The last of the legendary cattle drives to NSW’s pastures ended with the creation of Kosciuszko National Park in the late 1960s.

Cattlemen and taxpayers were told damage caused by hard-hooved animals had to end to preserve and restore the sensitive alpine ecosystems.

But decades later, through a lack of management, feral horse numbers were allowed to climb, and in December 2019 a survey revealed that an estimated 20,000 horses roamed the park, destroying native habitat and threatening much smaller native wildlife.