Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

A Morning at the World’s Greatest Agricultural Show (c.1926)

play Please note: this clip is silent
Email a link to this page
To:
CC:
Subject:
Body:
clip
  • 1
Young Bill’s first public appearance education content clip 1

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

A young boy prepares a Shetland pony for an appearance at the agricultural show. He brushes its tail and mane, cleaning its hooves and fitting it with a saddle. The boy sits atop the pony as it taps its front hoof on the ground. A white Arabian stallion and rider are paraded in the showground. Horses in competition are presented for the judges.

Curator’s notes

The intertitle which precedes this clip – ‘Young Bill’s first appearance in public’ – playfully introduces these scenes with this confident and very ‘adult’ young boy and his Shetland pony (it is not clear whether ‘Bill’ refers to the boy or his pony!). The boy is clearly conscious of the camera and performs his grooming routine to a tee. But it also shows that the children who grow up around agricultural and show families quickly become familiar with the processes and routines involved in preparing and caring for the animals. From this miniature world, the viewer is then jolted back to the reality of it being a competition, with the handsome Arabian stallion and other show horses on display for the judges.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

Three sequences separated by intertitles are shown in this black-and-white silent clip from a documentary made in the 1920s about the Sydney Royal Agricultural Show. A small boy prepares his Shetland pony for display; we see him groom it, paint its hooves and saddle it before the final shot shows him mounted. An Arab stallion is led towards the camera and then its head appears in close-up. Clydesdale working horses are shown lined up for judging and then one is led before the judges.

Educational value points

  • Equestrian events referred to in the different segments of this clip continue to occupy a central place in the Sydney Royal Agricultural Show, an annual event celebrating the achievement of rural industries. Horse judging featured from the earliest years of the show and equestrian events were introduced in 1882. Displays of riding, including show jumping, horse-and-carriage driving and rodeo events, are a popular part of the entertainment held in the central arena.
  • The boy featured in the clip captures the attention of the viewer through his confidence and persistence in handling his pony, remarkable for a child so young. His understanding of how to prepare and handle the Shetland pony suggests that he has been raised in a ‘show-family’ that regularly competes in equestrian events.
  • There is a charm associated with the sequence showing such a young boy performing energetic grooming techniques and displaying perseverance in saddling the pony, even though we do not see him succeed. His actions may be a little clumsy but his demeanour is determinedly serious as he works through the tasks expected in preparing a pony for competition.
  • The Arab breed of horse, such as the one shown in the clip, contributed to the foundation of several Australian breeds and the improvement of racehorses. The breed’s display and judging at Royal Agricultural Shows was an equestrian highlight. Its head held high, the horse displays the distinctive characteristics of the Arab: the supple back, wedge-shaped head, arched neck and high tail carriage that are important marks of quality for judging.
  • The judging of the draught horses featured in the clip continues a tradition maintained by all Royal Agricultural Shows: the celebration of the role of working horses in Australia’s history. The criteria for judging these horses have changed with their evolving role. At the time of filming, their work in heavy haulage meant that judges rewarded size and weight, broad chests and a steady temperament as well as the ability to move with ease.

This clip starts approximately 6 minutes into the documentary.

This is a silent clip. We see a young boy preparing a Shetland pony for an appearance at the agricultural show. He brushes its tail and mane, cleaning its hooves and fitting it with a saddle. The boy sits atop the pony as it taps its front hoof on the ground. A title card reads ‘An Arab Stallion.’ A white Arabian stallion and rider are paraded in the showground. A title card reads ‘A difficult task for the judge.’ Horses in competition are presented for the judges.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer Young Bill’s first public appearance from the documentary A Morning at the World's Greatest Agricultural Show as a high quality video download.

To play the downloadable video, you need QuickTime 7.0, VLC, or similar.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading the clip:

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

This clip is available in the following configurations:

File nameSizeQualitySuitability
mornatth1_pr.mp4 Large: 17.1MB High Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer.
mornatth1_bb.mp4 Medium: 8.1MB Medium Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods.

Right-click on the links above to download video files to your computer.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer this clip in an embeddable format for personal or non-commercial educational use in full form on your own website or your own blog.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

Copy and paste the following code into your own web page to embed this clip: