DOC's work with Kaimanawa horses
Kaimanawa horses following muster
Kaimanawa Wild Horse Plan
In May 1996, the Minister of Conservation issued the Kaimanawa Wild Horses Plan. The plan is based on keeping some areas free of horses and controlling their numbers in remaining areas.
In accordance with the plan, the herd was reduced significantly in 1997 with a remnant herd of around 500 horses retained in the southern section of the Waiouru Military Training Area. Since 1997, annual musters contained the herd within the chosen boundaries and attempted to remove the equivalent of the annual population increase.
This management regime has become the generally accepted "status quo" and in 2004 a revised Kaimanawa Wild Horses Working Plan was prepared to reclarify the goals and objectives of this regime and guide its implementation until 2009. It is currently under review.
In 2010, the herd was reduced to 300, which is the minimum number agreed in the plan. This means musters can be carried out every two years, significantly reducing costs to both DOC and the horse re-homing groups.
Why the need for management?
Management is required for two main reasons:
- To mitigate the impacts of wild horses on the unique environmental values of the area
- For animal welfare reasons