2020 Kaimanawa Muster Announcement – 07/05/2020
We have just received news that the muster has been cancelled for 2020.
The Department of Conservation has advised that the muster is unable to proceed this year due to COVID-19 restrictions and the implications this has created for all parties.
The muster can only be undertaken within a very small time frame each year to ensure the welfare of the horses, particularly mares and their offspring. It is this reason that the muster is usually held around late April into May of each year as this ensures the greatest chances for mares that are pregnant and for the foals that have been born the previous season.
With the COVID 19 impacts on our country, the window of opportunity to complete a safe muster will close before the restrictions are lifted and the welfare implications of doing a muster later in the year are too great for this option to be considered.
We would like to thank the many people who have remained supportive of the kaimanawa horses, particularly those that applied for a horse from the muster. Your willingness to remain committed to taking a horse despite the current situation was appreciated.
A special thanks also to all the people who made a donation towards helping the horses. The money raised from those that contributed towards helping save a horse from the muster will be put aside for when the next muster takes place.
While this is welcomed news for a number of reasons, we also need to consider the position this decision creates for us going forward. We will now go into the 2021 muster knowing that there will be an even larger number of horses needing homes and the ongoing support we receive now will be even more important than ever.
We hope that this news allows those who were unable to apply due to the restrictions, the chance to prepare in time for the next muster. The likelihood of needing upwards of 200 homes is high so we encourage people to remain focused on achieving their dream of becoming a kaimanawa owner. Our team is always available to assist potential owners in determining what is required to prepare their property so that they too can embark on the journey of kaimanawa ownership.
Thank you to everyone for their support and for helping us reach a greater number of people than ever before through the sharing of posts and publications regarding the horses.
Update – 25th May 2020
Due to COVID-19 and the country reaching a level 4 lock down, the 2020 Kaimanawa horse muster, due to be held in April, was postponed.
At this stage, it is unknown if the muster has been postponed to a later date, or canceled completely, and with the current state of the COVID-19 lockdown and the uncertain times ahead for us all, we are unsure as to when we will likely receive any news one way or the other.
Please note that the Kaimanawa Heritage Horse Welfare Society does not make this decision. We do work closely with the Department of Conservation and the NZ Army, in regards to these decisions, but we are not responsible for what is decided regarding musters.
For this reason, applications for horses for the next muster WILL REMAIN OPEN *. We understand the uncertainty makes it difficult to establish if you will still be in a position to receive a horse from the muster so please understand you will not be obligated to complete the application if your situation has changed if and when the next muster is announced.
(* Applications will be received but home checks will not be completed unless a muster has been announced and the safety of our team can be ensured.)
We will endeavour to update everyone as soon as we are aware of any change.
For more information, please email the muster team.