Mimi Einfeldt & Cosmo

2021 Ultramox Freedom to Friendship Stallion Challenge – Professional & Mentor Student  Trainer
Student: Brooke Laurence

5 years ago, my partner and I came from Germany to NZ to make this country our home. I now live my life the way I have always dreamed. Living on a farm and training horses for a living.  While I have been involved with horses from the young age of 6 years it was never much more than a hobby. I had a break from horses for a couple of years and did some travelling but while I travelled, I was drawn back to horses. I ended up training horses in the outback and also trained camels for the Army as well as for tourist rides in Australia.  

Before coming to NZ, I didn’t have much to do with natural horsemanship. But over the years it had been naturally moving that way. That training philosophy intrigued me and I sought knowledge and skill from many sources.  Trainers like Buck, Schiller etc. have certainly influenced my way of training. I take on what works for me and also add my own touches to tailor the training to suit each horse.  

What I love about training horses is that they all teach us something different; we just have to be willing students and listen. 

While I love working with all horses, the best part about training Kaimanawa horses is that you get to work with a blank canvas. The horse in front of you has no idea about human interaction. It’s up to you to make it as easy as possible for them to find their place in this foreign world. 

Introducing my stallion Cosmo, who came from Zone 20 and is known as Warsaw in the database. 

We think he is 5years old and about 14hh. He seems to be a strong carrier of the Clydesdale gene.  

When I saw him arrive at our yards, I noticed instantly his kind eyes, even though the travel and muster had been super stressful, he had a calm vibe about him. 

From the beginning, he was super inquisitive and seemed to love people. He wants to be friends with everyone except the scary cat! Within the first week, Cosmo had outshone all other stallions I have ever trained. His willingness and eagerness to be a part of domestic life blew me away. He ate hard feed out of a hanging bucket, let me touch him all over, went out into the paddock with my other horses, even had the tractor feed out hay to the herd he was with, all without a batted eyelid.  

While he is very interactive, he can be very insecure when it comes to new things and surroundings and relies on my reassurance. One small thing I really love about him is when he gets nervous or insecure about something, he drops his bottom lip and quivers his top one, you have to see it to believe it.  

While Cosmo has been trained at liberty for most parts, he has also learned about leading and haltering.