Welcome To High Country Horse Treks
First of all - apologies to everyone. This site is currently under construction because we have amalgamated the original High Country site with the newer Weebly site and things may be a tad messy while I sort out what goes where - at Dial Up speed! So please bear with me as the weeks go by.
We have Lift Off! June 2013 we have invested in Satellite Broadband and life should be a lot easier. If I could make myself as professional as the system now is - we would all be very happy.
We have Lift Off! June 2013 we have invested in Satellite Broadband and life should be a lot easier. If I could make myself as professional as the system now is - we would all be very happy.
There's Something Going On Down There!!
Behind The Scenes
This site is for all those people who love animals and would like to find out what goes on behind the scenes at a busy trekking yard. The customers book a ride, drive up and go for a trek, but, out of sight, a lot goes on to get the horses ready for the ride and to keep the whole place up and running.
Meet the people, the horses, the dogs, the cats, the Vets, the blacksmith, the equine chiropractor.
Leave the hi tech Rat Race behind for half an hour and enjoy life at High Country Horse Treks.
Friends have described this place as HH Ranch - Horse Heaven. Enjoy!
Meet the people, the horses, the dogs, the cats, the Vets, the blacksmith, the equine chiropractor.
Leave the hi tech Rat Race behind for half an hour and enjoy life at High Country Horse Treks.
Friends have described this place as HH Ranch - Horse Heaven. Enjoy!
Brothers And Best Mates, Scout And Perkins With Kate And Mervi
Mervi On Young Horse Perkins
You sometimes come across someone who just has a natural ability to bond with horses. Mervi, who is Finnish and is here as a Woofer, came for a month and is still here two months later. She leaves in a week but is determined to come back next month.
She has been working with Perkins since she first got here and it is fair to say he was very green and gawky and not very enthusiastic about his new work. In the last two months they have bonded and are completely sympatico. Mervi rides him round with just a rope round his chest and he turns, straightens, stops - everything as if he has completely understood what she means.
This is taking our " Asking The Horse Nicely" regime to new heights!!
We don't expect the customers to master this way of riding on their first trek!
She has been working with Perkins since she first got here and it is fair to say he was very green and gawky and not very enthusiastic about his new work. In the last two months they have bonded and are completely sympatico. Mervi rides him round with just a rope round his chest and he turns, straightens, stops - everything as if he has completely understood what she means.
This is taking our " Asking The Horse Nicely" regime to new heights!!
We don't expect the customers to master this way of riding on their first trek!
Tina on Sergeant Pepper - "Supersplosh"
You'll have to take my word for it - but there IS a horse with rider attached in this picture! It was a very hot day, well over 30 degrees and Supersplosh always loves a splash but on this day he REALLY went to town and Tina was absolutely soaked as was anyone in a twenty metre radius.
Miniature Syd Enjoying His Swim
Newly arrived here little Syd is rather refined in his enjoyment of the water. He just comes, loose, on any ride he fancies joining, and when we arrive at any deep water hole he just sets off and swims round and round until refreshed. The first time he did it some of the bigger horses were somewhat startled, he literally swum rings round them.
Radiant Topaz With German Saskia On Board
Well now I've seen everything! I thought Mervi was fairly brave riding Perkins with just a rope. Today Saskia rode Topper in the Exercise Yard without anything on at all. He tends to look like an offended llama with protruding bottom lip when asked to do something he doesn't approve of, but this procedure he liked and even managed a couple of bunny hops over the wee jump.. They have built up such a bond together that we are wondering whether we can post Topper on the plane back to Germany when Saskia goes home. One thing is for sure, I shall be throwing slightly more tack on Topper when I have to get on him when Saskia leaves!
BeBe Gun - Beeby, With German Nicole On Board
This Standardbred horse has had problems in his previous career as a pacer. He had at least ten trainers in his short racing life and was passed around like a hot potato. Beeby has been here for two years now. The first winter he dripped weight and last winter he had an awful flapping wound on his tummy which knocked him back a fair way. So he has been a lot slower getting around to being ridden. Beeby decide he didn't want to be ridden and was quite happy just being a horse, pleasing himself living up the hill in the herd. Nicole is the first person this season who hasn't been intimidated by Beeby's tactics and she has persevered through all of his shant's and wont's. As you can see her hard work has paid off and they are finally reaching an agreement about where they go and when. Well Done Nicole!
A Good Keen Team. Woodles And Troy Waiting For Instructions
These are the noisiest dogs in NZ so it is really good to see them up the hill and barking not next to me! Woodles actually isn't terribly into horses at the moment and is usually close to Rod while horses are thundering about. Troy and Annie are the main working team these days and we couldn't manage without them up the hill because the horses are very good at playing hide and seek and going the wrong way for the sheer fun of it.
