Bridleways Auckland

After much umming and erring I have finally set up a website and discussion group for horse riders to collaborate on public access and recreational riding. Bridleways Auckland sets out to document all the horse riding parks, areas and routes available in the Auckland Region. It also explains who owns or manages an area, so that you know who to contact, and other details like costs, parking, access, terrain and provides maps and photos.

I've also used Google maps to create 'clickable' maps of all the riding areas, forests etc and hope that these will also be useful when we start to put routes (bridleways) in.


The discussion group is just a mailing list at the moment, and we already have a number of people signing up each week (it's free). I'm also extremely pleased to see that people are helping out by sending in photos and information of their local area - exactly what we need in order for a site like this to work.

Lake Okaihu and Woodhill Forest coming to a picture theatre near you

Well it's been very busy down at Lake Okaihu, Muriwai recently. Two films are being made down there at the moment Underworld 3 was filming last weekend and then I saw a crew again a day later but this time it is Power Rangers... watch out for people and their dogs roaming around in the background of shots :) This area is open for public access and is popular with walkers, family picnics and dog walkers...

Horses savaged in frenzied dog attack

Muriwai Horse Treks have suffered a terrible blow, with 3 horses seriously wounded when a dog attacked a ride on Thursday. The loose dog severley wounded the trek leader's horse, ripping large wounds in the mare's hind legs. It then continued to attack other horses in the ride, wounding at least 2 others.

Riders (novice and tourist) were thrown to the ground as frightened horses tried to escape the attack. The owners of the dog initially denied that the animal was theirs, and refused to provide any sort of assistance during the attack. Later they became abusive toward frightened riders and staff who were attending to wounded, loose and bleeding horses. The male owner assaulted a tourist, and the pair then took the dog and fled the scene.

Rodney animal control and the police are investigating. All the horses are under veterinary care but it is uncertain whether they will recover, or ever be able to return to work.

Improvements at Muriwai

Since mid last year, when Muriwai seemed to reach a crisis in stupid, and unsocial behaviour things have gradually improved at Muriwai. Numbers of boy racers in un-warranted\registered cars have dropped, the numbers of trail bikes have also dropped dramatically. Peace appears to have been restored.

The increased attention of the police (after a death on the road and increased pressure from Councils) has been a major factor in my opinion. I have probably seen more police at Muriwai in the last 3 months than I have ever seen in all my years of riding there. Hancocks, the new owners of Woodhill Forest also seem to have stepped up to the plate at long last. A new gate to one of the parking areas appeared and has dramatically changed the numbers and types of people using the Okiritoto stream gate.

Walkers, horse riders and dog owners are still able to enjoy the spot but it seems to have gotten rid of the element that were using the place for a variety of noisy\anti-social activities (and reduced the amount of parking for trail-bike riders).

Innside Montana

Found this lovely blogsite when trawling the web. Innside Montana is listed as "the ongoing adventures of an eco-friendly bed and breakfast keeper". Well written, thoughtful and with some great photos; it covers a variety of subjects including the journey of an adult learning to ride.

MAF Biosecurity Hotline for Equine Influenza

MAFBNZ is asking horse owners to remain vigilant for signs of the disease. Anyone who suspects their horse may be showing symptoms of equine influenza should isolate the horse from other animals and contact their vet immediately or phone the MAFBNZ emergency hotline 0800 80 99 66.

Tug of War - Dr Gerd Heuschmann

Tug of War - Dr Gerd Heuschmann

Dr Heuschmann will in New Zealand in October this year to deliver two workshops, one in the North Island and one in the South Island.

Seminars are just $50 - use the link above for more details from ESNZ or to download the application form.

Equestrian Club Membership Figures

Have been doing some research for another project and came across SPARC's records of club memberships (latest 2002\2003). I've graphed up the equestrian organisations.

Pony clubs have been declining steadily while registration with ESNZ was rising. The latest figures from ESNZ are around 5500, so they have slumped again from their high here.

Ramon Guerrero Akld Sept 14-16

Ramón’s clinics are fun, and beneficial for all riders and horses of any ability.

Create a soft, supple and strong horse for any riding style or competition. Learn how to deal with problems and create a better relationship with your horse.

Private Lessons: $100 per hour
Group (2-3) Lessons: $60 per hour
Audit: $20

Pay all ground fees directly to Royale Oak—$10 per horse \ per hour
















About Ramón

Riding master Señor Ramón Guerrero, also known as 'The Systematic Horseman', was chosen to perform as a guest rider with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna for their 1972 400th anniversary performances in London and Paris. In 1975 he moved to Australia and founded El Caballo Blanco, later he established the “International Dancing Stallions of Australia”.

Since 1990 Ramón has been dedicated to developing and spreading his knowledge of horsemanship and the equestrian arts throughout Spain, New Zealand and Australia.

Horsey Holidays

Always on the lookout for new places to ride, I'm thrilled to see more horse-holiday places opening. Not treks or farmstays with riding, but places you can take your horse on holiday with you.

Dune Lakes Lodge is near Parakai, at the northern end of Woodhill Forest.

Wild Valley Farms is in Glen Murray, a little north of Huntly.

Taking your horse will cost just $20 per 24 hr stay for each horse, in addition to your accomodation costs. This includes grazing, hay if needed, use of washdown hoses and gives access to all trails, jumps and riding facilities.

The Horse: Performance Evaluation of Western Saddle Pads

The Horse: Performance Evaluation of Western Saddle Pads

A very interesting article on 'The Horse' which evaluates the performance of a number of different saddle pads. With most riders constantly on the lookout for products that will make their horses more comfortable and provide any number of therepeutic benefits, saddle pads are always popular on horse owners shopping lists. These days there are numerous types of pad available, each claiming to have amazing benefits for horse and\or rider. Finally, here is some unbiased scientific data to answer some questions on what really does work in some of these high-tech pads (and some of the low tech ones!) .

What a surprise - deaths at Muriwai

"The death of a 15-year-old passenger riding in a car driven by another 15-year-old girl took the holiday weekend road toll to five last night. The teenager was killed when the four-wheel-drive rolled on Coast Rd, Muriwai, at about 9.45pm." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10443527

Well well, what a bloody surprise, it has been just a matter of time before someone was killed at Muriwai. http://virtuallyhorses.blogspot.com/2006/11/peace-and-tranquility-of-country.html It was back in November when I said "No doubt it will take a serious accident or death on the access road to provoke any action on this escalating situation"

It may seem heartless but frankly I am relieved that they have not killed some innocent tourist, walker or recreational user who happenned to be on the same piece of road as these idiots. Maybe the police will take a little more notice of this area now. Don't hold your breath though...

Bridleways in the UK

Bridleways in the UK are being upgraded and expanded in an effort to increase tourism and local economies, as the two articles below show. Such a shame that this has not caught on in New Zealand yet. There are many new walkways opening or in planning - as horse riders we should all be lobbying to have these include horse traffic whenever possible.

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BHS opens new ride across Wales
Trevor Cooper, H&H news writer
28 May, 2007

A new 80-mile ride across farmland, forest and moorland has just been opened in Wales by the British Horse Society (BHS). Known as the Prince Llywelyn Ride, the trail runs from the Powys Shropshire border to the mid-Wales coast at Borth.

Mark Weston, BHS director of access, safety and welfare, said: "This new ride provides riders with the opportunity to ride across Wales, experiencing beautiful and varied landscapes and vistas. It will hopefully attract a large number of equine tourists to the area and make a significant contribution to the local economy."

The route was devised by former regional access and bridleways officer Brenda Wickham and passes through just five villages and a number of tiny hamlets. Ms Wickham said: "It has taken two years of hard work by a number of people to get to this point and it is wonderful to see all that effort come to fruition."

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Work continues on bridleway route

The area has outstanding natural beautyWork has started on the next phase of the new Pennine Bridleway through the Yorkshire Dales.
A section of the trail will be given a facelift as part of the huge project to create a route for riders and walkers.

The Pennine Bridleway will eventually link Derbyshire with Northumberland - a distance of 350 miles. The first Dales section - the Settle Loop - opened last August. Now the stretch between Feizor and Austwick is being restored.

Completely Irresponsible Comments from KWHPS - NZHERALD

Year after year, there are Kaimanawa horses sold to completely unsuitable homes during the wild horse round-ups.

So how irresponsible is it for the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Protection Society to make the following remark in the National newspaper when being interviewed on this years roundup? "The horses made excellent pets and work animals, said Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society (KWHPS) president Sharon Brown." - bloody irresponsible, I say!

These are wild horses, not pets. People with little or no knowledge of horses go along to these DOC sales thinking that they will have a cheap pony. The result is abandoned and ill-treated animals each year. Fortunately, there are no statistics on how many people are injured as a direct result of taking on a wild Kaimanawa. This is not to say that these horses won't make excellent pets or riding horses - of course they can and do, in the right hands. But it takes skill and experience to to train a wild animal and this is not the impression that either DOC or the KWHPS have given in this latest story in the Herald.

Read the full Herald Story Here

EveryRider

EveryRider is a really nicely written and presented blog. Well worth a visit it covers many topics that are dear to riders and owners hearts.

Learning Horses

Learning Horses An interesting and well written blogsite from the US. Like the little video clips on a variety of topics and seeing and reading about Paso Fino horses (and people) in particular. Still don't really 'get' gaited horses - especially after seeing the video of the Paso 'Fino-ing' (I think) just makes me want to take the horse out into the forest and let him stretch out :D

HorseBlogs • Blog Browser

HorseBlogs • Blog Browser

A directory of horse blogs of all types. Add yours if you write one or have a favourite.

Safe driving near horses

With so many urbanites encroaching on rural areas and with the general lack of commonsense and courtesy to other road users shown in today's driving habits, perhaps it is time that we all had a little reminder that roads are public roadways and not personal space, to be shared by all users.

With horses Safe driving near horses - Road Code Online from LTSA:

"Safe driving near horses
Slow down and pass carefully, giving the horse and rider plenty of room.
Don't sound your horn, rev your engine, or pass at speed.
If the horse and rider are on a bridge or narrow road, be very careful - slow down or stop.
If the horse appears frightened, stop.
At night, dip your vehicle's headlights.
Two vehicles should avoid passing near a horse. IMPORTANT
Be careful around horse traffic. If you aren't, you could be charged with careless or dangerous driving. "

Kumeu Police Seek Identity of Heartless Helpers - News Release - New Zealand Police

Kumeu Police Seek Identity of Heartless Helpers - News Release - New Zealand Police

Backing up my previous article mentioning the increasing 'wildness' of the wild, west coast - here we have a newsletter from the police surrounding a bike theft, but also describing a number of unregistered (obviously unwarranted) vehicles presumably being driven by drunk thieves.... You'd think that they'd spot the opportunity to put a dent in the crime stats if nothing else.

The peace and tranquility of the country?

You do have to put a question mark at the end of that sentence these days. There has always been a certain amount of noise in the countryside - tractors, AWDs, chainsaws, cattle, roosters etc but on the whole one the major attractions of moving out of a city and it's suburbs is usually the greater peace and tranquility afforded by the rural lifestyle.

These days it seems it's actually quieter to live in the city, even beside a motorway due to the increased popularity of offroad motorbikes. Never before have they been so ubiquitous. No matter where you go to escape the daily grind, you are bound to hear the drone, growl or screech of bloody bikes. You don't even have to roam the back roads or rural tracks, you can easily have the annoyance at your back fence as more and more 'lifestyle blocks' are purchased not by those wanting the quiet country life, or to try their hand at a more back-to-earth lifestyle (as the original name implies) but by those who insist of using their 1ha backyard as a motocross track. Endlessly going around and over the same patch of ground without any consideration for the exasperation of their poor neighbours.

Recreational areas are also under pressure. Muriwai beach is currently a battle ground, with the authorities no where to be seen. Murwai itself is a public road, so in theory any vehicle on it should obey all road rules include being warranted and registered. However, it has always attracted a few dirt bikers and provided that they used a little courtesy in their dealings with all the other recreational users all was relatively good natured and harmonious. However, the dramatic increase in bikes using not only the beach, but the dunes (which are strictly off limits to all), the ARC 5 mile block (just behind the dunes) and then roaming around the crown forest (managed by CHH Forests) has brought them into direct conflict with the many other users of the area.

Unfortunately, they are continually reinforced because of the motorbike events that are held in the lower end of the forest, despite the motorbike park itself being in the top end of the Forest. This seems to give the riders the excuse they need to 'assume' that bikes are permitted in the forest and ARC block. The lack of action from police, park rangers and ARC puts the pressure onto horse riders and other licensed operators to 'act as the bad guys' but also encourages increasing numbers of dirt bikers and dangerous driving in general. No doubt it will take a serious accident or death on the access road to provoke any action on this escalating situation.

Campus News: Researchers Studying Horse Fear, Aim to Reduce Riding Injuries

Campus News: Researchers Studying Horse Fear, Aim to Reduce Riding Injuries

This should be a very interesting study to follow up on. I think most of us, already understand that there is some sort of link between the rider's state of mind and the horse's. It will be intrguing to see if science can quantify just how much of an influence a rider's nervousness is on the horse and vice-versa

New Blog from New Zealand Horse Riders

Another blogsite from some local horse owners and riders. This blog looks at the happennings of riders from a Kumeu (Auckland, New Zealand) horse property (DIY Livery).

http://horsetale.blogspot.com/

Winter's Day

We definitely have been getting four seasons in one day at the moment, from brilliant sunshine to icy blasts and squally rain and back again within an hour.

I managed to get some nice photos of Imp today during some nice sunny breaks.

Including the last one when he insisted on 'smiling' and getting right in the camera...

Event Information Online

There are a number of free event information websites popping up around the place. Here's a small selection of the ones I've found:

Yahoo now has an excellent events calendar http://upcoming.org/event/ - lots of nice features, highly recommended. Yes! It is highly usable for kiwis and you can add venue information etc.



New Zealand Based

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Your Events has quite a nice format, providing venue information and allowing you to check certain regions. http://www.yourevents.co.nz/

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Event Finder is much more limiting for those who wish to publish information. Only one event at a time if you have a free account. For browsing the format is still quite easy to find.

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View Auckland is a nice site that's easy to put information into - although there is a human element involved, so sometimes the information isn't exactly as you'd like. However they are friendly and fast (and free)

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Fobbly.com Community Portals cover Rodney community news with separate sections for Kumeu, Helensville, Warkworth and Wellsford.

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Hamilton Events.co nz leaves the Auckland City Council website for dead. Self-service for event publishers. Nice looking, easy to browse.

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Auckland City does have an events listing on their website - but its always a bit of a lottery so this is a 'last resort' type event calendar.

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For Equestrian specific events

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Horse Talk runs a free Calendar

NZHorses.co.nz does have a public notices area - but it is extremely patchy getting anything published in any of the areas of nzhorses. Wendy the webmaster seems to disappear for months on end.

New Clicker Seminar - South Auckland

The Intro to Clicker Training Seminars are continuing throughout the Auckland area. The next date is Dairy Flat - May 27th and following that Isola , Waiuku on June 11th

http://virtuallyhorses.blogspot.com/2006/04/horse-play-clicker-series.html

Horse Expo a WashOut

Heavy rain leading up to the weekend created a muddy mess of the Helensville A&P showgrounds for the Horse Expo this weekend. Very few stalls were in evidence and most of those had sensibly been moved from the centre of the grassed area. Gumboots were definitely the order of the day and all parking was shifted to the side of the highway.

Despite this the entrance fee remained the same, which may put off people in the future. If this was their first or only Horse Expo experience it would do little to encourage them back and it certainly isn't worth the entrance fee to see half a dozen stalls.

The PA systems were still as unpredictable as ever - so the brave souls who did turn up had intermittent audio from the demonstrations that were provided.

Horse Expo seriously needs to sort out the time of year or the venue. If they are going to hold it in Autumn (presumably so that they don't conflict with competitions and shows over summer) then they need to swap to somewhere with more reliable footing and parking, and preferably a larger indoors area. Alternately they could simply move to summer to get the best weather.

The most sensible answer would of course be to join Horse Expo with Pet Expo at the Greenlane Showgrounds. This would provide a much larger crowd, provide the opportunity to educate a wider audience about horses and horse breeds and also give them much better facilities.

Horse Play Clicker Series

Interested in Clicker Training?

A series of Intro Seminars will be held across the Auckland Region over Autumn\Winter. The format will be a brief introduction to Clicker, its history and main principles, a demonstration with an experienced Clicker horse and then a Q&A Session to let participants ask any questions. Approx 1-1.5 hours Tea & Coffee provided.

Clicker has been successful with hundreds of animal species. If you haven't a horse come along anyway - consider Clicker Training for your Alpacas, pigs, dogs, even your emus or any other critters you wish to make more handleable.

First Sessions - Thursday April 27th & May 11th, 7pm Maree Green Equestrian Centre - 237 Old North Rd, Kumeu (indoors if bad weather).

Dairy Flat Seminar Confirmed! May 27th

For more dates or to book a group demo visit the Horse Play website

Horse Play website launched

Horse Play

Horse Play is a new company with a number of services, including training (for horse and owner), equine massage and adult rider support services. Horse Play is a specialist in providing Clicker Training in New Zealand and Courses and Clinics will begin shortly

Pet Expo

Helen and I got together to make a little video of Imp and Cookie's clicker training sessions for the Pet Expo this year. So I've put together a selection of clips from the video to put on clipshack.

WFEP - Restall Rd, Woodhill Forest

I've been back to WFEP a few times now and have only just found the much vaunted loop tracks that the endurance people keep going on about. I turned back almost immediately as the loop tracks seem to consist almost entirely of deep sand with no forest coverage and this is not an enjoyable combination in summer.

The track markers in the top block are very good but they probably could have saved themselves a lot of time and effort (and made it much better for the casual rider) by simply marking the intersections with permanent signage. Some of the signs put up to stop you accidentally riding into the mountain bike area for instance have already faded or are impossible to read if you have less that optimal vision. I have to admit that I rode blissfully into the middle of the bike park during one early visit - but they hadn't put any signs or fences up at the edges so how was I to know?

It still seems remarkable to me that the endurance club have tried to wedge their tracks between 4track adventures, the mountain bike park and Tarzan's tree top adventures but I guess it was all about timing and since CHH (or their recreation admins) were acting like a bunch of prats at the time they're done us all a big service by keeping this area open for riders at all.

There was a rider update last year that hinted that the horse trails and 4track adventures may be swapping places. Now that I've seen where the two areas are I really hope that this happens as it would be a much better solution for the horses - and 4track bikes don't have ligaments that get strained by deep sand tracks!