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*THINKING OF TAKING A WILD HORSE?*
If you have ever thought about taking a Wild Kaimanawa Horse straight from the muster, here are some things to think about.   The muster is always done in June.   This is so the foals should be old enough to be weaned off their Mums and the Mums are not too heavily pregnant with their next babies.

You WILL need to have a good set of stock yards with a stock loading race as this is the only way for a wild horse to be delivered. The horses come to a central drop off point and then it is YOUR responsibility to organise a suitable stock truck to pick up the horse and take it to your place.
Preferably your stock yards will have a gate that opens to a small paddock.

Alot of people think they have to stay in yards until they are handled, which to me is abit cruel, especially as it is during the winter and the yards are usually muddy etc.,   I think the best way of doing it is to have an older, quiet, domestic horse (Gelding if taking a colt) and put it in a yard next to the new arrival for a night or two until they buddy up. Once they are friends use the domestic horse to lead the way to the paddock. The wild horse will stick pretty close to the new friend and being in a paddock together will help teach the new arrival about fences, make sure fences are visible and if electric, make sure the power is on! A tip is to tie white plastic bags or bits of white sheet to the wire if it is not easy to see. They will also show the new arrival how to drink from a water trough and eat hard feed.

The Kaimanawa wild horse knows nothing about fences, motorbikes, dogs, kids etc., and if put under pressure or given a fright they will go straight through fences as they don't know fences are there to stop them!

The Kaimanawa Wild Horse is used to eating bland feed so when they first arrive it is best to feed good quality meadow hay and short grass. It is best to get them used to eating hard feed as soon as possible as this will help with being able to put a wormer into the feed or any medication it might need while unhandled.   It may take them 2 weeks to get used to hard feed. DON'T chop and change feed, decide what you are going to feed them and stick with it till they start to eat it.   You may have your domestic horse getting fat for a couple of weeks until the wild one learns.

Use your domestic horse to bring the wild one into the yards for handling. Personally I like to let them settle in for at least 4 weeks before I begin any handling. I feel they have to recover from the stress of the muster and they also have alot to take in, getting used to all the new things that happen around the place.   I just quietly go out there at least twice a day and give hay and hard feed and if you have time it is great to just sit on a feed bin in the paddock, read a book or whatever and just let the horse get used to you without having any pressure put on it.

NOTE: Tips on handling will continue soon. Please if you have any questions regarding the Kaimanawa horses feel free to email me and I would be happy to help in any way.
Click here   to contact me.