NEW ZEALAND HIGH COUNTRY

pursuits and earned herself a position at the renowned U.S. performance horse barn, Windchase, working under Olympic rider Phyllis Dawson.

Their idea for this epic ride will take them on roads less travelled. They see New Zealand as “essentially a patchwork of giant stations” as Jess describes it, with endless trail options. Along the way, they’ll ride with a number of horse trekking outfits.

“The one thing anyone who has been to New Zealand can attest to is the hospitality of Kiwis,” Bijmin says. ‘As we make our way up the country we’ll be relying on local knowledge for hidden shepherd’s trails, recommended routes and of course local history and lore.”

They are both natural horsemanship practitioners, which they marry with their knowledge of equine facilitated learning, a practice Bijmin learnt from a family friend whose approach to horses instilled in him the love of building a relationship with a horse first and foremost.

“Working with Kaimanawas we’ve taken a step back from all of the methods we’ve studied in the past and everything we thought we knew about training horses,” Bijmin explains. “We aim to listen to the horses before expecting them to listen to us, never working against them. We build our relationship first. Our approach is grounded in passive leadership – not grounded in fear or force.”

They’ve found that once they understand what motivates the behaviour of a horse, and imagine themselves in the horse’s position, the way they work with them “just makes sense”. They’ve worked with wild mature stallions and not once been kicked, bitten, trodden on or charged.

They’ve chosen and now trained three wild Kaimanawa stallions as their equine companions for the ride. The horses are respectful, follow the lightest feel and enjoy the company of their new human friends. They are Madiba (the nickname given to Nelson Mandela by the nation he united and led into a new era), Kaewa (a Maori word for ‘wanderer or traveller’), and Tokula (a native American Lakota word for ‘fox’). In naming these magnificent strong horses, the couple pay homage to some of the significant places that have shaped who they are.

In addition to this ride, Jess and Bijmin are building a new platform that will enable them to offer an online horsetraining academy. You can follow their progress on Facebook: www.facebook.

com/humanandhorse.co.nz/

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