Koru Creek Equine Retreat

07/12/2022

Pony Play Day Wednesday 14th, Tuesday 20th December and Thursday 22nd December. We are offering 3 days of all day Pony Play these coming holidays for our pony lovers. Based at our Equine retreat on the Ngunguru River near Glenbervie this day offers an opportunity to learn and practice all the skills required to be with ponies. Riding lesson/horsemanship skills/ground skills/safety/ handling, river swimming, (bring your togs) and connection time with our herd of wonderful ponies including foals. 9.30 to 3pm. $80.00 per day. Spaces limited. Please message if you would like to register.

28/06/2022

We are going to do it! Winter Pony Play. Its been a wet one and the ponies have been out on holiday so they are due some makeovers, love and attention from their humans. These 2 days will focus on learning to 'think like a pony'. Its going to be to wet for our arena riding so the focus is on horsemanship skills on the ground utilising the obstacle course and round pen with some ba****ck time to help us find a balanced centred position. There is so much to learn and practise winter is great time for this. Spaces will be limited to allow us to focus on these tasks. Bookings are open.now for Tuesday 12th/Thursday 14th July. Cost is $80.00 per day. We hope to see you there. Bring your gumboots, a wooly hat and raincoat.

23/03/2022

April School Holidays Pony Play Days.
We will be offering 2 days of Pony Play these coming holidays. Both in the second week Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th April. 9.30am - 3pm. 7 years and up. Our Pony Play Days provide children the opportunity to ride as well as develop their skills, confidence and safety with all the needs a pony has of its human. Catching, feeding , fitting gear, grooming, yard and gear care. We mix in a little bit of our fun filled amazing race or capture the flag moments and together we have a great day. To book please message us or contact Anna on 027 7097 111.

20/01/2022

We will be offering a limited number of riding lessons in Term 1 and Term 4 this year. We will touch base with our riders from last term to confirm your intentions for this term. If you have not ridden with us before do touch base to secure your place.

07/01/2022

We are offering a 3 day Pony Adventure Camp
24th Jan – 26th Jan

Our three day pony camp is a blend of horse riding, horsemanshop skills and pony play mixed with summertime adventures that make the most of our forest camp and pristine freshwater river swimming.

Each day will be jammed packed with a horse riding lesson, pony care for the whole herd, and horsemanship lessons whilst you get to cool off and get time out exploring the swimming spots, and playing games under the forest canopy. Night time is spent around the fire enjoying star gazing, outdoor cooking and the best of summertime camping.

Cost $320.00 (Inclusive GST)
Limited spaces. 9 - 14 years
For bookings and enquiries please contact us via messenger or email at [email protected]

07/01/2022

Dreamer gave birth to her long awaited foal on the night of January 1st. Here she is a little filly beautifully coloured like her mum. A matching pair.

08/12/2021

For those of you eagerly awaiting Mustards foal to be born... this delightful, sweet little girls arrived 11.30pm on December 6th. Name yet to be decided. Our Pony Play Day children will be able to enjoy all her cuteness

24/11/2021

Our last Pony Play day dates are set for 2021. Tuesday 21st December we are offering a 9.30 to 3 day of pony adventures. Bring your togs, its going to be the longest day of summer so I imagine the river will be a great place to cool off when not with our furry friends. Cost $80.00 per child. Bookings essential and limited spaces.

20/11/2021

You have been asking so here it is. Our summer dates to support our young equine enthusiasts. The long hot days are here so no doubt swimming the ponies in the river will be part of our learning. We will be offering 3 consecutive days of ridings lesson in a 3 day clinic the weekend before Christmas, with a Pony Play day on Tuesday 21st. Suitable for beginners up. Pony Play Days cater for the 7 plus age group.
For further information and bookings please contact us.
We hope you can join us.

01/09/2021

We are opening bookings for our Term 4 Riding Lessons. Limited places are available Wednesday and Thursday after school from 3pm. Tuesdays we have availablity for our homeschool riders during school hours.
This term we are offering
30 minute one on one lessons for those 7 and under.
7 and over there is the option for 30 and 45 minute lessons one on one.
Gaia and Shanti will be your coaches and the ponies are excited to be back in and sharing their love with you.
Please contact us for costs, availability and term dates.
(Picturs Shanti and Gaia in action last summer on Percy and Banjo)

01/09/2021

School Holidays are just around the corner and we are offering 3 days of Pony Play for our Pony Play day enthusiasts. We have been up to so much over the winter months to share with you. Our Wild Kaimanawa Foals kept us busy and are now well settled into life. Rona our foal was born in May. A winter foal his mum and him have been getting extra special treatment. Our fun filled days of pony adventures will be on Tuesday and Thursday in the first week and Wednesday the second week. Each day will bring a special focus with riding and horsemanship and safety skills daily. If you would like to share one or more of these days with us make contact now to book your spot.

25/03/2021

Our Pony Play days are back this April. With so many asking about them we will be offering 2 days, come to one or enjoy both.
Wednesday 28th April (fully booked) and Friday 30th April 9.30 - 3pm at our Secret Spot in Glenbervie. $75.00 per day. Our days are filled with everything pony from learning to stay safe whilst handling, grooming, stable and yard management, obstacle courses and riding whilst enjoying time with our wonderful herd of ponies. Booking can be made by completing the following form. If you have any questions send us a message and we are happy to help.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOs2rSRSJsndQQuWPDFA_G7e3KximnSRz7faVixhZjURuXCg/viewform

21/05/2020

This past week we have welcomed Lucy the Kaimanawa to our herd. She is with us to be started under saddle. Lucy is the first pony we have taken on to start outside of starting our own ponies over the years and we think it's pretty neat she is a Kaimanawa. Lucy is 6 years old, about 14hh maybe a touch above. She was born in captivity. She shows all the great traits of our other Kais. Steady, level headed, and a quick learner. We will share more over the coming weeks.

01/02/2020

Our ponies have had a wonderful summer of swimming and hanging out under the trees. Our Term One Riding Lessons are starting soon. We have limited places for group lessons on Tuesday and Thursday for children 7 and over. We also offer 30 minute one on one lessons for children 6 and under Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. To find out more or make a booking, you can message us here.

03/10/2019

Meet the herd. This is Dip short for Dipped in Paint. Named after his white socks and splash up the side of his body. Dip is one of our Showjumping ponies however he is multi-talented and is very kind to riders learning the ropes so at times we will bring him into the academy for riders suited to his talents. We like to ensure we get a good match of rider to their mount. Dip is a 14.2 hh Pinto now 7 years old. His favourite pastime we think is just cruizing, and sleeping however he does know how to crank it up when out in the competition arena.

03/10/2019

Our Term 4 lessons start Week 1 of the term. Those who have enquired will be sent the following link to confirm/formalise their registration. If you are keen to join in on our term 4 programme here is the registration link.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehwlWfZ0sgRhmIquZLQBNaaUIBvkw-pfm94XzPTorQYBtRUg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Please complete the below to enrol in Term Time Riding Sessions

24/08/2019

When you come riding at Koru Creek you may be assisted with your riding by Gaia and Shanti. Both girls ride successfully competitively, focusing on the disciplines Showjumping, Showhunter, and Eventing. Most weekends they are traveling with their ponies to venues around Northland and sometimes NZ. At times some riders will experience the enjoyment of riding their ponies. 🐴

22/08/2019

Meet the herd: Kiko was once a Wild Kaimanawa roaming the Kaimanawa Ranges in the Central North Island. She was adopted in 2016 as a 18 month old and trained by Gaia who was 11 at the time. A very kind and willing pony Gaia taught her to lie down, stand on pedestals and walk on balance beams. She is now 5 years old and is a very steady pony for young riders to learn to ride on. Kiko is 14hh and is usually the first to the gate to greet visitors. In this picture she is on the right ridden by Gaia. Cassie her Kaimanawa sister is with her.

20/08/2019

Term 4 Weekly Riding Academy.
We are taking registrations for our Term 4 'Pony Lovers' programme of 9 weeks starting week October 14th going through to week 9th December. We offer lessons for small groups (up to three riders depending on experience) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We hold 2 session times 2.45pm- 3.45pm and 4pm-5pm. These lessons are open for riders 7 years and up. For riders under 7 years we offer one on one 30 minute lessons Preschoolers may be interested in our Preschoolers with Ponies programme run fortnightly from October 14th on Mondays 10am-12. We are based on Waiotoi Raod in Ngunguru. To find out more, costs and availability please message us.

20/08/2019

Meet the herd: Puku is our smallest member. At 12 hh our little Welsh pony has been with us for over 15 years. She has encouraged the love of ponies for many children experiencing their first pony ride and has taught all our children to become competent young riders including national title holders! She is getting on in her years now so we treat her well and hope she still has a few more years to support more young pony enthusiasts. Puku helps us on our Preschoolers with Ponies programme and gets our smallest riders, riding confidently.

20/08/2019

Welcome to our page and home of Koru Creek Equine Retreat. We provide children both local and those visiting the Tutukaka Coast, the opportunity to learn to work confidently and competently with their equine friends. We have an established herd of ponies some of who have assisted childrens learning for many years. We offer weekday after school riding lessons during the term time as well as riding academies in the holiday periods and residential camps. Keep an eye on our page for more about upcoming events and current programmes or contact us to find out how we can assist your childs needs. Our Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy programme - Being with Horses - provides a limited number of spaces weekly to children with learning and developmental needs. 🐴🦄🐴
Who are we.
Koru Creek Farm and Equine Retreat is an organic farm established in 2002 by Dean Aplin and Anna Gentry. 100 acres located in the forests behind Ngunguru, they share it with 4 children and an established herd of horses who have assisted over the years many children to love ponies and learn to ride. In recent years they have established The Secret Spot near Glenbervie just off the Tutukaka Coast Road, an ideal place to facilitate retreats for both equine and human. Dean and Anna come from Outdoor Education backgrounds so take the implementation of safety seriously and draw on the many years of experience they have accumulated assisting young people to learn and grow. Anna an experienced teacher, has ridden and worked with horses from her childhood, having bred, started, and trained many of the ponies who are in our current herd. Her children Gaia and Shanti are competitive riders, representing the region nationally. Together they assist clients through providing positive and enriching experiences for young pony lovers. 🐴🦄🐴

20/08/2019

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20/08/2019