A Lot Has Happenned Over the Feastive Season

Gosh I can't believe I haven't had a chance to put any more down since 30th November 2009- Well here goes- I hope I can remember it all.  Noa did go off to Amanda's to be trained and sent on to a new home from there. He was gelded the day after arrival as he took an extreme interest in all the mares at her place...He jumped over a 6 foot gate and a few fences until Amanda chased him into Sarg's paddock- where Sarg jumped on him and held him by the neck while he continued to sit on him until Amanda put the halter on him-  She said he was then as quiet as a lamb once the halter was on and didn't have a scratch on him- he cleared all those gates and fences easily. It just goes to show as quiet as a kaimanawa horse can be there is still the "WILD" instinct in there.
Sargeant went along at the same time to Amanda to be started under saddle, and he didn't like being there at first-.he bucked the rider off on more than one occassion but then once he had settled in he was being ridden up very steep hills and straight down again without any problem- he is so sure footed and very very clever. He also thought he was KING PIN and was busy bossing all other horses around in the paddocks...so they put him in with a huge gelding who was a gentle giant and Sarg continued to boss him around as well, but he did feel much more settled.  He had two and a half weeks at Amanda's and then we brought him home again for  Christmas & New Year much to his delight.
I think initially when he went away he thought he was going back into a different herd and his reactions were those of a wild horse- there were a lot of mares in season and young colts, geldings etc and it brought back all the pecking order process in a major way....Noa was the same....I couldn't believe the normally quiet horses were reacting this way BUT that survival instinct is still there, and I am really glad about that- I would hate to think they would be dragged away from their natural environment and l,ose everything they have learnt with their bands up there on the ranges.
Once Noa was gelded and allowed to just grow for a while - he is happily grazing now with a lot of other geldings.

Sargeant is back to his normal self with his little herd of Gypsy and Louka and is being ridden daily by Megan.  He has a fabulous canter and doesn't seem to find anything hard- he learns so quickly- and he finds it exciting to get out and about- He is scared of absolutely nothing, nothing seems to phase him at all. He is going through the creek, up through the pines, over all the hills, steep and sloping, through the bush- I am thrilled with his temperament and progress.  He stands still to be saddled up- doesn't move off until asked- I think for Sarg this is such a new challenge and adventure he just thrives on it.

I have kept Louka and he has now been gelded. I just couldn't bare to send him off too...I kept remembering how scared he was when he arrived, so decided to keep him here where he felt safe...I knew Noa would fit in anywhere as long as there were other horses around, BUT Louka pulled too hard at my heartstrings- I have to be sensible as I can't keep them all BUT 3 makes a very good herd size here at my place, and Dennis agreed.  Louka trusts me and gets a lot of attention from family and friends and is getting used to having people around. Gypsy looks after him too, and he is picking up his behavioural traits from her, and as she is just wonderful I think he will be great as he grows.  He is only 2 and already has longer legs than Sarg, so I think he will grow to at least 14hh.  His colour fascinates me- it changes almost on a daily basis- but he is beautiful, at present more chestnut than dunn- still has choc brown legs with 4 white socks and the sickle shaped blaze on his head. We are walking him out now with Gypsy and Sarg and he is very settled....moves off pressure really well...ties up well and we have shampooed him and had the hose on him which he doesn't seem to mind. Drenching isn't an issue so we will just gently continue to teach him things- so handy having the roundpen,