High Country Horse Treks And Rescue Home

Important Announcement !!!!! At the present moment, Friday 7th February 2020, We are unable to take bookings for any treks. My husband Rod, who gets the horses off the hill and takes the treks, is confined to hospital following a severe stroke and while the prognosis is so uncertain the horse trekking has had to go on hold. I apologise for any inconveniemce this may cause you. Please continue to contact us and if and when we get up and cracking again the horse trekking will be a go.
This is now 27th October 2020 and my Better Half is still alive and continuing to recover although he has had another stroke and two seizures since January. We have just taken our first paid trek this last Sunday.
I am able to announce that we will be open on Sundays this summer, provided I can get enough of our young Volunteers up here to help. I am down sizing and have sold some of the horses so we can probably take no more than four people out at a time.
So please be patient and bear with me.

Part Of The Workforce - Mervi, Lorna And Tina

My husband and I have been doing this for 25 years now and have become progressively more decrepit as time has passed. Consequently we are no longer able to offer a seven day a week service to our lovely customers. We now trek on Sundays, always, and occasional Saturdays. So I am really sorry not to be able to fit you in today. At the weekends young people come up from town to help us. But because we are still here, just, sixteen horses, three dogs and five cats get to live a lovely happy life.

Brandy The Arab And Lorna

Me, Me, Me! Say Glen and Kilmun! MY Turn!

Two Very Old Friends At The Feed Shed. Toss And Clonbern.

I am a very keen but exceedingly poor photographer. I get the really awful shot just AFTER there was a super one. So ninety per cent of the photos on this site are courtesy of our friends, Volunteers and the hard working enthusiastic Woofers and credit should go to them not the Plonker who has difficulty seeing the screen, never mind the potential winning snap. Thanks everybody.

Everything You Need To Know To Book a Trek Is Contained In The First Two Pages On The Left - The Treks and How To Find Us

Toss Having His Siesta. At 32 Years Old Snooze Time Is Vital.

Oh That Summer Sun! Tina and Rocky.

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 . Out of sight, a lot goes on to look after the horses 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 Horses' Home.

Friends have described this place as HH Ranch - Horse Heaven. Enjoy!

Clonbern Leading a Ride in 2007

What The Animals Would Like To Say To You Before You Come Here.

Nearly every animal at High Country , horse or dog, and two of the cats, arrived here a few whiskers ahead of a bullet and most were traumatised by their previous experiences of life and human beings and were truly lost souls. Here they have time and space to fit in and experience life as it should be lived. Several live up here quite happily just being part of the herd and never having been asked to take a stranger on to their backs. This slight "failing" still doesn't qualify them for the chop. Troy doesn't have much in the brain department but is rightfully very proud of his sit and shake paws trick, no mean feat for a dog that had to hide under the house or in the back of a kennel when strangers arrived when he first got here. The horses don't always behave perfectly for everyone. but they do their best and their efforts are appreciated. We like the fact that they are allowed to be individual and also have their off days, just like you and I.

Brothers And Best Mates. Scout And Perkins With Kate And Mervi.

I Got Water In My Ear! Bridie On A Hot Day

Mervi With Young Horse Perkins, Au Naturel.

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!

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 In A Deep Waterhole.

Newly arrived here little Syd [ From Sydenham ] 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" - Topper, 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!

" Be Be 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 four 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 decided 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 shan'ts and won'ts. 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 Kelpie 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.

Good Friends Enjoying The Water On A Very Hot Day. Linda, Rachael And Lorna .

German Marie On Roo. Perhaps She Couldn't Find The Key To The Tack Shed?

The first few weeks that this year's Woofers were here it always seemed to be raining so there was a lot of bareback riding. One of Rod's favourite tricks is just to step in and remove the halter. The girls all discovered that it is just as easy to ride the horse with nothing on once one masters the system, you just have to have the confidence to do it. Marie looks quite happy doesn't she?