Sneeuberg horses

In the Sneeuberg Mountains of the Great Karoo lies Sneeuberg Nature Reserve, home to a variety of wild animals and a herd of 13 horses.

Horses have long been part of farm life in South Africa. In 2021, Joey and her brothers took over the Sneeuberg farm following the passing of their mother in 2019. During the Covid period, the horse herd had doubled due to a lack of supervision, with eight foals born wild in the veld. The top priority became gelding the four stallions to prevent further breeding.

The first to be gelded was Thabo, the father of the young stallions. But his 3 sons—still wild and unhandled—remained a challenge. By using the Trust Technique to build trust and reduce stress, Joey was able to have the remaining stallions gelded in a calm and respectful way. The process of gently taming them and working entirely at their pace took around three months per horse.

There were many welfare concerns about using the horses for cattle work, so it was decided to set them free. Motorcycles took over their job.