Horsemanship and Training
The overview:
We offer a boutique training service centred on building confidence, understanding and trust with your equine companion. We deliver the same high quality services we have become well known for, centred on horse wellbeing and care, from our new home and facilities.
Sending your horse to us means your horse will will be handled and trained directly by us; not a student, staff, or anyone else. Utilising Natural horsemanship and combine it with the foundations of dressage, to produce soft, strong, responsive horses, that are tailored to your level and future riding aims/disciplines.
Sending your horse to Hikumutu Valley Horsemanship is an investment in their future, and your journey together. Our aim is to produce safe, happy and well developed horses in every aspect of their training. We are guided by the horse, and endeavour to move at the pace they set, showing care and inviting their curiosity and presence.
Services
Pre-school
There is so much for a young horse to learn about existing in a human world well before we get to starting them under saddle: Handling, ground school, manners, float loading, standing for the farrier, dentist, or vet, and wearing a rug are some of the early milestone you might like to achieve with your youngster.
Our pre-school education aims to help young horses understand their environment and regulate their nervous system so as they can be present and easy to handle when we engage with them.
Depending on age, pre-school can extending to some pre-starting work such as saddling, bridling, mouthing, and mounting.
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Pre-School duration depends on age and stage you would like them up to.
Handling for weaned foals - 2yr olds; 2-3 weeks.
2-3yr olds; 4-6 weeks
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All inclusive rate of $650+gst per week and can be broken down accordingly;
Training $500 per week (5 days per week)
Agistment $100 per week (grazing, hay and hayledge as required)
Harvest grains hardfeed and Kohnkeys own mineral package $50 per week
Optional extra of solo grazing charged additionally at $50+gst per week.
Please see booking form for full details.
Starting
Our starting program aims to produce well rounded and happy young horses. Moving at the pace of the horse, we lay a foundation using an established ground school program before introducing tack and progressing to ridden work in the round pen, then arena and farm trails. We are lucky to live on stunning hill country and a combination of, streams, rivers, waterfalls, farm equipment and stock that they will encounter as part of their education here with us.
By the time your youngster is ready to come home, they should be developing confidence as an established ride, able to walk, trot and canter and be working on lateral bend / control.
Our hand over process includes a ridden session in the arena and/or hack out across the farm. In the near future, it is our aim to be offering the handover as an overnight clinic to ensure you are well aquatinted before your head home together.
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Our starting program is based on an 8 week stay. We find that in most cases this is a good length of stay, however, there is usually the option to extend should you want to have your horses further along before coming home.
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All inclusive rate of $650+gst per week and can be broken down accordingly;
Training $500 per week (5 days per week)
Agistment $100 per week (grazing, hay and hayledge as required)
Harvest grains hardfeed and Kohnkeys own mineral package $50 per week
Optional extra of solo grazing charged additionally at $50+gst per week.
Please see booking form for full details.
Schooling / Mileage
Our schooling slots are tailored to your specific needs; we take horses for further development, exposure/mileage or behavioural correction.
We are lucky to live on stunning hill country and a combination of, streams, rivers, waterfalls, farm equipment and stock that they will encounter as part of their farm rides/ education here with us.
Any horse booked in for schooling must already be able to be ridden, otherwise they will need to be part of our starting program.
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Our schooling bookings start at 4 weeks minimum and are tailored to achieve the specific outcomes you are aiming for and your horse.
Please note that our booking length recommendations are a guide and can be more accurately given once we begin working with a horse.
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All inclusive rate of $650+gst per week and can be broken down accordingly;
Training $500 per week (5 days per week)
Agistment $100 per week (grazing, hay and hayledge as required)
Harvest grains hardfeed and Kohnkeys own mineral package $50 per week
Optional extra of solo grazing charged additionally at $50+gst per week.
Please see booking form for full details.
Long term Development
Long term development can be started at any stage of the horses life/stage. This option of training is suited to those wishing to get a more established horse back or for those looking to keep their horse with a professional rider for competition.
Murray has experience producing horses for general rides, eventing, hunting, show hunter etc however his primary discipline of riding is in classical dressage.
Murray competes and trains with his own horses within the dressage circuit and is happy to discuss adding your rising star to the team where available and to suit both parties.
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Long term development are training slots at a minimum of 12 weeks and are tailorable to your aims and hopes for the horse.
Please be sure to contact us to discuss.
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Pricing for long term development is tailored depended on length and outcome.
All inclusive rate +gst per week and can be broken down accordingly;
Training
Agistment $100 per week (grazing, hay and hayledge as required)
Harvest grains hardfeed and Kohnkeys own mineral package $50 per week
Optional extra of solo grazing charged additionally at $50+gst per week.
Please contact us to discuss.
Booking information
Our bookings operate on a block system throughout the year, and are booked out on a first come first served basis. If your selected block is full we will offer you the next available block as an alternate and mark your booking as willing to be brought forward / shifted to where appropriate.
If you wish to go ahead, we tend to book up quite fast, so if you are able to complete and submit the form as soon as is convenient we can secure dates for you.
Once your completed booking form is received we will enter your details into our system and send you an invoice for the booking deposit. We charge a $200 non-refundable deposit to secure your dates, this fee is then applied to your first invoice as a credit. Once paid your dates will be secured.
Hope that answers your question. If you have any further questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out, we are happy to answer any and all questions.
Other useful information
Contact Us
Interested in sending your horse to us for training? Keen to find your new equine companion? Or maybe you’re chomping at the bit to come and stay with us / book our venue for your next retreat.
Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you! 🥰