Let's save a Kaimanawa horse — The Pixel Nomad

Hi, I’m Cécile Zahorka – you might know me as The Pixel Nomad. I’m a photographer and author of Forgotten Horses, a long-term project dedicated to documenting rare, endangered and free-roaming horse breeds around the world.

Although I’ve never been to New Zealand, I would like to raise $1,000 to help save at least one wild Kaimanawa horse during this year’s muster.

In New Zealand, wild Kaimanawa horses still roam freely. Their ancestors once came with European settlers as working horses – when no longer needed, they were released into the wild. To this day, they have survived with no predators other than the elements. But around 300 horses are now rounded up each year to protect the fragile ecosystem.

In my eyes, these feral horses are a true time capsule: they carry the unadulterated genetics of the robust working horses of the 18th and 19th centuries – horse breeds and types that are already extinct and forgotten here. In my research on Forgotten Horses, I have dealt intensively with the topic and hope that these wonderful horses will not simply be ‘disposed of’, but will at least find a new purpose and be utilised if they are no longer allowed to live in the wild.

The KLF is organising a campaign and I think there is a good plan behind this: horses go directly to experienced trainers who help them transition to a life with humans. Funds cover transport, castration and care. I’ve followed the project for years and believe it’s a smart and sustainable approach.