!!!!AYO KIWI SPECIFIC THING MENTIONED!!!!
Stationbreds are horses bred on high country stations for the purpose of being good minded, hardy, athletic, sure-footed and versatile mounts suitable for mustering sheep or beef, hunters, eventers, and safe fun allrounders for the whole family to enjoy. They’re typically first draft crosses (almost always a purebred Clydesdale or shire stallion) over more refined and hot blooded mares to produce a heavier, stockier horse with substantial bone that’s a comfy ride with a sensible brain, but still keeping the get-up-and-go/go all day eagerness and engine of lighter “bloodier” horses like thoroughbreds, warmbloods, arabs, etc., thought they aren’t limited to just those breeds - many stations include standardbred (gaited stations are often called “amblers”), gypsy cob, welsh cob, and stock/quarter horse lines! These horses are typically raised untouched/unhandled and left to grow up wild in the steep high country terrain which gives them the surefootedness and hardiness the breed is so well known for, with most being brought in for handling and breaking in their 3 and 4yo years.
Stationbreds across NZ are incredibly successful at all levels of the sport and growing in popularity overseas too - at the last biannual St James Station sale in 2025, buyers from NZ and Australia snapped up all 30 lots on offer for a total profit of $180,000NZD, with the top lot (an untouched grey 3yo filly) selling for $12,100NZD.
A small selection of the many stations known for producing our incredible horses-
St James Station, Hanmer Springs (South Island) - my grandad mustered St James when it was still just a sheep station and my family has been to multiple of their sales, so it’s a bit of a home hero for me 🙈 The Stevenson family owned the station from 1927-2009 and began their horse breeding journey with 4 stallions - an imported in-utero Clydesdale (grandad said they called him Wiley after the fella who bought him) a thoroughbred, a pony, and a hack, which were all turned out with their own band of mares to produce the next generation of musterers. From there the four types amalgamated into what’s known as the St James horses today, surefooted mares descended from the original four studs with a half-clydie herd sire to produce the next generations
St James was sold to the government in 2009 as a heritage site where DOC took over the management of the land, but family still controls the feral horses contained in the Ada Valley and surround. Because of careful DOC management the station available to the public for tramping, camping, hiking and BYO horse trekking with designated trails and camping huts all over the station (seriously worth going out for a couple nights if you’re in the area!!)
Hangaroa Landcruisers, Tiniroto (North Island) - along with breeding stationbreds, Hangaroa also owns what was originally the only fully licensed purebred Cleveland Bay stallion in the southern hemisphere, Texlea St Oliver, who was imported to New Zealand in 2022. Many of their stationbred mares and foals have Cleveland Bay blood in them, though Oliver retired from breeding duties in 2024 at the ripe old age of 20.
They continue the Cleveland Bay breeding with their new stud Rocky (Bridlington Farm Saltaire) and hopefully their stations keep that blood in them for a long time coming! 🤞
Top: Texlea St Oliver, bottom: Bridlington Farm Saltaire
Muzzle Station, Kaikōura (South Island)
Billy Maaka Horses, Mangatu (North Island)
Blue Mountain Station, Fairlie (South Island)
And of course she doesn’t come from a station but I can’t talk about stationbreds without mentioning my own Ouruhia Gem 🤭 Her grandsire is the incredible stationbred stallion Kaha Warrior who bred many GP/Pony GP show jumpers as well as being a PGP winner himself!
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