So, how are we doing this again?

It's amazing how when I you stop to think sometimes... I wonder why or how we are going to pull this all off! Regardless, we have to remain feeling optimistic...and we are!

Brent and I have been talking a lot recently about finances and we are rethinking some aspects of our trek. One idea has been that we loose our support crew and go intrepid (well, more so than before :P). With this comes many pros, one being that of finances as petrol for the adventure is costly! However, with the decision to loose a support crew, Brent and I have come against other issues such as not being able to take as much gear on the trek, worrying about what to do in the event of our pack horse becoming lame, the cost to maintain ideal weight for three horses as well as the inability to carry enough feed for them. The more horses we take, the more it costs to keep them on the road so to speak. Also, seeing as we are riding on tarmac a lot of the time, the horses shoes could wear down in a matter of days! For this reason, we are looking into hoof boots (see www.hoofboot.co.nz). They are basically a hard wearing slip on shoe and they can be taken off and on. They can last much longer than a metal shoe and can provide more traction for the horse.

Another option we have brainstormed is hitching a horse or two onto a light wagon! This solves our problem of being able to carry feed and also means we would be maintaining less horses. However... niether Brent or myself can 'drive' a horse and so we would need to take lessons! This could be fun though as it is something new to us both.

Once we have made up our mind on what we are going to do, we are going to start the hunt for our horses! We need as much time with them as we can to build a relationship and also desensitize them to the multitude of scary sights and sounds that will come their way on the trek. We are so fortunate to have been offered free grazing in Hunua for next year which is a miracle!

Oh yes, TEAR Fund are also activating a donation page for us soon (thanks guys!) so you can sponsor us! Go on - make all this worth it!


Will keep you posted,

Sarah