. The camp gives you the brumby and the crucial early foundation, the relationship is something you keep building long after you drive away.
Where the Brumbies Come From
Camps typically run with around 8 to 10 attendees, and they generally sell out. If you're genuinely interested, book as soon as bookings open so you don't miss your spot. Most of the brumbies at the Amamoor camps come from Toolara and Tuan State Forest in South-East Queensland, between Gympie, Tin Can Bay and Maryborough, home to a population of around 2,500 brumbies managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service through passive trapping. These horses are a mixed height, generally maturing to around 14hh with some variation, and both bachelor mobs and family groups get trapped as part of the ongoing program.
It's not always exclusively Toolara/Tuan horses though, at my own camp there was also a brumby from Kosciuszko National Park among the group, and the Nymboida, NSW camp I volunteered at worked with brumbies from near Grafton. While the majority come from Toolara and Tuan, they really can come from anywhere.
What Other Participants Say
I'm not the only one who's found this camp life-changing. Anya Humphreys, from the Sunshine Coast, has said the camp built her confidence as a horse person to the point of successfully starting wild stallions and colts, something she never expected to be capable of. Sarah Edginton travelled all the way from Tasmania and described the encouragement and one-on-one patience from Anna and the team as exactly what made the experience so worthwhile, going as far as taking two brumbies home with her. James Davis, from Kenilworth, called it life-changing and rated the courses, team and facilities as the best around. It's a consistent theme: people travel a long way for this camp, and consistently say it delivers.
Me and Jay Jay going for a walk on one of the last days, lots of work went into being able to get to this stage.
How This Compares to The Brumby Project's Other Camps
The 10-Day Starting Camp is The Brumby Project's flagship offering, but it isn't the only option if you're not ready to commit to the full experience. Their Introductory Brumby Camp is a shorter 4-day, 3-night option (around $880) designed for beginners or those wanting to test the waters before a full camp. If you're not ready to take a brumby home at all, their Adopt a Brumby program is a separate pathway worth looking into as well. Whichever option suits you, it's worth reaching out to The Brumby Project directly to talk through which is the right fit.
Beyond camps, they also offer private lessons (at their place or yours), stock crate hire for safely transporting unhandled horses, and float loading training if you're struggling to load your own horse. It's genuinely a full-service operation built entirely around brumbies.
Is the 10-Day Brumby Starting Camp Worth It?
Genuinely, yes, one of the best experiences of my life. It will challenge you, humble you, and push you well out of your comfort zone, but it's an experience I'd recommend to anyone genuinely interested in owning and starting a brumby. Fair warning though: brumbies are addictive. I'm already planning to get more once we have our own property.
Me and my brumby, Jay Jay at The Brumby Project 10 Day camp
Me and my brumby, Jay Jay at The Brumby Project 10 Day camp
Frequently Asked Questions
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10 September 2026, 11:00am, through to 20 September 2026, 4:00pm, at The Brumby Project's property in Amamoor, QLD.
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The full participant fee is $2,800 (plus GST and a ticket service fee), or you can pay an $800 non-refundable deposit with the $2,000 remainder due later. Fencesitter (spectator/support) options are also available at a lower cost, and a catered dinner package can be added separately.
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No prior horse-starting experience is required, but you do need to be reasonably fit and capable of working safely with a young horse.
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Brumbies are chosen through the round yards, with straws drawn if more than one person wants the same horse. It doesn't always go to plan on paper, but in practice, participants consistently end up with the horse that suits them, and there are always a few spare horses if a match isn't working out.
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Some horses do get their first ride within the ten days, but it depends entirely on the individual horse's readiness, and the instructors will be honest with you if yours isn't ready yet. The camp focuses on solid groundwork and trust first; riding comes when the horse is genuinely ready, sometimes well after camp ends.
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Yes, participants camp on-site for the full ten days. BYO camping gear, with facilities provided on-site.
