This year’s Kaimanawa horse muster has been cancelled due to the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Each April a muster takes place in the Kaimanawa Range to control the population of wild horses.
Department of Conservation (DoC) operations manager for the central plateau Dave Lumley said a recent population count revealed there were about 447 horses in the range.
“We were hoping to take out 170; 60 would have received a contraception vaccination before being released and the rest would be up for rehoming.
“Planning was well under way when we were hit by Cyclone Gabrielle - a combination of road closures, feed shortages and transport logistics means the idea of rehoming horses from the muster would be really difficult.”