Friday Video from SmartPak: The Most Important Job in Australia

Hello from Ocala, where I’m determinedly chasing the sunshine (having abandoned my poor horse to England’s sudden barrage of snow). It’s a funny old place, this — gloriously, unapologetically horsey, but also inexplicably covered in billboards for vasectomies and warring lawyers (who have presumably not had vasectomies, and are, instead, fuelled by testosterone and gas station tacos). Anyway, spending my days basking in the sunshine and trying to dodge the insect-infested Spanish moss has inspired me to try to find a new career, one that takes me somewhere warm and keeps me there, please, for the love of god.

Enter ‘roo-shooing.’ As you’ll see in the above video, where Northern Hemisphere eventing has loose dogs, errant spouses, and spectators in absurdly clean purple breeches, Australia’s equestrian pursuits are stymied by a different sort of pest. Bloody ROOS, my friends. But, being a resourceful bunch, they’ve figured out a solution to the problem, and it’s not actually got anything to do with swarms of astonishingly poisonous snakes nor, um, drop bears. Instead, they send heroic small children and ponies out to do battle against the armies of roos, and it sounds HILARIOUS.

Miri and Tex Lang are the wee sproglets of an eventing dad (obviously) and Hanging Rock and Kyneton racecourse’s chief roo-shooers, after an infestation of the animals led to the unfortunate cancellation of the course’s Australia Day meeting. They also might be my new heroes.

“FOILED AGAIN.”

“The last time I was doing it, like a few minutes ago, I cracked the whip and it scared most of them away, but two of them were left, and I just didn’t bother,” says Tex of his roo-shooing technique. I mean, same, buddy. Honestly, if you watch one thing today, make it this video. I LOVE this kid.

Anyway, if you need me, I’ll be stocking up on some curiously enormous American snacks ahead of my long trip to the ‘roos. #rooshooingsunnyfl