Where is your property?
We have a 5 acre lifestyle block in the foothills of Mt Pirongia!

How long have you been living there?
11 years.

What do you most appreciate about your property?
The commanding view, sense of community we have in Te Pahu, the wonderful mountain we have in our backyard.

What animals do you keep on your property?
1 x 30 year old pony mare named Goldie – sometimes called the old Trout
1 x 23 year old pony mare named Margo – she is the princess of all the animals – hates to get her feet dirty, hates the rain (has her own stable and special rugs) and does not associate with the other animals at all!
1 x 12 year old mare who is 15.2 hands – she is a sport horse
1 x transient gelding pony named Monty who is only here temporarily and will be moving on shortly – he is a young teenager who was in trouble and came to get some stability in his life!!!
12 chickens – 4 bought on the point of lay and we are still waiting (it has been 4 months!) and 8 old ones who have given up laying!
2 x lop eared rabbits called Magoo and Sandy – they are separated as one is female and one is male. The male rabbit named Mr Magoo lives with our Guinea pig named Walnut. Walnut and Mr Magoo get along very well – two bachelors living together on fresh grass, warm house, and all the vegetables scraps from the kitchen and occasional rabbit food!
1 x 12 year old golden Labrador who eats everything and everything without tasting it! He is a typical Labrador and he's part of the family with a bed inside the house now as he is old and stiff.
1 x RSPCA cat named Jess who thinks she is queen of the land, everybody’s beds and the granny flat too but it is actually Margo the princess pony. They get along quite well!
1 x 10 week old, one eyed kitten who was saved from death by coming to live at our house and since then has used up 3 of her 9 lives!!!!! As of today she is still alive!

1 x Indy the Goat (Click the picture to enlarge it) who game from Agriculture Day at the local school and she has her own flat accommodation which is attached to her via a very long chain. She has fresh water, hay, and lots of grass and weeds and has been known to eat clothes, hair and all the ponies food! Photographer's note - Indy was trying to eat the camera as this photo was taken.

Many other animals who are either in the family graveyard in the orchard or in the freezer for human consumption – such as the pigs and cows!

How well does your property suit the animals that you keep there?
We manage well with strong pasture management – mucking out paddocks, lime and fertilizer and rotation and resting of paddocks – although with horses and cows we would manage easier if it was flatter.

Why did you choose these particular animals?
Always had ponies and horses and wanted one again so chose 5 acres and the other animals came as we had children, and as people needed homes for their unwanted animals such as chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs and ponies.

Do they have a commercial, domestic or sporting use?
Cat is the mouser and rabbit hunter although we do get fed up picking up the bits and pieces from under the children’s bed.
The kitten is entertainment at 10 weeks – chasing everything and with one eye it is even more entertaining!
The ponies are pure pleasure for the kids and they give other kids pleasure through riding lessons – where kids gain confidence, independence and balance and respect for others.
The dog is for stress relief – one just needs to look at him sleeping and eating the days away always enjoying both to relax and unwind!
The chickens – well they were got for egg production which is rather minimal at the moment – I have to buy chicken food and eggs!!!! Also some of the chickens came from the neighbours and never went home to their real home – they just moved in with my other chickens
My 15.2 hh bay mare is for sporting pleasure – riding with others, competing and just quiet solitude riding on the hills with my own thoughts and spectacular scenery.
The cows – one per year for the freezer and the pigs 1 per year for the freezer too. Lovely organic meat.
Rabbits again were the world's orphans so they came to live here instead of being euthanized! Guinea pig was a Christmas present to a young boy who did not have a pet of his own!

What future plans do you have for your animals or your property?
Relocate Monty the pony in the next few months, kill the cow for the freezer and fresh steaks, and get chickens that lay. Our property will need more fencing with proper gates and some planting of more native trees for shelter and pleasing vistas.

How do you feed your animals?
Cow – just gets grass and hay
Horses & ponies – get chafage and Gum nuts and when my mare was pregnant and feeding I feed her a special brood mare feed that Animal Feedbarns recommended – it worked well. They also had a feed for growing foals with special nutrients which I also fed my foal. Salt blocks, garlic and glucosamine for the old ponies.

Do you have any animals who have thrived or continued into very healthy old age or been healed of something because of any particular foods or supplements you have given them?
I give my two old ponies glucosomine and garlic everyday and they are still moving freely and doing well considering their old age. They are both active, being ridden and well fed, wormed regularly and they have their teeth done so they can retain the nutrients of the food.

Any particularly memorable animals of all those you have owned?
Bugsy the cow who thought he was a horse. He grew up with the horses from 3 months of age and when they would go off to pony club competitions or away riding he would pace the fence line mooing madly until they came back. He would jump fences to get to them!
We also had Keta the Shetland pony who was a rescue animal and she lived until she was 21 and then got very bad cancer so we had to put her down. She taught all my children to ride and would look after them – she was long suffering and would put up with clothes pegs in her tail, being coloured with paint and felt pens, being dressed up and having soft toys stuck on her back! She would follow all of us big people when we rode over the hills taking the little ones for a ride with us never putting a foot wrong and looking after her small mounts.

Describe your favourite living animal that you own today?
My own horse – she is the 15.2hh mare who is kind and is the matriarch of the animals – she looks after everyone and ensures everyone is okay and safe. She is wise, kind and soft and loves children . She is fun to ride and is willing to do most things – she has taught me much about life, people and mothering!