What to bring, what to expect, and how to show up as you are, boots, nerves, and all.

At Standfast, our healing with horses workshops are gentle, grounding, and welcoming. But we get it. Stepping into something new (especially when it involves large four-legged animals) can feel like a big deal.

Maybe you're not a “horse person.” Maybe you’ve never done anything like this before. Maybe you're wondering if the horse is going to psychoanalyse you (spoiler: they won’t). That’s all okay. This guide is here to help you feel ready — in body, mind, and gumboots.

At Standfast, we see it every day: someone walks into the paddock holding tension they didn’t even know they were carrying and a horse helps them let it go.

Horses have a way of helping us return to ourselves. Not through talking. Not through effort. But through presence.

You don’t have to ride to feel it. You don’t have to say a word. Simply being with a horse, breathing near them, observing, moving slowly begins to shift something in us. And science is starting to catch up with what horse people have known for generations: horses regulate us.

Why I Love Horse Sports

One of my favourite things in the world is horse sports. I love riding horses and competing in events. It’s not just a sport to me—it’s my life.

My Horse Lunah

I have my own horse named Lunah. She is very special to me because I broke her in myself and trained her to do all the different events. Lunah is a sports horse which means she knows how to do many events like barrel racing, pole bending, jumping, flag races, and the potato race. I enjoy working/riding with her because she is fast and VERY smart and kind of listens well.

My Favourite Events

My favourite events in horse sports are barrel racing and pole bending. Barrel racing is all about speed and tight turns around barrels. Pole bending is like weaving through poles as fast as you can without knocking them over. Both of these events are super fun and give me a rush of excitement.

Training and Teamwork

Training for horse sports takes a lot of time and hard work. I practice to make sure Lunah is ready for horse sports and make sure we work well as a team. You need to control your horse and steer it by using your feet and your body to make it move. If you have spurs on then it will be easy for you. We have a strong bond, and that helps us do our best in competitions. We don’t win at all but it's not about winning, it's about having fun and spending time with your horse and your family. Horse sports has taught me to spend time with my horse, to do my best and not to care about winning.

Looking After Lunah

Looking after a horse is a big job and once that's done you have to do the horse sports which is even harder of a job. I want to keep getting better and maybe win some big competitions. Horse sports make me happy, and I’m proud of everything Lunah and I have done together. It’s a sport full of challenges, and I love every part of it.

If you’ve ever had a horse step into your space, barge past you, or lean heavily on you, you’re not alone. A “pushy” horse isn’t being rude, they’re communicating. And often, they’re asking one simple question:

“Who’s leading here?”

At Standfast, we don’t meet pushiness with punishment. We meet it with clarity, calm energy, and consistency. Because most of the time, a pushy horse isn’t trying to dominate; they’re trying to find out if they can trust you to lead.

Meet the Standfast Crew: Haunui

At Standfast, our plushies aren’t just cuddly toys — they’re characters grounded in real people, real horses, and real stories. Each one is based on a person who walks the land, works with horses, and lives with heart. These are characters grounded in whakapapa, whenua, and whānau.

Today, we introduce you to Haunui — in plushie form, and in real life.

Haunui: The Horseman from Raukokore

Haunui is one of nine siblings — five brothers and four sisters — raised on the rugged East Coast. He now lives at the family homestead in Raukokore, where the ocean meets the bush, and the horses move with the rhythm of the land.From a young age, Haunui was guided by our late father, John Grant, a true horseman who taught all his tamariki the value of quiet strength, clear presence, and respect for animals. Haunui listened. Watched. Learned. And over the years, those teachings became the way he moved through the world — calm, capable, and deeply connected.

Today, he carries that legacy forward through his own kaupapa: Standfast Horsemanship, where he teaches others to work with horses in a way that’s grounded, honest, and real.

The Showman Beneath the Stillness

Though Haunui moves through life with a quiet confidence, don’t be fooled, there’s a bit of a showman in him too. He can turn heads when he rides bridleless, crack a whip with precision, or spin a horse like he’s dancing.

He doesn’t seek the spotlight, but when it finds him, he handles it with style.

It’s that rare mix of humble and bold that makes him unforgettable: the horseman who leads with feel, but knows how to light up a crowd when the moment calls.

Rig — More Than a Horse

Haunui’s main horse is Rig, a powerful stallion named after our uncle Robert Ian Grant. Rig isn’t just a mount, he’s part of the whānau. Strong, watchful, and deeply attuned, Rig reflects everything Haunui is: dependable, instinctive, and connected to something bigger than himself.

Their partnership didn’t happen overnight. It was built over time with trust, patience, and presence. The kind of relationship that doesn’t need words to be understood.

The PlushyVersion

The Haunui plushie carries all of that with him. He might be small and soft, but he represents something solid, a protector, a provider, a leader by example. Though he’s not the eldest, he’s taken on the mantle of guiding and holding space for the whānau.

There’s loyalty stitched into every seam. The kind of strength that shows up again and again no matter what’s needed. He’s the hunter, the horseman, the one who makes sure everyone is safe, fed, and grounded.

This plushie is for tamariki who need someone steadfast in their corner. For the kids who carry a lot, who look after others, who need to know that someone’s got their back. And yes there’s a little bit of swagger stitched in there too.

More Than a Toy — A Whānau Connection

Haunui is just one part of the Standfast plushie whānau, alongside Aroha, Ahikaa, and King the horse. Each plushie is part of a bigger story, one that’s lived out on the land, in the paddock, and now, in homes across the motu.

You can bring Haunui home or collect the full crew

At Standfast, horsemanship isn’t about how much you know it’s about how willing you are to listen, learn, and meet your horse where they are.

Too often, horsemanship is seen as a set of techniques to control or train a horse. But true horsemanship is about relationship.

It Starts on the Ground

Everything begins on the ground where trust is earned and awareness is born. A lead rope is more than a tool; it’s a line of honest conversation. Horses respond to our smallest shifts: posture, breath, intention. The question is: are we really watching?

Pressure with Feel , Not Force

Horses feel pressure constantly — in the wild it’s part of survival. But there’s a big difference between pressure offered with sensitivity and pressure with force. We earn respect not by overpowering, but by being consistent, clear, and fair. That’s real horsemanship.

It started with a ride.

One summer afternoon back in 2018, I saddled up and went out for a ride with my whānau. Nothing fancy, just us, the horses, and the whenua beneath our feet. We were boosting down the beach, wind in our faces, wild and laughing and then came the quiet. The kind of silence that only happens when you’re out there together, hooves in the sand, breathing the salt air, nothing else in the world pulling at you.

That unfiltered joy. That feeling of being alive and together. Memories of riding as kids came flooding in of my dad, my siblings, the adventures we had growing up.

Understanding Autism and Sensory Needs

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts, and experiences the world. While every autistic person is different, many share a heightened sensitivity to sensory input, often called sensory processing differences or sensory modulation challenges.

At Standfast, whānau means more than just family. It means connection — to people, to whenua, to wairua. It means showing up for each other, even on the hard days. It means holding space for growth, healing, and unconditional love.

But strong whānau don’t just happen. They’re nurtured. And often, that work begins with ourselves. We believe the strength of a whānau starts within the heart of each person.

Healing isn’t just about fixing what’s broken — it’s about reconnecting, rebalancing, and rediscovering the strength that already lives inside us.

Riding with Te Taiao In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel disconnected — from the land, from each other, and even from ourselves. But out here, where the breeze carries the scent of wet earth and the steady thrum of hooves fills the quiet, we remember something ancient and true: we belong to Te Taiao, and it belongs to us.

Te Taiao isn’t just nature — it’s everything. The land, the rivers, the mountains, the sky, the birds, the winds, the quiet pauses between dawn and dusk. It’s the living world that sustains us and whispers the old stories if we’re still enough to listen. And few companions teach us to listen better than horses.

“Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu – Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly.”

At Standfast, horsemanship isn’t just about riding — it’s a way of life. It’s about building trust, understanding body language, staying present, and learning to lead with patience, not pressure. Whether you’re guiding a horse through the bush or simply standing alongside one, you’re entering into a relationship that asks you to show up honestly, calmly, and with intention.

This is especially powerful for tamariki. Teaching kids to ride builds more than physical skill — it teaches resilience, confidence, empathy, and responsibility. A horse doesn’t respond to ego, but to energy. When our rangatahi learn to ride, they’re also learning how to breathe through fear, set boundaries, listen deeply, and trust themselves. These are life lessons that stretch far beyond the saddle.

“Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu – Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly.”

At Standfast, horsemanship isn’t just about riding — it’s a way of life. It’s about building trust, understanding body language, staying present, and learning to lead with patience, not pressure. Whether you’re guiding a horse through the bush or simply standing alongside one, you’re entering into a relationship that asks you to show up honestly, calmly, and with intention.

This is especially powerful for tamariki. Teaching kids to ride builds more than physical skill — it teaches resilience, confidence, empathy, and responsibility. A horse doesn’t respond to ego, but to energy. When our rangatahi learn to ride, they’re also learning how to breathe through fear, set boundaries, listen deeply, and trust themselves. These are life lessons that stretch far beyond the saddle.