800 epic days on horseback for charity
A horse walks into a bar in Taranaki, but Sprite needed a drink as did her owner Larissa Mueller, they’ve been on the road long enough.
The pair’s trip is coming to an end as Mueller estimated she had done about 800 days on horseback, travelling around New Zealand’s rugged coastline, and it’s all for charity.
From jagged rocks to hidden gems on dusty roads and scenic views from private farmland, Mueller and Sprite have seen it all.
It’s understood the 33-year-old is the first to circle the New Zealand coast on horseback and will finish where she started today at Clifton in Hawke’s Bay.
The pair have ridden for about 15 months across three summer seasons to raise money for the Leg-Up Trust, an organisation that helps disadvantaged youth suffering from social, behavioural or emotional problems by teaching them how to engage with horses.
Surviving mainly on dried foods like muesli, crackers, snack bars and chocolate, Mueller said she wouldn’t change a thing.
Stopping during the colder months, Mueller took whatever work she could get her hands on, from working on the ski fields, to in a native plant nursery.
Mueller’s goal was to raise $20,000 for the trust, and she has so far reached $15,000.
‘‘It was a crazy idea myself and a friend had in 2012, and it started when we said ‘let’s buy a horse.’ I’m into horses, but never owned one and never had many opportunities to ride.’’
Mueller found 11-year-old Sprite on a farm station in Tikokino, the mare had never set foot off the farm in her life.
‘‘She’s done incredibly well and she’s such an important part of the team.’’
Mueller’s friend travelled with her from Hawke’s Bay to Wellington and the entire South Island before she stopped her journey.
Mueller continued doing the remaining North Island coast on her own, and it didn’t come without its challenges.
‘‘There’s definitely been rough bits of coast, around Taranaki especially. The coast there is very dynamic and changes all the time. It was pretty adventurous even trying to get onto a beach out there.’’
If she couldn’t travel on the beach, Mueller would use the ‘‘buffer zone’’ near the coastline, take back roads or cut across paddocks, with the landowners’ permission.
‘‘A lot of the South Island Coast just isn’t rideable. But the trickiest places were the Coromandel and Tauranga, you really need to respect the weather and the coastline.’’
She’ll arrive in Clifton about 2pm today, but the journey doesn’t stop there for either of them.
Continuing a nomadic lifestyle, Mueller plans to travel back to the South Island with her fiance´e, while Sprite will stay in Hawke’s Bay, joining the Leg-Up Trust team.
‘‘Saying goodbye won’t be easy, she’s a part of me.’’