Cass's awesome speech

Hi everyone 

this is my SPEEEEECH I have done it on the Kaimanawas witch are the horses that live in the Kaimanawa ranges I love these horses and I really admire their beauty so I hope you can see why.

By Cass

1.  Hi, everyone I would like to talk to you about the Wilson sisters, and their plight to save the kaimanawas. The kaimanawas are the horses that live in the kaimanawa ranges. These horses are really wild, beautiful, and dirty. There are farm escapees like Thoroughbred, Station Hacks, welsh ponies, quarter horses, and many more breeds. They can be small but tough and have a little thing about them that you just can’t find in other horses.	2. They come in a size range of 13.2 hands to 15.3 hands. Today, there are about 300 horses in the ranges but 30 years ago there were about 1,700 horses.DOC began a population management program in 1993 to keep the horse herds at a number that does not affect the habitat they live in or themselves. Now DOC has a muster every 2 years to keep the number of wild horses down.  When there is a muster DOC tries to find good homes for some of the horses, but all others go to slaughter.
3. They are shipped away on big transporter trucks to be dog-tuckered. Imagine that! They have just been mustered and have no idea what’s going on. they’re scared out of their mind. Luckily for some,  Vicki, Kelly, and Amanda, three fantastic sisters are on a mission to adopt as many as they can!. When the Wilson sisters pick their horses they start their 2nd life by becoming showjumpers, liberty horses, and showtym camp ponies.	4.  It sounds simple, but it’s not! These horses are wild and have never been touched by humans. But the Wilson sisters are always up for the challenge. They did similar stuff most of their childhood. When the horses are shipped to their new homes they are stressed out so once they arrive they get put into yards with water and hay to calm down. Then the conditioning starts.
5. Every day the Wilson sisters go to the yards to give them hay and water and feed them grass through the rails.  At first, the horses don’t take it but after a while they do and slowly but surely they start allowing the Wilson sisters to touch them.  It makes sense!  Who wouldn’t look forward to extra grass and a brush! They then start the next part of their training which is being led. Leading is very important because horses need to be led to be ridden and to get caught and lots more.	6. In the ranges, it was the lead mare and stallion that were driving the herd. But now it's the Wilson sisters who have to be boss, in a kind way. So once the lead rein is clipped on, there are pats, yes lots and lots of pats until the horse associates only goodness and fun with the lead rein! And then on to the next stage of getting used to a rider saddle and bridle. First, they get the horses used to the saddle blanket so it gets used to things on its back.
7. After that, they stand next to the horse’s back and start talking to them and then they lie over their back till all their weight is on the horse. If the horse behaves, they slowly sit upright and don’t move. They then get off and let them go because If they do too much it’s overwhelming for the horse.  So the next day they do it again, lie over their back, and sit upright but this time they give the horse a squeeze. 2 weeks down the track they can walk, trot, canter halt, and then they teach them this under saddle.	8. So you see,  taming these wild horses is not an easy feat. It is a really long process and can be a bit scary, but how amazing it is to know that a 2nd chance has been given. The horses will always have that little thing about them… Free spirit.  Even though I'm not able to train them, yet, I am doing my bit by raising awareness. You can do your bit too! You can spread the word and get your whānau to make a donation or even sponsor a horse.  Hope you enjoyed my speech