New Zealand's Voice for All Horse Riders
We create horse trails, protect existing horse access, and promote recreational horse riding as a healthy, life-long recreational activity with a significant economic benefit to the country.
Join us Now
Join us now to help protect, and promote New Zealand's horse heritage and culture. NZ Horse Network is an umbrella organisation for a network of smart, well connected equestrians who want fair access to community resources. Find your local Group
Our role is to help all individuals, groups or clubs, by providing resources, and sharing success stories. We also perform research, produce publications, and make submissions on behalf of our members - learn more about our advocacy role
When you join, you can choose whether to receive newsletters or not. Read the Archive
Why Join?
In New Zealand there was no national body representing all horses or riders\drivers. Other sports have well organised bodies that represent recreational users (as well as competitors) .That's why they are getting better access for their sports! read more >>
NZ Horse Network is now recognised by most local, regional, and national bodies as a representative body for recreational horse riding, because of the years of work we have put in to raise issues, provide information, and work with local groups.
Who Can Join?
Every rider, horse owner, and equine business! Clubs and sports groups are encouraged to partner with us. All in the horse world should be concerned with the profile (or lack of it) of horse sports and recreation, and with the dire lack of horse recreation space. It is all our responsibility to do something about it. If you have a good network of contacts in your area, have special skills that will assist us in fundraising or other activities or just have time and motivation to offer, please do contact us.
What Does it Cost to Join?
We have a free basic membership. Donations are always welcome to help keep our websites, and other efforts going. This is not a commercial organisation, it is a group of dedicated volunteers who care about the ability to go riding in our parks, beaches, and public places. These cover production of materials, our websites, and some expenses like mileage to attend meetings or hearings in support of riding issues. We fund raise for projects such as creating trails, or provide access infrastructure such as horse friendly gates or stiles, or may use donated funds to help others with their projects*.
Our Objectives:
Create
- We build new trails, and gain access to parks, unformed legal roads and trails.
- We research and publish information on the equine sector and equestrian community.
Protect
- We (help local groups) protect horse riding trails, and equestrian resources. We make submissions to support horse riding, horse keeping, and equine businesses across the nation.
Promote
- We provide information on places to ride, through our website NZ Bridleways.
- We also spend a great deal of time educating Councils and Agencies (such as DOC) on the importance of the horse to our economy, and history, and the level of demand for recreation.
Campaigns
Other sport and recreation, have officially recognised national organisations that represent them when it comes to transport, safety or recreation, but we didn't. So our first step to has been to raise awareness through campaigns, or through advocacy. Few public space providers, or recreation planners have any knowledge of the demand for equestrian recreation, or even what recreational riders want. The vast majority of parks, and recreation planners, and managers simply banned horses, or saw them as a nuisance when we started. Now more, and more Councils and agencies recognise that horse riding is a legitimate recreational activity, and are learning what it is we want (not just a small paddock somewhere).
So we create resources that can be used with public submissions, or as part of a social media or other campaign. All these resources are free to use, by any club or individual.
Find out how to participate in campaigns, or create your own for a local issue
