Ross Konui and Harvey Morrow recall their years capturing wild horses on the central plateau of the North Island.
Harvey is now in his late 70s and is described as the ‘father of big game hunting’ in New Zealand and a life member of the Deerstalkers Association. He spent much of his life chasing and catching wild horses.
He now lives in Turangi in retirement and joins his friend Ross Konui and producer Stephen Riley on the western slopes of Mt Tongariro. Ross points out landmarks as they look over the Whanganui River valley. He says there used to be a large mob of wild horses in the tussock area below them in his youth. He says when he first came up here with his father and brother, he would ride bareback. He has lived in the Rotoaira area all his life and recalls how a horse hunt was a major community event in his youth. He describes the preparations for catching horses and how the chase would take place.
Ross says they would mostly try and capture the young horses, leaving the older mares and stallions. They would wait for the horses to become tired from being chased and when they came back up the mountain they would almost be just walking and relatively easy to catch.
Harvey used a different technique in scrub country, setting snares to catch the horses. He and Ross discuss the differences in their techniques.
Harvey talks about how the wild horses were hard to catch but could be domesticated quite easily and became very loyal. He talks about how hard they fight when first caught and the vicious fighting between stallions over mares. He says they would sometimes fight to the death using their teeth and hooves. They talk about the nature of the wild horses and their intelligence.
The large wild herds are now disappearing following culls. Ross talks about the horse he is currently riding, who is descended from wild parents.