SKS Kaimanawas

18/10/2022

Here’s a before and after winter transformation for Archie! He has certainly wintered well! 2nd photo is from 1 month since muster… and recent photo. 🤎

08/10/2022

Yesterday we welcomed Koha’s foal into the world. Born at 2:10am 7 October 2022. 🧡

Koha is a protective mare but this morning she brought her baby up to meet me🧡🥰

Name suggestions welcome☺️

21/07/2022

Happy Friday everyone 💕 these two having a snooze after all that crazy weather we had lately!

Archibaldo 🖤 Phoenix 🧡

19/06/2022

The Kaimanawa mares have been going on little hand grazing adventures around the property the last couple weeks❣️

04/06/2022

So many milestones achieved this week.
Archi has had his registration photos taken, and got his first clip! 1 month out of the wild and he couldn’t care less about the noise or the feeling. He’s so relaxed about His new life like he’s been here since birth. Maybe it’s cause of his young age but his personality and nature takes a huge toll of it too!🖤

Koha got her first bath and wearing a cover. 🧡 her tail is so thick it took a couple rinse and repeats till the water finally washed out clean. It’ll probably be filthy again by the morning cause she loves a good roll!

Kuia is now following me around the round yard more consistently and we have achieved our first touches on the neck/shoulder. She has such a kind eye but very weary of my hand movement, but slow and steady now will definitely be worth the wait later on🤎

01/06/2022

New cover for Mr Archie and also has been month since being mustered! He’s now matching with Phoenix which is super cute!

31/05/2022

The second of 14 combinations to compete in the ULTRA-MOX FREEDOM TO FRIENDSHIP STALLION CHALLENGE is SHARON KLIJN and ARCHIBALDO!

1 MONTH TRAINING UPDATE

About Archibaldo (aka Archie):
Archibaldo or known as Archie at home is my 2yo stallion currently standing at a estimate of 13.2hh. Archibaldo symbolises genuine, bold and brave. From the first day, he has been really accepting of the new way of life and has trusted me in many ways. I have been able to halter him at day 4, have trimmed all 4 feet and he got gelded by day 17/18. Archie has been adventuring around the property, and starting to enjoy all the fuss in the stables too. He loves his grass/hay and hardfeed since the first week of arriving in my yards. He shows an amazing attitude towards all I introduce to him for the first time, being able to cover all basic handling, this includes leading, tying up, grooming, picking up all 4 feet and covering. With his age being only two, I won’t be able to back him for the challenge but to me that means I can focus on getting a very strong bond on the ground and no other than his happiness and health is my number one priority.

About Sharon:
I am Sharon Klijn, I am based near Whangarei, twenty one years old and horses are my passion. I have fulfilled my dream of working with horses each day since I left school in 2018 and after coming back in 2019 from an overseas work experience in the Netherlands started my own business “SKS – Sharon Klijn Sporthorses”, breeding and producing sporthorses.
Over the years there has not been a day gone by without learning and questioning how to be better for my horses. I learned most of my skills from my mother and people I met over the past 7 years, who have inspired me in different ways, who have shaped me into the horsewoman I am today. I know principles of dressage, jumping, driving and liberty training, as well as having a great interest in equine bodywork, able to help horses in pain. Working with and reading the horses are definitely my strongest skills, but helping others in their horse journey as a coach is giving me great pleasure too. All opportunities to produce horses, including untouched and problem horses, have taught me more about how horses actually think and learn, and how the biomechanics of horse and rider is a very important ingredient too. Working with a wild horse is one of the most rewarding experiences so far, finding out all I have learned about horse communication is true and correct, my horse being my biggest teacher and my mirror.

To follow Archie’s journey, plus the other Kaimanawas Sharon takes on, follow SKS Kaimanawas on instagram or Facebook.

30/05/2022

Archie had his first bath (with warm water - lucky boy!)

Kuia improving with each session I have with her. First touches on her head and getting a lot more confident with the carrot stick touching her shoulders/neck on both sides and her head through the loop. And allowing me to stand beside her shoulder about 1m away

26/05/2022

Another awesome day with the Kai’s!

Phoenix took a 11 year old for a jump and a pony ride for even littler rider afterwards! And I couldn’t be more pleased!

Koha meet one of the girls over the fence❤️ and I worked on picking up her back legs, and was all to easy for her like she did it a million times before.

Kuia has had her first touches of the carrot stick on the neck/shoulder and getting braver with locating her head through the loop 💕

25/05/2022

Day 23
•Archi •
still recovering from his vet visit. So has been enjoying grooming sessions and walks with Phoenix from their paddock to arena and back and having snacks of grass along the way.
Dinner time is his favourite time of the day!

• Kuia •
Now with having the other two Kai’s in paddocks I’m able to get more one on one time with her. She’s starting to open up and getting a bit more interested in interacting with me and with things like saddle blankets/ropes hanging off the rails.

•Koha•
Shes enjoying the open space of the paddock. A real lover of food! Always waiting for her hay and favourite hard feed and Equibrew.
✅Able to catch her (haltered) next milestone to work towards will be without.
✅ touch her all over and down all 4 legs.
✅She had a little makeover with her mane detangled and her tail tidied up with a trim.
✅front feet picked up.

•Phoenix• (2021)
Giving the cross country jump a go. Flying over it twice has high!

21/05/2022

Happy boys together. Phoenix from 2021 muster and Archibaldo from 2022 muster🧡🖤

1st full day being a gelding and all is recovering well!

20/05/2022

Archi met our awesome vet and her assistant today. Perfectly behaved with hardly no resistance on his behalf to get him gelded which allowed for a nice smooth procedure to happen! He’ll have a couple days to rest up and recover and then back to more training.

19/05/2022

Archi is getting to experience the stable life with Phoenix next door to keep company🖤🧡 He also got his follow up wormer done and his feet trimmed! I think he is rather enjoying himself.

16/05/2022

Day 14 (2weeks!)

•Archi•
The last couple days Archi has been touching up on more leading and plenty of grooming sessions making sure every inch can be touched. He has also been on small hand grazing adventures.
He’s loving his hard feed! And continues to give me friendly nickering neighs every time I’m near by or approaching.

•Koha•
This girl continues to amaze me. She’s now had a couple leading sessions and also been getting to groom her, making a start to detangling her dreadlocks!
When it comes to feeding time she’s just behind me following my every move, waiting for the feed bucket or hay to be placed on the ground for her.

•Kuia•
Slowly but surely we are gaining trust. She’s been sneaking up behind me while I spend time in her space and checking me out.

15/05/2022

Phoenix looking super cute out at showjumping!🧡

12/05/2022

Day 10

•Koha•
Today we have reached another milestone for this sweet mare. A halter is on! She is truely a gift 💕

•Archi•
Did more work on picking up front legs and starting working on his hind legs too. With getting daily grooming sessions and eating Fiber Fresh his coat and condition has improved, starting to glow as the days go by. I’ve just started him and Kuia on the EquiBrew that was kindly given to each horse that was mustered! Thank you Equibrew for amazing support to Kaimanawa Heritage Horses always doing wonders with these Kaimanawas and of course the many other horses. My horses love it!

11/05/2022

Day 9 Update

•Archibaldo•
This dude is such a joy to see when I go to their area. For the last couple days he has been greeting me or my mum when we talk to him! 🥰 in his session today we picked up his front legs and I gave him a brush and a trim to the tail/ bridle path.

•Koha•
We had our very first touch on both sides of the neck/shoulder to the side of her head❣️ along with Archie she is also very vocal and has been greeting us too. It’s a puts a cheek hurting smile on every time they do, I’m still yet to get it on camera so I can share with you.

•Kuia•
Every session is still just sitting in her yard offering grass and just chilling out so she becomes used to me. She’s starting to become more brave with me being there even if I move my arm to grab more grass for her and stays standing within 1m distance. A couple days ago a small move my of my arm or hand would have upset her and made her hide in the corner of the yard… I’m very proud of her progress even it is much slower than the other two.❤️

08/05/2022

Day 6, photos🐴❣️💕

06/05/2022

•Archi•

In the early hours of day 4 since arriving at my property… we successfully put on his first halter❣️ and did a session this afternoon with pressure and release - (the start of learning how to lead and eventually tying up)

He’s really something special and I can’t wait to see how we progress.

For those wondering what his full name ( Archibaldo ) means.

Meaning:genuine, bold, and brave.

04/05/2022

•Kuia• even though she does not yet want to eat grass from my hand she was comfortable enough to lay down within 10m from me.

03/05/2022

He’s pretty handsome I must say 😍🥰so brave too

02/05/2022

Here they are….! the Kai’s have arrived 😍 and I’m in awwwww. Beautiful solid mares, young and looking like they are in foal and handsome young dude for the stallion challenge😍

15/02/2022

20/01/2022

What you do to get fish n chips when your on the south side of Whananaki…Phoenix’s first swim and was the first one to cross. Stood like darling at the takeaway shop…. Some saddle cleaning to do now though!

09/01/2022

Todays adventure consisted of riding along the beach!

15/11/2021

Fun in the sun ☀️

14/11/2021

Love his wild mane 🧡

02/11/2021

Can you guess what Phoenix and I have been working on lately?🤩💕 strange to think he came out of the wild 6months ago completely wild and now doing moves like this.

One happy girl and her pony❤️

19/09/2021

So proud of this boy! Had his very first off property adventure that wasn’t just driving around the block and back home! We met Tori Lee Kaimanawa’s challenge horse at her property and had a play in their arena. Thank you Tori for inviting us over!

Where to next? 🤩💕