They have arrived!
2 May 2024
Two beautiful mares arrived after the muster last week, and have been quietly settling in this week. They are both calm and cautious, but also very curious.
Thank you all for your very generous and kind donations. The two horses we saved have arrived!
We have found them in the Field Guide (a database of wild Kaimanawa bands/herds). Their names are Emperor (with the big white blaze, left) and Arwen (flaxen mane). Both girls.
After their arrival I realised that Arwen was still producing milk, so would have been separated from her foal at the muster. Many people only want to adopt foals, so they are well sought after, but not the mothers that go with them. The only upside is that at least both Arwen and her foal found homes. But my heart grieves for Arwen's loss of her baby.
They are making great strides with their taming milestones. They have eaten grass from our hands, sniffed humans, learned to eat from hay-bags safely and even a little beet from buckets, which means we can start getting vitamins and minerals into them soon. The other day, one even lay down to sleep, which shows they are feeling safe in their new home. When mucking out and feeding, we can pass within a metre or so, and they only sometimes move away.
It is amazing how far they have come in less than a week!
Photo was taken the day they arrived, within minutes of getting off the truck. How beautiful are they?!
