Our Team
Our horses may come in all shapes and sizes, with a lot of personality, but all are kind, steady and gentle. They love what they do and do what they love!
BANDIT
Bandit is a firm favourite among our older riders. Whilst he is not a particularly cuddly pony, he really does love an adventure! Pop a jump in front of him and you’ll find a few extra gears and excitement, which our more confident riders LOVE.
Kaimanawa Pony 14.2hh
BELLA
Bella is an absolute dreamboat! She is everything you could want in a horse and takes care of all her riders, from first time riders through to more advanced children and adults. She is the epitome of cool, calm and collected and a joy to have around.
Standardbred 15.1hh
QH x Arab 14.1hh
BONNIE
Bonnie is our original lesson pony, well before the official riding school opened. She is now enjoying retirement with the herd, but still loves to be involved. She is our number one meet and greet pony and absolutely loves being patted, scratched and groomed!
English Riding Pony X 13.2hh
COCOA
Cocoa is Mrs. Reliable. She loves having a job to do and she knows exactly how to do it! Despite being our oldest pony on the property, she is fit as a fiddle and gets very annoyed if she is not picked for a lesson. She loves to be in work and is always the first to come in from the paddock to start the day.
DUSTY
Our smallest team member (not counting the dogs!), Dusty has a big presence to make up for her lack of height. A former show pony, she has beautiful movement and can really get up and boogie! She is now retired due to arthritis, but still loves to zoom around the paddock with her friends.
Welsh X 12.1hh
EMERALD (Stu)
Darling Emerald was a founding member of the riding school. belonging first to my lovely step-daughter Lily. He was happiest in a quiet lesson, or along the beach, being a wonderful steady neddy for our more nervous riders. We miss you Emerald!
Welsh x QH 14.3hh
Bush pony 14hhGIZMO
Gizmo arrived not long after we began lessons, when we realised we needed some extra hands (hoofs!) on deck! He is a perfect partner for our smaller riders who are just starting out, with a very steady trot and quiet nature. He also loves going to the beach and splashing in the water!
Standardbred 15.3hhMARLA
Marla is much like her friend Bella- an absolute dreamboat! Perfectly steady, always keen on an adventure and always kind to her riders, no matter where they are on their horse journey. We are so lucky to have a horse like Marla willing to work with us!
POPPY
We were lucky enough to be gifted this gorgeous pony a couple of years ago. Safe to say she is worth her weight in gold. She is the perfect ‘first ridden’ pony, with the best movement to learn to canter. Poppy has only one eye, but she doesn’t let that stop her! Her favourite thing is swimming at the beach.
Kaimanawa Pony 13.1hh
Sadie
We are lucky to have the lovely Sadie on long term lease. She is a lovely keen bean, much like our Cocoa pony and really enjoys having a job and being part of the team. She absolutely LOVES to jump and is a fantastic teacher for this. Thanks for being with us, Sadie!
Thoroughbred 15.2hh
American Saddlebred x Arab 14.1hh
SAHARA
This beautiful girl is our bravest pony! There is not much that fazes her in the world, which makes her very safe both in the arena and out on adventures. Word in the barn is that she is the BEST of the bunch for going out exploring and is always happy to oblige both our beginner riders and those wanting a wee bit more speed!
Thoroughbred 16.2hhSID
Our BF Sid is technically not a lesson pony, but he does step up and into lessons from time to time. Originally bred in South Africa, and then raced in Hong Kong, he is now living his retirement dream job of “just beach”. He is my number one guy for adventures and is as safe and steady as they come. Riding him always makes you fell like Queen (or King) of the World!
SUZIE
Suzie has arrived from just next door- I think she was looking over the fence seeing how much fun we have and just had to join in! Lucky us, she really knows her stuff! Calm and steady for her small riders, with a bit more go for our older kids, she really can do it all. Her favourite thing, like Poppy, is swimming in the sea!
Morgan 14.3hh
TORU
What an honour it was to have this boy in our paddock to help guide the school when we first began. He was a true gentleman and quickly earned the nickname “Mr. Perfect”. Toru’s superpower was stillness, which helped give our more nervous riders the confidence they needed to take the next steps. We miss your quiet patience, my friend!
Aupouri Pony 13.3hh
Thoroughbred 16hhZEANI
Zeani (pronounced Zeee-ahh-nee) was a beautiful presence in our big horse herd. She was Sid’s best friend and an awesome addition to lessons, whether helping to teach a rising trot with her gentle movement or flying over jumps with our more confident riders, she did it all with grace and the patience of a saint. Thanks Zeani, for being with us!
The Dogs!SADIE & BOLTZ
Our dogs are just as much a part of the team as the horses. Sadie (yellow dog) is a whippet cross and Boltz (red dog) is a boxer/lab mix. Bolty is often on meet and greet duties and loves ‘helping out’ around the yards. Sadie is a quieter nature, but still likes to accompany us on treks. Both dogs love an adventure!