Four weeks after the muster, I received a request to handle a filly and a colt, both approximately 2 years old. The colt was a rather laid back Argo type but a Northern horse had also been specifically requested and the filly was delivered from those mustered in the Northern “no-go” zones.
I have worked with many Kaimanawa wild horses and have seen a few incredibly traumatised individuals but I’d not seen anything like this girl in a long time! Not long after my first visit, I received a frantic phone call from her owner to inform me that she had jumped cleanly out of the 7 foot high yard from knee deep mud and was last seen disappearing across the neighbour’s property, taking every fence with her. My advice was to lock the colt in the furthest yard, open every gate between him and the filly and walk away. I figured her herd instinct would prevail and she would return to the company of another horse. Three days later, I received another phone call to say that she still hadn’t returned so I went to the property the next day to assist in this filly’s second “round up” experience.
I was greeted by a chestnut “dot” standing on a hill about 400 metres away. She trumpeted loudly like a stallion every time I attempted to get closer or to move her. She proceeded to run the humans around the paddock for the next few hours, while merrily cutting cattle, harassing sheep and obliterating electric fences. I was impressed at her determination to retain her new found freedom and was forced to concede defeat in this instance. As there wasn’t a lot of grass in the paddocks, it was agreed to leave her there a few more days and attempt to encourage her closer with hay and the hard feed she’d grown to love so much. Thankfully, this plan worked and we eventually got her contained.
The filly’s owner had been led to believe that if she got the horses used to hardfeed, she would have her wild horses tame within a couple of weeks of receiving them. She was completely unprepared and unwilling to deal with such a wild horse and decided that she would be best to concentrate on the colt. This left few options for the filly. She was either to be shot, abandoned on a northland property or at best, re-homed.
I immediately alerted KWHWT Inc. and asked for their assistance to uplift the horse and give her a chance in a new home. The dramas weren’t over yet though. We needed somewhere to take her so I could handle her and we needed to organise this quickly. We were very fortunate to find ideal facilities with a round pen, stable and yards that were graciously loaned to us free of charge. The inclement weather had thwarted the first attempt to remove the filly as the truck was unable to gain enough purchase in the mud to back up to the loading race. By this time she was living in mud and was losing condition due to this and her ongoing stress. The attending KWHWT Inc. representatives and myself were very reluctant to leave her there but had no other option until alternative transport could be arranged. Thankfully, she was successfully uplifted two days later in a cattle truck in shipped to her temporary home.
I had managed to do a little work with the filly in the muddy yard where she’d first been and although she’d continued to trumpet like an elephant, she’d gained some confidence and trust in me and had allowed me to touch her relatively easily. I had nicknamed this stroppy little tart with the elephant cry, “Strumpet” so this was to be her new name for the time she was with me in her temporary home.
A Very Special Little Horse
October 2004
Every year as the muster approaches I’m swamped with conflicting feelings regarding the stress of the muster process on the horses and the beautiful horses that I hope to meet as a result. Although I haven’t been in a position to take anymore horses myself for the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the horses adopted by others. This year, I met a very special little horse…
"Strumpet" - settled in her temporary home while being handled & pampered, in preparation for her new life. She claimed the roundpen as "hers" & was very reluctant to leave even when it was required for working other horses. She took full advantage of her stable where she chose to sleep each night. Even wild horses can get quite used to the creature comforts!
She adapted well to this new environment and who wouldn’t? She was treated to good hay, delicious hardfeed and lovingly handpicked rye grass, twice daily. Strumpet owes much of this to Marilyn Jenks who was completely dedicated during this time and drove 96km’s every day for 4 weeks to bring the rye grass she picked fresh every morning from her immaculate paddock. Strumpet thrived on all this attention and even she couldn’t deny that she was thoroughly enjoying domestic life. The wildest horse I have ever seen was rapidly becoming a lush! She had claimed the stable as her own early on and although she had free access to the large round pen and adjoining paddock, she spent much of her time eating and sleeping in her “house”.
Although Strumpet made significant progress, there were many times when I wondered if we would really be able to lead her on to a conventional horse truck in just 4 weeks. Gradually, the snorting grew less frequent as Strumpet grew more confident and forgot her fear of people. Now I had something to really work with. We’d made it through the “I’m too terrified to comprehend what you want!” to “oh you again, I know what you want but now I want to know if I really have to?” We were now having FUN! Each day saw another milestone reached and it wasn’t long before I could groom Strumpet all over, pick up her feet, put a cover on her and lead her out in wide open spaces for relaxed grazing sessions as a reward.
The next challenge was to have Strumpet accept another human the way she had me so we began transitioning her onto her new “mum”. Unfortunately, Strumpet wasn’t too impressed but even she had to admit that this lady was dedicated. I was extremely concerned about choosing the best possible home for this horse as she’d been through so much and would require an exceptional person to continue her education and give her a special “forever” home. We were so fortunate to find that special person who proved her worth many times over when Strumpet gave her, her worst. She is no longer the “wee Strumpet” that I had first encountered and has blossomed into a new horse with a new home and name. She is now the gorgeous little “Venus” that you will get to meet at a few shows later this season. Please remember to thank her new Mum for giving a special horse such a special home.
I wish to thank the KWHWT Inc. for enacting their objectives, Marilyn Jenks for coordinating the whole exercise and being there every step of the way, the Horan’s for selflessly allowing us to put upon them in their brand new home for 4 weeks and to Andrea (Venus’ new mum) for being so patient and understanding of a wild horse’s needs.
My biggest thank you goes to Strumpet/Venus for having taught me so much more about wild horses. Although our journey from wild to domesticated was much longer than my previous experiences, I cherished every moment for the new challenges she imposed and the knowledge I gained from such a complex character. I feel privileged to have been part of her introduction to humans and our way of life.
Simone Frewin
Horsey Home-School
Since this story was published in the KWHWT Inc. newsletter, many donations have been received in response. KWHWT Inc. would like to thank all those who were touched by this story, your financial contributions are valuable in helping KWHWT Inc. to help other horses just like Venus.
Ever wondered how your donations and membership money is spent? Just how does it really benefit Kaimanawa horses?
Here we share examples and stories of individual horses and people who have directly benefitted from KWHWT Inc. intervention. Please check for regular updates and THANK YOU for your financial support that has made these stories possible.
The unexpected news came at 9.00am on the 1st of December.My mother called me at work with the news. It was impossible to form an expectation on when Venus may deliver her foal, since she came from this year's muster; it only became evident she was pregnant when her stomach continued to grow!
I rushed home & a little after 9.00am I entered the paddock in anticipation to see a little colt standing next to Venus. "Bing" was born & stood around 700-800mm. Although a little wobbly on his feet, he was confident & healthy. So confident that he came over by himself for his first pat. Venus seemed very happy with her baby & was soon bossing him around & getting up after 30 minutes for his regular feeds; often having to push him from between her front legs to the back. He soon caught on to always go to the rear for his feed.
"Bing" never went far from his mum for the first few days but quickly gained confidence & stability on his feet.
Three weeks after his birth & little Bing has become significantly more independent. The little colt has many bursts of energy where he accelerates across the paddock; despite the contour of the ground he will leap vertcially into the air like a springbok, the swiftly changes direction & accelerates across in the opposite direction. He also loves to jump on his mum, on her back or her neck, he isn't bothered where providing she stays his playmate.
Bing has put on a lot of weight which is great as he was rather tiny at birth. It's obvious with all his prancing around that this colt is going to be one great looking show pony & much larger than his mum.
I don't know too much about Jazz's history, but what I do know amazes me. First, let me tell you a bit about Jazz. Her formal name is Shiraz, she is currently 6 years old, 14.2hh and is a bay with a roman nose and a beautiful star.
Anyway, what I know is that Jazz was taken from the muster by a grandmother who bought her for her granddaughter. After a scare Jazz gave her, the granddaughter didn't like her anymore and would throw stones at her to watch her run in the paddock. The Kaimanawa Wild Horse Welfare Trust Inc. was contacted and Jazz was rescued and taken in by a lady I know, who sold her to my riding instructor. When I sold my first pony on, it was suggested I take Jazz. I rode her once at my riding instructor's and enjoyed her so much, I gladly accepted the offer of free lease.
I have now had her for almost 3 months, and she is so loyal, loving, brave, willing and funny, I love her to bits!! She has a great personality - really friendly and curious - and will give anything a go!! Recently, we cleared a 1.05m joker in a show jumping round! I´m very proud of Jazz, and she has taught me to forgive. She is my baby.
Kaimanawa Casualties – The REAL Story Of Mustered Horses
as published in The Organic Equine January 2007 issue
After 10 years of Kaimanawa Wild Horse musters, you might expect that those responsible for re-homing the mustered horses would have their processes down to a fine art and be able to ensure that horses were being placed in the best of homes. Sadly this is often not the case and Kaimanawa horses are becoming increasingly over-represented in welfare statistics. Even more disturbing is that some of these are the lucky ones; many tragic stories are not divulged until horses have already died as a direct result of their circumstances or have been destroyed by owners who no longer want the “hassle” of a wild horse.
Less than six months after the latest muster, I received a phone call from the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Welfare Trust’s Welfare Officer, Marilyn Jenks asking if I would assist in uplifting two young mares from a property in Tauranga. The property had been sold and the owner of the horses was planning to have them shot. Four horses had originally been sent to him from the muster; two unhandled yearlings had been re-homed locally but two older wild mares estimated to be between 2-3 years old (one of which was heavily in foal) had refused to go near the loading race and had been left behind. Their future was looking very bleak; we had two weeks to uplift and relocate them or leave them to their fate.
ILPH had alerted KWHWT to the horses’ plight and had requested that they intervene. Marilyn commented, “When we said we would take the horses, he (the owner) never so much as asked for a name, a contact number or who we were, nor could he supply me with the name of the people who took the other two horses.” She later wrote, “I think it is very irresponsible to place four horses without as much as a phone call to check on their progress and welfare. What I found was very disappointing when we went to see the horses to work out how we could uplift them. The horses, as well as being extremely underweight, had from the day they were placed, been kept separate and alone. This was a deliberate act on the person’s behalf because he thought they would be easier to tame, a fact that was proven wrong by the sheer lack of success he had achieved. Not only are they as wild as the day they came off the ranges but they had to contend with the continual stress of solitude, inadequate pasture and a doubtful water supply.”
I was extremely pleased to hear that these mares would be going directly into the care of Michele Haultain at Liberty Kaimanawas. Michele has gone to considerable effort and expense to establish a purpose built facility for wild horses and very few people have her skills, experience and patience to deal with horses fresh off the range. These mares had no idea just how lucky they were!
The KWHWT, Michele Haultain and I are all too familiar with these types of rescues and we all now know exactly what to expect and what resources we need to get the job done. In this case, the yards were small poorly placed in the corner of a large paddock and we needed to get the mares past a roadside gate before they entered the yards. In order to achieve this safely, we erected screens of shade cloth as a visual barrier between the paddock and yards and around the top of the yards to prevent their escape. Having got everything in place and our construction crew hidden well out of the way, Michele and I set about bringing the two suspicious mares up to the yard.
“Annie,” the bay mare was the ringleader but she was also an extremely sensitive and flighty young thing. It would have been far easier if “Sable,” the very pregnant grey mare had been the more dominant of the two but it was obvious that she was just too fat (foal wise) and uncomfortable to be too interested in much at all as she reluctantly waddled along after her friend. Sable was happiest standing still, watching us while Annie raced around snorting and threatening to take on all the fences rather than head towards the gateway. With a little bit of quiet persuasion, Michele and I managed to get both horses into the tiny yard and the gate closed before they bolted back out.
The truck driver informed us that he had delivered the two yearlings to their new home previously but these two mares had flatly refused to go up the ramp and they’d abandoned the idea of loading them for fear of them going out over the top of the race. Annie was simultaneously demonstrating the driver’s account of the previous mission by threatening yet again, to clear the side of the race! With lots of encouragement, we managed to get Annie to take the plunge (quite literally!) up the ramp and into the back of the truck. Our job was done!
As in all of these cases, the welfare of the horses is our primary concern and we were very worried about Sable and the impending birth of her foal. We knew she was very close to foaling but had no idea as to when she was actually due. Her protruding ribs and hips bones and wormy belly made estimating her due date all the more difficult.
Under any other circumstances, we would refuse to transport a mare that is heavily pregnant. The stress of transportation is well known to cause wild mares to abort their foals and these mares had a three to four hour journey ahead of them. Unfortunately, we had no other option in this case, if we left her where she was, she would be shot so we were forced to take the risk. The KWHWT team and I waited anxiously for the phone call from Michele to tell us that the girls had arrived safely. We all breathed an enormous sigh of relief when that call came. Annie and Sable were safe at last! Just four days after their arrival at Liberty Kaimanawas, to our incredible relief; Sable produced a healthy chestnut colt.
Thankfully, this case has had a happy ending but tragically, it is just one of many that should never have happened in the first place. Those who are entrusted with placing these wild horses should take their responsibility seriously and check prospective homes thoroughly rather than just revenue gathering and wiping their hands of any problems that eventuate. It frustrates me that it is left to other organisations and individuals to deal with these cases at considerable expense to themselves while those who have received money for these horses simply refuse to invest it in their ongoing care and welfare. On the other hand, I am extremely grateful for the efforts of KWHWT and Liberty Kaimanawas who are dedicated to helping and advising those who find themselves having difficulties with their wild horses and intervening where necessary.
For further information and to make a donation, please visit: www.kaimanawa.homestead.com and http://www.libertykaimanawas.piczo.com
Many of you will recall the rescued Kaimanawas featured in the last newsletter, Annie, Sable and Quinn. They have found a beautiful home just out of Auckland with wonderful people to teach them how to get used to being “domestic”. Angela was kind enough to let Elder Jenks and ourselves go over to see the horses and do an interview for the newsletter.
Angela trains and competes polo ponies, breaks in and sells on youngsters and has had a collection of Kaimanawas over the last couple of years. When we got there we were amazed at the peaceful atmosphere of the place, horses where tied in rows, just dozing, their tails flicking at the odd fly, others were being tacked up for exercise whilst more were being un-tacked, hosed off and groomed.
Sable and Quinn where in a paddock just behind this with another horse. Both looked incredibly settled and had put on weight.
Annie was out the back in a paddock with the broodmares and whilst we could only see her from a distance it was clear she had relaxed hugely and had also gained weight.
We also met another Kaimanawa, Hope, who was being long-reined when we arrived.
Who where the first Kaimanawas you owned?
My first Kaimanawa was called Awatiea, she was a 13.2 chestnut mare who arrived about two years ago. Four months after this, Brandy (another Kaimanawa) arrived. Last April I went to see Michelle Haultain and got Benson, Hope and Fay.
Have you still got any of these Kaimanawas?
Hope is still here being long-reined and doing very well. All the others have gone to nice family homes with lots of children to ride them and keep them occupied.
How are Sable, Quinn and Annie going?
They have all had some handling. Sable and Quinn used to be in my main riding paddock so they got used to human company pretty fast! I plan to wean Quinn this month and will break in Sable when I do. I will need to do a lot more work with Annie but we will just take is slow and give her the time she needs. She is in a paddock with domestic horses at the moment and is getting used to us being there catching horses etc.
Many thanks to Angela for agreeing to us coming down and photographing the horses as well as consenting to an interview. We wish her the best of luck with her Kaimanawas.
Just a quick update on the 2 ponies that Simone, Marilyn, Daphne and Sharon Boness (Daphne’s driving companion) and I uplifted. They were the unfortunate victims of circumstance when their owner took ill and later passed away before he had the opportunity to handle them.
It was a very early start, departed Marilyn’s at 4.30am for the 3 hour + drive. Daphne and Sharon had started out the day before. The ponies were around 35 km north of Whitianga.Simone, Marilyn and I arrived a little before 8.00am. Daphne and Sharon a little after. Marilyn called the women to say we had arrived. She wasn’t quite ready to come down and said she would get to the yards when she could.
The yards were in an appalling state. One look and we did not think we would get them that day. The yards were so bad that we spent around 45 minutes picking up rails (if you could call them that with nails sticking out), nailing in rails, pulling nail out of rails and nailing down corrugated iron in order to fasten the nice sharp corners. The yards so flimsy and about to fall down.
We managed to get the horses across the road in about 10 minutes. Simone then moved them through 3 small paddocks and into the yards. They were very quiet. The race to the truck was a good 15 meters long. The first one went on but the second decided to back up, quickly and at least 2/3 of the way down the race. Simone managed to reverse at the same rate as the pony. A flick on the rump pushed her on and she went in. It was touch and go when the side of the race was shaking so badly it could have easily fallen down. They arrived safely at their new home at 7.30 that night. Daphne still had around another 2 hours drive home. A very long day for her and the ponies and another lucky rescue!
Andrea
Update: 18th March, 2007
Yahoo, (their new owner) got the rope off today. " I used some sharp scissors and I just hacked through it bit by bit. She had a hair cut today as well. She is looking much more like a real horse now. I just have to give them both names now."
I can catch the mare in the paddock now and pat her all over her face, neck and around her ears. She started to lead yesterday, it took alot of patience, I would just hold the lead firm until she gave in and walked forward she started to take a few more steps at a time, eventually I had her walking about 10 steps.
On Tuesday I put a saddle cloth and a saddle on her and tried lungeing her around the paddock. She did not like the look of the saddle for the first minute or so but after one small cow kick she was lunging around the paddock nicely. I had lunged her a couple of times in the yard but I could not believe how she just lunged in the middle of the paddock without much hassle at all - she didn't even try to pull away once which makes me wonder if she had done it before.
I am really pleased with the progress she is making, she still puts her ears back at me when I catch her and from time to time when I brush her but she knows what "no, stop that" means now.
Mindy, Sox and Star had come out of the 1998 muster and had been living on a farm in the Waikato. Mindy was the oldest of the three and had been broken to saddle a couple of years ago but nothing had been done with her since. Sox and Star had not been handled at all and had lived very sheltered lives down the back of the farm.
The people who owned them were not experienced horse people and had decided that the three horses were impacting on their farming business and had to go. As Mindy had had some training, she was advertised for sale on Trade Me.
A lady responded to the Trade Me ad and went to view Mindy. When she got there, she discovered Sox and Star also and was told that as they'd had no handling, they were to be shot. The lady bought Mindy and then contacted Simone about what could be done to save Sox and Star. Michele Haultain came to their rescue and took them both to her place so she could handle them and find them new homes. You can see photos of them and read all about Sox and Star here.
Mindy settled in well at her new home however she had arrived grossly overweight and had laminitis shortly after her arrival. Her new owner tried hard to reduce her weight but it was a never ending battle to keep it off and Mindy wasn't proving to be quiet enough for the owner's children. She was very green and needed a more experienced rider to give her more regular work so Mindy was sold on in the knowledge that she'd been saved from a bullet and would now be headed for a home that would be perfect for her needs.
March 2007 Update
"Awhile ago I got a Kaimanawa pony and contacted you about the other two ponies. I sold the pony to a girl on a 1000 acre farm. I knew Mindy was too good for a bullet (which is what she would have got). The girl I sold her to worked her hard on the farm and got the weight off and it all paid off. Thought you’d like to see the difference in her. Attached are some photos; The first is when I first got her and the second is what she looks like now.
Good to know she is getting the work needed to keep the weight down, it really worried me that. The girl loves riding ponies apparently and Mindy is the only one on the farm that can handle the work and is always ready to go for more."
We look forward to many more updates on Mindy, Sox and Star!
