Monday, October 29, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Fiji Overview
Recently KCT returned from Fiji where they spent 2 weeks treating horses and assisting and educating locals on general horse care, training and welfare, much the same as we did in Egypt.
Below is a brief overview by Chloe on what the team were up to and how it compared to the Pyramid horses of Egypt.
Below is a brief overview by Chloe on what the team were up to and how it compared to the Pyramid horses of Egypt.
What a whirlwind trip, can't believe I'm back on home soil already.Fiji was different from Egypt in so many ways, both good and bad. Instead of unending sand and ancient monuments, we were climbing up gnarly mountainside gravel roads to remote villages or driving through rivers in the gorgeous Yaqara station. Egypt - you saw animals walk in with hundreds of different health problems; in Fiji it was a case of seeing the same thing, again,and again, on every single horse. Huge ulcerating saddle sores along the wither and spine (from poor fitting saddles), dehydration and no hoof care or maintenance.
Sadly we saw horses as young as eight months old with saddles on and on the very first day a yearling was ridden in to have its hooves done. There were also a number of dental problems due to the high sugar diet of some of the horses (eating left over sugar cane).
On a positive note the locals were more than happy to learn and genuinely made an effort to understand what we were trying to teach - which was a nice change from some of the Egyptian attitudes.
The work we did handling unbroken horses,and training basic farrier skills at Yaqara was especially well received; farrier tools were left behind so that one particularly competent worker could carry on with what he had learned.There is definitely a need and potential to go back and carry on work there, and I think the future looks very promising.
Sadly we saw horses as young as eight months old with saddles on and on the very first day a yearling was ridden in to have its hooves done. There were also a number of dental problems due to the high sugar diet of some of the horses (eating left over sugar cane).
On a positive note the locals were more than happy to learn and genuinely made an effort to understand what we were trying to teach - which was a nice change from some of the Egyptian attitudes.
The work we did handling unbroken horses,and training basic farrier skills at Yaqara was especially well received; farrier tools were left behind so that one particularly competent worker could carry on with what he had learned.There is definitely a need and potential to go back and carry on work there, and I think the future looks very promising.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
KCT Newsletter
For more info on what the team are up to check out our monthly newsletters and subscribe for free
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Sunday, July 8, 2012
Tokerau Beach Ride
Tokerau Beach Ride July 2012
My last day in NZ - We took the wild horses (Fern and Matai) to Tokerau Beach for a day of fun, and fun it was! We couldn't find our other 2 friends at the start which lead to us having a race with 3 local boys! Epic! And we ended up finding the other 2 along the way.
Check out the above link to see the video :)
Fern and Matai are from the Kaimanawa ranges where Chloe adopted and trained. Awesome horses to ride, so chilled, calm and comfy!
Ps: Very sad not to be going to Fiji - Unfortunately Perth doesn't do as good a deals as NZ!
My last day in NZ - We took the wild horses (Fern and Matai) to Tokerau Beach for a day of fun, and fun it was! We couldn't find our other 2 friends at the start which lead to us having a race with 3 local boys! Epic! And we ended up finding the other 2 along the way.
Check out the above link to see the video :)
Fern and Matai are from the Kaimanawa ranges where Chloe adopted and trained. Awesome horses to ride, so chilled, calm and comfy!
Ps: Very sad not to be going to Fiji - Unfortunately Perth doesn't do as good a deals as NZ!
Fiji
Woohoo, so it feels like I'm still just recovering from Egypt, and now it's time to start planing the next big adventure.
Kiwi Care Team, is traveling again, this time we are going to Fiji. To work to re educate locals, and care for animals there. Again taking vets, farriers and volunteers. The bad thing is... Stephs not coming... I'm not sure about an adventure without Steph , it's never really happened before, she's my adventure freind, Steph and crazy times go hand in hand....
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Chloe and Lifestyle Farmer
Big congrats to Chloe who is now writing articles for Lifestyle Farmer magazine! She has written a great one on volunteering abroad in this months June issue. If you get the chance to grab one then definitely do - they are a great read and you can pick up some handy tips and "big ideas for small farms".
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
A brief encounter
EGYPT
I had no idea what to expect coming to
Egypt. I’d heard all these stories about how dangerous it was, tourists getting
kidnapped, countless acts of abuse and or harassment, riots, killings and so
on... So wasn’t I in for a shock when wherever I went there was nothing but
greetings of “Welcome! Welcome to Egypt! Where are you from? Jamaica?!
Alaska?!”
We all worked like Trojans, just got stuck
right into it... there was no time for slacking off - so many four legged(s)
were in dire need of assistance; many of which were so far gone it’s a wonder
they even had the will to stand let alone work. I’d have wanted to curl up in a
dark corner and pray to never see the light of day again! Though I guess these
poor creatures simply knew no better.
It wasn’t all shock horror tragic cases
though, there were some beautiful, well fed, glossy, too much energy, ‘I’m too
big for my boots’ Arabians or should I say ‘Dancing Horses’ – a total contrast
in amongst the dehydrated, emaciated working horses. It really makes you wonder
doesn’t it?
I’d often wonder to myself – are we really
making a difference? We’re here for just three weeks, treating these animals left,
right and centre... What will happen when we leave? Will they just revert back to
the way they were before?
All was not in vain however; Chloe and I had
two kids (Mohammad (7-8) and Moses (12)) who joined us in cleaning and treating
wounds. It was a start! They wanted to help as much as possible and in return
we tought them as much as was feasible. Now we can only hope they took home a
little of what they learnt.
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Another encouraging moment was when owners
would bring their animals back for revisits and by the end of the three weeks
we began to notice some definite improvements. Some were very concerned for the
wellbeing of their animal and the reoccurring trend seemed to be that they
simply did not know what to do...
Of course, there were those too that just
wanted to hawker in on the free treatment in hope of free goods and around the
corner out of sight saddles would be swung back on, whips cracked and hooves
squabbling for grip on the concrete roads as they were forced to gallop flat tack
to god knows where.
The vets we worked with were amazing, they
worked hard and were open to learn as much as possible form our vets, dentists,
farriers’ and nurses.
One fond memory that stands out to me
was when two of the younger vets last minuite asked if we wanted to go horse
riding into the desert. I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by
regardless of how knackered I was! I dragged Chloe (who was feeling rather
sick) to come along with me (she also had no choice in the matter – I wasn’t
letting her pass this up for anything!) unfortunately everyone else was too
exhausted... So we met the vets, checked our noble steeds were in fine form (we
would not get on anything that had any sign of emaciation or pain of any shape
or form) and proceeded to ride through the back alley streets, past stables,
stores – literally through people’s homes so to speak, at one point we rode
through what looked to be the beginning of a shindig (there were massive
speakers blasting the latest U.K. pop songs and people sitting around smoking
their shisha pipes and drinking tea)... on past a Muslim cemetery (which sadly
looked more like a rubbish dump), around a few more bends and we were into the
open!
We were up over the dunes in no time and the view of the pyramids was
nothing short of spectacular. I don’t think they could ever cease to impress
me!
After a short rest where we had marvelled
at the landscape (we could see more pyramids in the distance, not to mention
the endless city of Cairo in the other direction), we were back in the saddle
and heading back before darkness set in singing “...riding through the desert
on my horse with no name...” by the America’s, coincidently we didn’t know the
names of our horses! Well, more precisely we couldn’t actually remember the
names the young guide had told us before we embarked on our Lawrence of Arabia adventure!
It’s one thing going somewhere as a tourist
but to actually immerse yourself in the culture and do as the locals do is a
whole other ball game. Working with the charities was incredibly rewarding; I
learnt so much and have so much to take away with me. I hope that I somewhat
was able to have the same effect to the people we worked.
Unfortunately as we know, change rarely
happens immediately but with plans on the horizon for the very near future, I
look forward to returning to Egypt where we can pursue what we have started in
attempt to help implement change for the better through education,
encouragement and positive reinforcement.
Back home now
and back into the daily routine... It all seems so quiet and structured and
routinely! I miss the bustling chaos – there was never a minutes rest, I could
swear Cairo never slept! And I never thought I’d be saying this but I even miss
the prayer calls blasting at 4am through the loud speakers which were littered
all over
the city!
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Sunday, April 22, 2012
egypt
For one reason or another, we never quite got around to writing about our experiances in Egypt as they were happening.
Back in New Zealand now, i look back and cant beleive all that has happened.
Egypt was amazing. The people, the culture, the history and the rubbish. I loved it, the work and the experiance, i would be back there in a heartbeat.
Not all experiances were positive, the animal conditions overe there are more horrendous than you can imagine. The horses fall into two categories, those that are amazing beautiful and healthy, and those that are 'dead horse walking' and look like a skelton with a skin thrown over top. I feel i have seen every problem under the sun, all those things you get taught here in New Zealand but never actually see. Every leg and hoof abnormailty, blown tendons, firing scars, broken legs, some of which had healed, bandages done so tight you unwrap them and the animals foot falls off with it., wither fistulas that ooze mnoutains of puss, string tied through horses flesh, severed toungues from bits, smashed teeth, burns, punctures, blindness, the list goes on and on and on...
Yet every day i was there i woke inspired, and wanted to gwt to the clinic to start the days work. Because it actually felt like you were making a differance, even if it was just temporarily easing the animals suffering.
Its funny how things become common place too. when we first arrived we were almost wetting our pants with excitement at seeing a camel, by the end we had seen and treated so many we didint even blink an eye.
despite all the bad, i know Steph and myself would be back there in a heartbeat, the adventure and the people, the kids that followed us around every day and helped us treat the animals made ut the most fantastic experiance. It left me inspired to make change, to travel to even more remote places, and to keep writing this blog so i never forget all that happened
Friday, February 10, 2012
One Step Closer!
3 X rabies shots, tetnus booster, polio booster, HepA & Typhoid and HepB booster - Jabs officially complete! Pending the blood test results confirming enough rabie antibodies are floating around in my blood stream! Fingers x'd, I've surely had enough jabs the last few weeks to now last me a life time. 
Chloe, your turn now!
We don't want to end up like this poor canine!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Why go to Egypt -Chloe
I'm sitting here, late at night trying to not scratch my arm, or rather the two raised angry red lumps, that mark the two rabies injections. Those two little lumps have significant meaning to me, a symbol of a journey that's going to happen, an adventure about to begin. They mean I'm doing it, I'm going to Egypt.
People talk about new years resolutions, well my resolutions happened long before the new year. My resolution happened when i saw an add on face book about starving animals in Egypt, and a little niggling bit inside me that was looking for adventure and meaning, suddenly clicked, and i resolved that come the new year i would go to Egypt. It fitted exactly what i was looking for and what i wanted to do. So i signed up, with no finances, and not sure how i was going to make it possible, i decided i was going to do it, i just knew one way or another this was my goal and not just another passing idea.
Well now the tickets are paid for, and the immunisations i need to travel there and work with animals have started, i have the bank account and bumps on my arm to show that my resolution is happening. I'm going, and I'm damn excited. Better yet, i get to go with one of my oldest and dearest friends, because when i saw this opportunity i knew of only one person, who would want to go just as badly as me. I rang Steph, and just like that we were both going to Egypt.
Family and friends have had mixed reactions, the amount of people who have told me that camels stink, and spit, as a way to put me off to is amazing. I spend my days working with horses, and mucking out stables, do they think a camel's bad breath are going to put me off? Some are concerned for my safety, in what is a country not known for its great treatment of women, and now is in the midst of political upheaval to boot. So it dangerous politically, especially for women, hot and stinky
So why go??
Why not? Adventure, travel, ancient ruins, danger, horses and exotic animals, all sounds like something out of my personal fairytale novel. But really i think the chance to help, and put my skills into treating injured animals, rather than just training show horses, is a huge draw. I think it is important to do some good in the world, and this would definitely be doing that.
Secondly, it is so easy to sit back, read news papers, watch TV,m and form opinions about other cultures, religion's and people,and what they might be doing do right and wrong. However its never so black and white, when you travel to those same places and meet and understand the people and the circumstances surrounding them. We hear so much bad press about the middle east and Africa, its easy to write them off as cruel, ignorant, and extremist, but realistically we have no idea about the trials of life over there, and what really goes on for the everyday people. In New Zealand we are truly blessed with our way of life, climate, democracy and the opportunities we receive, it easy for us to judge, but not so easy to understand from our tiny island on the bottom of the world. So my other reason for going, is to try and understand and learn about another way of life, and the people who lead it.
So a few more injections, a bloodtest, a little nerves, a couple of weeks, some packing and researching and i will be on a plane to Egypt and what ever experiances she may hold for me..
People talk about new years resolutions, well my resolutions happened long before the new year. My resolution happened when i saw an add on face book about starving animals in Egypt, and a little niggling bit inside me that was looking for adventure and meaning, suddenly clicked, and i resolved that come the new year i would go to Egypt. It fitted exactly what i was looking for and what i wanted to do. So i signed up, with no finances, and not sure how i was going to make it possible, i decided i was going to do it, i just knew one way or another this was my goal and not just another passing idea.
Well now the tickets are paid for, and the immunisations i need to travel there and work with animals have started, i have the bank account and bumps on my arm to show that my resolution is happening. I'm going, and I'm damn excited. Better yet, i get to go with one of my oldest and dearest friends, because when i saw this opportunity i knew of only one person, who would want to go just as badly as me. I rang Steph, and just like that we were both going to Egypt.
Family and friends have had mixed reactions, the amount of people who have told me that camels stink, and spit, as a way to put me off to is amazing. I spend my days working with horses, and mucking out stables, do they think a camel's bad breath are going to put me off? Some are concerned for my safety, in what is a country not known for its great treatment of women, and now is in the midst of political upheaval to boot. So it dangerous politically, especially for women, hot and stinky
So why go??
Why not? Adventure, travel, ancient ruins, danger, horses and exotic animals, all sounds like something out of my personal fairytale novel. But really i think the chance to help, and put my skills into treating injured animals, rather than just training show horses, is a huge draw. I think it is important to do some good in the world, and this would definitely be doing that.
Secondly, it is so easy to sit back, read news papers, watch TV,m and form opinions about other cultures, religion's and people,and what they might be doing do right and wrong. However its never so black and white, when you travel to those same places and meet and understand the people and the circumstances surrounding them. We hear so much bad press about the middle east and Africa, its easy to write them off as cruel, ignorant, and extremist, but realistically we have no idea about the trials of life over there, and what really goes on for the everyday people. In New Zealand we are truly blessed with our way of life, climate, democracy and the opportunities we receive, it easy for us to judge, but not so easy to understand from our tiny island on the bottom of the world. So my other reason for going, is to try and understand and learn about another way of life, and the people who lead it.
So a few more injections, a bloodtest, a little nerves, a couple of weeks, some packing and researching and i will be on a plane to Egypt and what ever experiances she may hold for me..
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