Newsletter no 95
18 December 2016
Hello friends and supporters
Our hay is in the barn, the horses have been turned out for the holidays, and all that remains is to
bring you up to date with our news.
While making notes for this newsletter I was amazed at the long list of organisations, funding trusts
and individuals who have helped us out since 20 September when the last newsletter was written
(yes, I know this is well overdue). We found ourselves in danger of going under a few months ago
but the response from caring people put us back on our feet, and words are not enough to express
our gratitude:
 Trust House Foundation ensured our survival with a large grant that will pay staff
 Hastings Masonic Trust has generously picked up the tab for our farrier costs
 Eastern and Central Community Trust is assisting with all-important overhead costs
 Infinity Foundation for horse feed and supplements – essential for our older horses
 First Light Foundation for coming to the rescue when our computer died
 Tasman Smith Charitable Trust for a wonderful discretionary grant
 ANZ Staff Foundation for a grant to fund some of the children who missed out when other
funding was pulled
 Hawke’s Bay Foundation, through whom individuals have made extremely generous
donations
 Community Post for envelopes, assisting us hugely to keep our friends and supporters
informed
The following groups and clubs blessed us with donations from funds laboriously raised by their
own efforts:
 Heretaunga Tramping Club; St Columba’s Fellowship Group; Lions Club of Napier;
Knox Op Shop; Village Friends
 Equilibrium Australia have a donation bucket for leg-Up whenever they come to Equidays
or HOY and we honour their faithfulness in this. Just goes to show that we have some real
dinkum Aussie mates. Thanks Andrew, Megan and Ricci.
And last, but certainly not least, individuals. Many of these people have given more than once:
 Rex and Christine Binnie, P Isherwood, ND and LJ Stewart, John Somers, E Holmes,
B and D Driscoll, Steve and Liz Rangihuna, Geoff and Christine Small, Helen
Whittaker and Brian and Angela Rodway
We don’t waste a cent of these funds. Our sole aim is to walk with the broken and help put them
back together. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
Donated gear and other goods arrived from dear friends and strangers alike:
 Equestrian Supply regularly sends us boxes of goodies
 Basil and Ethel Le Prou give us Christmas cakes, coffee and tea in large quantities every
Christmas

Several other people have dropped off gear and other items. We don’t always know who
they are, but thank you.
We take none of you for granted.
Special events
Two events held to raise funds for Leg-Up in recent times were enjoyed by all participants:
 The Annual Teachers’ Charity Golf Tournament organised so ably by Murray Barker
blessed us for fifth year running, and it was good to catch up with players who have taken
part since the first tournament in 2012. Some come from outside the region to this popular
tourney.
 For the first time this year, three enthusiastic people got together to organise The School
Dance 1966 to raise funds for Leg-Up. Howard Padman, Kim Howard and Margie Hardy
left no stone unturned to put on a fabulous night of dancing and music that brought back
fond memories for those of us who were teenagers in the 60s. My feet are still hurting - they
haven’t attempted the twist for 50 years…
Huge thanks to all these wonderful people for putting in so much effort to help us out. They have
proved that funds can be raised painlessly (apart from the feet in the case of the dance) and with
great enjoyment. We cannot thank you enough.
Horsing Around Aotearoa Calendar
Larissa and Kendall, our intrepid trekkers have had to put the rest of the trek on hold till next year
due to injury, but they have not been idle. They have produced a beautiful calendar depicting their
journey so far. If you want one, please let me know and I’ll pass on the order to Larissa.
Ranges Trip
Through the extreme generosity of Grada Dixon, we took two deserving students on the
Kaimanawa Heritage Horses Ranges Trip again this year. What a memorable weekend it was for
the boys and the staff members who accompanied them. Both boys work with one of our
Kaimanawa horses, and seeing where Roxy came from was a real eye-opener. Their behaviour
was exemplary and I find myself shaking my head in wonderment about labelling kids.
The Brat
There’s not a horsey person in NZ who hasn’t heard of The Brat. She was the tiny minx who was
left behind during the Kaimanawa muster three years ago and had to be chivvied for several hours
back to her mum in the capture yards. Ungrateful little woggins that she was, she kicked out at the
helicopter that was saving her from certain death alone in the ranges. She has been in the care of
Tracey Thompson of Kaimanawa Krazy fame since her capture and when Tracey had to make
room for the Kaimanawas from this year’s muster to be handled, she offered The Brat (less well
known as Spirit of Kaimanawa) to us on loan. She arrived two weeks ago and made her presence
felt immediately. She’s bold and brassy but very lovable and she’s enjoying Charm School.
Mercy Dash
Shamrock and Crackerjack, two of our relief therapy horses during the winter whenever our
regulars need a break, were loaded up on Tuesday 13 December for their return to the remote
bush camp where they spend the summer with their owner, one of our trustees. On Wednesday 14
December Kendall and I were racing to the camp nearly three hours away on a mercy dash to
retrieve both horses. Why? A thoughtless person had delivered a sizable quantity of pindone
poison to the camp and failed to leave it in the designated safe place. By the time their owner got
back to camp, Crackerjack and Shamrock had helped themselves to the bait. Thanks to our
fantastic vet, Nicky Chadwick from Animal Care Vet Clinic, we were able to take the first
treatment (44 capsules of vitamin K per horse) with us and give it to them before spending a
sleepless night and then returning the horses to Willow Farm. It has been an anxious wait but it
looks as if they have dodged a very nasty bullet. Massive thanks to Carolyn Thompson of Pilates
By Design who made a generous donation towards their treatment, and Alison Reed who
donated a truckload of Lucerne hay to aid in their recovery (Lucerne contains vitamin K). Both
horses will be with us for some time for monitoring.
Now for the hard bit
The day after returning home with Shamrock and Crackerjack we made the dreadfully hard
decision to release one of our all-time great therapy horses, Dewey, from the inevitably painful
death from lymphoma. Dewey entered my life 17 years ago as a mixed-up horse who didn’t seem
to fit anywhere and was passed from hand to hand several times in his ten years. I made him the
solemn promise never to part with him and he rewarded this commitment by becoming
indispensable whenever a child was in need of special gentleness and understanding. He mended
many a broken heart over the years, but has left several kids (not to mention the staff) with a deep
sense of grief at his passing. Our kids are mostly very resilient but for some of them this has been
their first experience of personal loss, so we have had to hide our own tears while wiping away
those of Dewey’s young friends. He is irreplaceable but there’s a young understudy waiting in the
wings. Time for you to step up, Brat!
Special thanks to vet Nicky Chadwick and to Tracey Harland who has been on the same journey
with her beloved Mickey Kaimanawa and was able to reassure me that the right decision was
being made.
We will never forget you, gentle Dewey. You were a saint among horses.
Soapbox
Why, oh why, Mrs Parata, in spite of your sweeping changes to education, are there still kids aged
13 unable to read and write? Why are these kids labelled as difficult, unruly, intractable and a
whole lot of other negative descriptions when they have not only fallen through the cracks but in
some cases have been shoved? Please don’t brag about a $1.8 billion surplus on the one hand
and deny these kids the assistance they need by pleading a lack of resources.
Why do we have children as young as nine attempting to take their own lives as a result of
bullying? In some cases they are bullied because they have special needs that are not being met,
and their lives become intolerable as their silent cries remain unheard. No child should ever be put
in the too-hard basket, especially by a government wealthy enough to do something other than
make vague gestures towards ‘fixing’ them. Filling in outcomes and kpi forms doesn’t cut it, folks!
Finally…
I wish to thank our amazing staff members, volunteers and trustees for their loyalty, passion and
dedication throughout what has been a very testing year. I’m constantly reminded gold being
tested through fire to be proved pure.
And to all our friends and supporters, thank you for sticking with us. You give us hope. May 2017
be a peaceful and rewarding year for you all.
Ros Rowe
RIP Dewey