It is Saturday morning, and The Horse Sanctuary Fiji is a hive of activity. A group of young girls are clustered around newly arrived ‘minis’, shampooing away months of dirt and trimming the manes of the diminutive horses, while debating what names to give them.
Other riders are taking their horses for a walk to the river, with lots of stops for grazing along the way. Even more horses are being brushed, sponged, and fed coconut meal and lentils.
Sanctuary founder Morika Hunter is beaming. “I love it because that is when our kids and families arrive. I
absolutely thrive on seeing these kids. I just love it. Some of them come in and they’re really scared of horses, and the next thing, they’re the experts in a few months. I love witnessing [them] giving love to these horses that have come in from terrible situations, and the horses just get absolutely wrapped in love.
And these children absolutely love the fact that they’ve got these buddies, and they can team up with these horses and have these great, great adventures, or scrub them up and shampoo them and do their hair or whatever they want to do. That absolutely gives me the most joy.”
Hunter founded the sanctuary with her daughter Nylla. Having grown up with horses in Savusavu, a few years ago, she acted on her dream of getting horses for herself and her children. But despite juggling an already busy professional and family life, and understanding how poorly treated local horses often are, she quickly moved to bringing the “worst of the worst” to the sanctuary.
With the arrival of four minis from nearby Wainadoi on the morning I visited, Hunter, her husband and family, staff and many enthusiastic volunteers, are now caring for 41 horses.
“It truly has become a sanctuary,” Hunter says. “It’s obviously a sanctuary for the horses, but what we find too, is that it is a sanctuary for families, for kids, for people. We even have children with autism that come and it gives them a lot of confidence. So, it’s really a sanctuary in a sense for all, with the appreciation of just love and respect and care for nature and animals.”
Many of the horses now at the sanctuary were rescued from tourism areas or had been left tied up and not checked on, in other parts of Fiji. While not all horses can be saved, the glistening coats and energy of many of the horses at the sanctuary, many who arrived there with horrific injuries, is testament to what love and care can do.
Case in point, Chief. When Chief first arrived, Hunter thought he was an old, broken-down horse at the end of his life, but she soon discovered he was not even five years old. “He’s my heart horse. Now people look at him and they think he is from overseas because he is so big and beautiful.”
The work of the sanctuary is funded by an army of supporters and volunteers. Families can sponsor horses, which helps with feed, medicine, the upkeep and paying the three staff—all from the local area—who help care for the horses on a daily basis.
Other donations pay for leasing of extra pasture from local farmers and other expenses. The sanctuary has strong links with Animals Fiji and the SPCA, which enables regular checkups and medical care for the horses.
Tourists who have learnt about the work of the sanctuary are another source of support, sometimes bringing in riding gear and medicines that are otherwise difficult to get in Fiji. And it is often from visitors that Hunter will also hear about horses needing assistance.
She advises people who are concerned about the welfare of horses that may be offered for riding, to speak to hotel or resort managers first, as they can work with their staff to go back to their communities and pass on concerns or seek help.
The sanctuary has also been conducting outreach work with its partners, creating flyers and materials and visiting communities to help improve the care and maintenance of working horses.
“We’re more than happy to come into the resorts and hotels and in their staff rooms, have a session with their staff and their nearby partner villages around horse care,” Hunter says.
Being able to extend these outreach sessions is one of Hunter’s visions for the sanctuary: “I need help in just getting more time and volunteers to go into villages, schools, and different communities to educate.
That’s really important. So that needs more time and effort.” But her big vision is to turn the sanctuary into one of the best Pacific facilities for horses.
“I’d love to eventually have an indoor arena, where people can come and actually start appreciating horses, and eventually, one day, maybe even have little jumping competitions or shows where people not only just see the element of the racehorse, but the riding and discipline and dressage or jumping, or just basic horsemanship or ground handling.
So, it is getting the right trainers, it is getting the right facilities to do that, and we are getting there slowly.”
Hunter stresses the importance of community, and “making sure that we continue to look after our community that we’re in, making sure that they also thrive, so that they benefit as well from having the horses. And [so], people in Fiji kind of value their horses more, and have a little bit more pride that they own one.”
To learn more about the sanctuary and how to support its work visit its Facebook page.
Other animal sanctuaries: Animals Fiji
Story: Samantha Magick
