In the early morning, the stillness is broken by small clouds of dust billowing about a horse's hooves. A single stockman moves into the warm, soft rays of the Australian winter sun. Another workday has begun.

Stockmen, dust, and horses are synonymous with life in the Australian outback. There are those who say that the Australian outback was built on the sheep's back?and there are plenty more horsemen and horsewomen who would argue that point.

There are few places with a stronger or prouder heritage of horsemanship than the Australian outback. Even in an era when some have come to...