In Love with the Wild

25/07/2025

Isn't this little guy handsome?

24/07/2025

This is one of those topics that needs to be talked about. Shut down horses or learned helplessness are so much more common than you would think and in most cases it does not stem not from anger or frustration towards the horse but from people who have honestly just never learned about equine body language.
Lets have conversations with our horses not one sided debates.

Thank you for this enlightening post.

We’ve all heard of Learned Helplessness.
But do we really understand how common it is in horse training?
It’s not a modern problem. It’s something that’s been happening for decades—quiet horses being praised, when in reality, they’ve simply given up.

This topic matters to me deeply, because I see it so often. Horses that people describe as “so good” or “so calm”… but what I see is a horse that’s mentally shut down. A horse that stopped searching for answers a long time ago.

What is Learned Helplessness?
The term comes from psychologist Martin Seligman’s experiment in the 1960s. Dogs were repeatedly exposed to an unavoidable electric shock. Eventually, they stopped trying to escape—even when the chance to get away was offered later.
They had learned that their actions didn’t matter. Nothing they did changed the outcome. They gave up.

And that’s exactly what I see in so many horses today. Not because people are cruel—but because we’ve been taught to look for obedience over communication.

A horse in Learned Helplessness doesn’t look upset. That’s the problem.
It stands quietly.
It doesn’t say no.
It doesn’t move unless asked.
It never questions pressure.
People call it “calm.” I call it shut down.

A horse that has stopped thinking isn’t relaxed. It’s surrendered.

I don’t want that for my horses. And I hope you don’t, either.

So how do we know the difference between a horse that’s genuinely relaxed and a horse that’s just mentally checked out?

Look for the little things:
✔️ Is your horse licking and chewing when processing?
✔️ Does your horse sometimes offer wrong answers? That’s a good thing—it’s searching.
✔️ Is your horse curious about the world around it?
✔️ Does your horse feel safe enough to express a “no” sometimes?

These are signs of a thinking horse. A learning horse. A horse that’s still alive inside.

I’m passionate about this because I believe we can do better.
We shouldn’t feel proud of a horse that just shuts down. We should aim for connection, understanding, and a relationship where both horse and human can communicate clearly and honestly.

Don’t settle for silence. Look for curiosity. Look for try. Look for a thinking partner—not just an obedient body.

11/07/2025

Almost literally the only thing to do at the moment while its wet, the state of the paddocks is a sorry sight!

04/07/2025

So glad the muster went well! What an amazing effort from everyone involved.

04/07/2025

These two have a very cute dynamic (most of the time), but a c**t with no one to play with will still be a c**t.
In a herd environment, things like nipping, biting and kicking out are things that happen relatively regularly and between young horses even more so. Especially when it comes to weanlings/yearlings the play can be very rough and boisterous, a completely normal occurrence.
At this point it is so important to establish healthy and respectful boundaries for both horse and the handler. It is so easy to fall for the cuteness of their actions while the foal is still small and then later have big problems with the horse/pony being very 'loud', pushy and invasive. So many horses' behavioral problems stem from lack of a good foundation based on mutual respect. While it may seem inconsequential to some, one of the most important, if not the most important time in a horse's life are the first two years. In most cases they are the years before the horse's career will start, so much of every horse's personality depends on their early interactions with the world. It is a time during which so many good habits for the future can be formed.
Let's make sure we give our horses the best foundation and start to life we can give them, we literally have their futures in our hands.

02/07/2025

Since we started feeding hay earlier this winter Arlo has taken it upon himself to have a nap every morning in the hay, preventing the cows from having their share until much later.
The other day I found him lying in the middle of the hay area with the cows (being brave, cause usually he is such a bully to them) eating very closely around him. He was not happy about it!

26/06/2025

I have to admit I've always had a soft spot for foal yawns!
Yawns are such a good indicator of processing going on and a sign that the horse might be coming out of a survival response.

22/06/2025

Probably should've posted this a few days ago 😬

Hope you all had an incredible mid-winter solstice/Matariki 💙

Despite the cold we all had a great evening at the beach with friends, couldn't have had a better sunset!

17/06/2025

Thank you Liz, what an awesome way to describe learning and self belief!

To be good at something you have to be bad at it first, or at the very least be willing to. We all know the theory though, don't we? I mean, about how to learn, about how to do it good, and everything. But when it all comes down to it none of us actually enjoy doing the things we're bad at, which does make sense, because the things we're bad at we usually know nothing about, other than the desire to know more about it, but only without having to actually practice anything that might be hard. The, not knowing, is what makes it all so scary or at least that's what it is for me, because l do not enjoy feeling scared. If l was to really tell you my truth it would be hard, that is the thing that is scary for me. I'm not always good at saying what I truly think or what I really want, for the simple reason that l don't want to risk losing those who l need, nor do I want to risk having my own truth pushed away to somewhere that it could never be reached.

The truth is a special thing and so is believing in yourself because after all that is what keeps us here, that is what keeps us from walking off the cliff. No matter how small your flame is of self-belief and no matter how far beneath the covers you hide your truth, it will always be worth holding onto, because all you need to grow a flame is your own hands willing to grasp the wood to stoke up your fire.

The three things l wish to be really good at (my secret truths), are working with horses, learning about the world and telling about them, in stories and in words.

That's what l really really want, so much.

I Writing for myself, as a reminder of what l want to learn, know about and maybe even one day be good at. After all, it's all the wood for the flame, the one little flame that lives inside us all, the one that keeps us here, keeps us moving forward.

Elizabeth ❤️

17/06/2025

Posing while asking the horses to pose for their photos too 😜

16/06/2025

Horse herd dynamics are so incredible to watch, the comradery and friendship between specific horses are worthy of jealousy.

Since the day Arlo was born it has been such an experience to watch as the herd rose to the challenge of a foal, and everyone fell into roles of support for both Kaala and Arlo. In the months before Kaala gave birth she was at the bottom of the pecking order with very low self-confidence around the other horses and there would be times when we actually had to remove a certain horse from the herd to stop him from injuring her. Ana, (the lead mare and only other mare in the herd) was constantly going out of her way to physically protect Kaala, it was a truly eye-opening experience to see exactly how far other horses would go for their herd members. After Arlo was born, we slowly introduced him (the horse whose behavior towards Kaala had become a problem), back into the herd and discovered how Kaala's self-confidence had grown immensely, her protective instinct had definitely kicked in. There were no more major disagreements/disruptions in the herd, and they all went straight back into a fair herd environment.
At this time Ana really stepped into a protective role when it came to Arlo, often 'babysitting him' and providing a relief for Kaala.
Since then, she is still often watching over the little guy, the photos below were taken earlier today when I arrived at the paddock and found these two snoozing together.
I know these kinds of interactions are a regular occurrence in most herd environments, but to me it is a subject (like many) that is always interesting and fun to talk about.

11/06/2025

Adopting and taming a Kaimanawa has been one of the best things I've done. So rewarding and full of learning.
It can seem like a huge amount of money and time for a horse, especially for someone in the South Island, but it doesn't have to be.
There is incredible support available for anyone taking on a Kaimanawa from Kaimanawa Legacy Foundation and Kaimanawa Heritage Horses.
If you are considering taking on a Kaimanawa this coming months muster but still not sure, I urge you to make the jump and seriously look into it.

Have you always dreamed of becoming a Kaimanawa horse trainer? Or perhaps you’re hoping to adopt a Kaimanawa directly from the muster—and want reassurance that the trainers available through the KLF Approved programme are of a high standard?

With increasing interest from both amateur and professional trainers wanting to work with wild Kaimanawas, and from owners wanting confidence in the quality of trainers handling their horses, we have developed a clear pathway to set expectations and ensure consistency.

Kaimanawa Heritage Horses (KHH) maintains a list of registered handlers, who must demonstrate experience taming wild horses and have suitable facilities for receiving them straight from the muster.

But the KLF Approved Trainer programme goes several steps further.

It is designed to ensure that trainers:
✅ Are of a proven skill level
✅ Adhere to high welfare standards
✅ Provide quality, progressive training
✅ Are transparent and accountable (as public handling subsidies are often used to help owners cover costs)

So if you’re an adopter, you can trust that when using a KLF Approved Trainer, they have demonstrated they can not only safely tame a wild horse, but also refine its training to a level suitable for long-term success in domestication.

For trainers, becoming KLF Approved involves taking horses from at least two separate musters, or competing in the Stallion Challenge (if already an experienced professional), and progressing their skills through to a high level of training.

With 93 horses still urgently needing homes from the upcoming July muster, we need both:
• More passionate, capable trainers to step up
• More owners confident in adopting a wild horse, knowing there is a network of high-quality trainers available to support them.

Every trainer we add to the programme brings the potential to inspire new owners, reach new regions, and help save more lives—both now and into the future.

If you’d like to become part of the solution—either as a trainer or as an adopter wanting to use a KLF Approved Trainer—we would love to hear from you.

Visit www.kaimanawaheritagehorses.org to adopt a horse or email [email protected] to apply for a KLF Initial Handling Subsidy.

You can also donate to help us save more excess horses:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/279-wild-kaimanawa-horses-279-days-279-lives-saved?ref=home&ref_code=donation_feed

Or direct to the KLF Bank Account:
Kaimanawa Legacy Foundation Board
12-3659-0111060-00

⸻

KLF APPROVED TRAINERS
These trainers are eligible to train subsidised Kaimanawa horses and have spaces for handling or in their workshops.*

AUCKLAND
Leanne Hackett - 3 spaces
[email protected]
FOALS OR JUVENILES

HAMILTON
Noa Smythe - 2 spaces
FOALS, JUVENILES OR MATURE HORSES

TAUPO
Kelly Wilson/Morgan Chandler-Bruce - 6 spaces
[email protected]
FOALS, JUVENILES OR MATURE HORSES

TARANAKI
Mimi Einfeldt - 1 space
[email protected]
FOALS, JUVENILES OR MARES

MANAWATU
Leah Adams - booked out
[email protected]
FOALS OR JUVENILES ONLY