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• Age: 10 years old in 2014
• Breed: Standardbred
• Favorite food: stirrups
• Greatest fear: to have his bom scratched less than once a day

After being a race horse (he was then known as Murdoch), Wiki started a new career involving pig hunting and trekking. He was sold several times, and was even swapped for a cow!

He's nicknamed Wiki Wonder: only one week after joining the team, he was on the road, pulling the wagon with Bo an Buba! He's faithful and bombproof, whether he's driven, ridden or used as a pack horse.

He's traveled both the North Island (driven and as a pack horse) and the South Island (as Alex's mount).

In between, he spent the winter at Riding for Disabled in Levin, where disabled people rode him, with the help of a wonderful team of volunteers.

• Age: 9 years old in 2014
• Breed: very standard
• Favorite food: anything new (has to be chewed and aproved first)
• Greatest fear: to be separated from the others, but as he likes to challenge himself, when he's free he goes just out of sight for as long as he can - then he comes back flat tack with a high heart rate

He raced when he was younger and even won a race.

He traveled the whole south island as our pack horse. He's happy to follow Wiki and Fern wherever they go but when there is a steep hill we let him lead the way.  He's got the fastest walk, is very willing and is such a lamb that we can hang to his tail. 

• Age: 11 years old in 2014
• Breed: standardbred hafling
  
• Favorite food: other horses' food
• Greatest fear: motorbikes - that's the only thing about which Steph and her disagree ( "What's wrong with you Fern, that's a KTM 1190 Adventure!")

Very bossy with the geldings, she's the alpha mare. She's sweet with people though. Quiet, smart, active, sure footed, reliable, she's all we were looking for, in pony size. We've picked her up on the way, only four days after leaving Blenheim, at Upcott station. Her life at he Stevenson's was a good life, but she was only one of the mares. Now she's THE mare.

Along with Wiki and Waka, she traveled accross the South Island till Cecil Peak Station, Queenstown, where they've found a wonderful home.

• Age: 36 years old in 2014
• Breed: french
• Favorite food: lyophilized food (autosuggestion may work...)
• Greatest fear: none!

Steph hadn't ridden horses before to come to New Zealand, but he knew dressage (he's had some dogs) and long rides (thanks to his motorbike road trips).  His first horse ridding experience was to ride from East Cape to Gisborne (250 km).  He's handled it very well and rather than getting sick of it, he asked for more!  He took a 10 months leave from his job to ride the South Island.

• Age: 30 years old in 2014
• Breed: French
• Favorite food: chocolate
• Greatest fear: to run out of chocolate

Your story teller!  I've already talked about myself here.

Our tack shed, food warehouse and sometimes our home. It was very handy while getting ready for the South Island leg. We kept if for a while after we started the ride.  We would leave it behind, packed with supplies, and hitchhike back to it once in a while,

• Age: 13 years old in 2014
• Breed: knabstrupper
• Favorite food: Wiki's butt

Bo was a foal when Yakov bought him.  He's an outstanding horse: he's light and powerful, active and quiet.  He's won many dressage prices, does well at showjumping and is at ease in harness.  He's travelled the North Island, first pulling the wagon, then ridden by Alex and followed by Wiki, his pack horse.

• Age: 6 years old
• Breed: Standardbred
• Favorite food: wooden fences

He's a very pretty standardbred, buta very slow one.  As a race horse he was not asked to win beauty prices but to go fast: he would have ended up in pet food if he had not been bought by Yakov, at age three.  Quiet and docile, he's been very much appreciated during his two months journey till Gisborne.

He has since taken part in the national carriage driving competition, driven by Malcolm Baker!

• Age: 60 years old in 2014
• Breed: dutch kiwi
• Favorite food: hungarian cabbage dish (which he cooks)

Yakov has built the wagon. He's also made his harnesses, picking up the design from the movie "Borat"! He often sings and plays the bouzouki (but not at the same time). His generosity, his sens of humour and his charisma have enlighted the start of the journey, around East Cape, with Buba Bo and Wiki.

Pulled by two or three horses, or by a car, it stores and carries heaps of stuff: a table and chairs, a stove, some farrier tools, our saddles, music instrument and sound system, food and water for people and horses...  And there is still some spare room for Yakov to sleep!

It works as a magnet on horsey people, engineers and dreamers.