Rosemary and Dave - at ease and in love, plus Merlin, one of their many horses.

Beauty and romance, hard work and success, tragedy and triumph are ingredients in the colourful story of Rosemary and Dave, proprietors of Dune Lakes Lodge – the unique holiday retreat and equine centre set among the wooded sand dune hills of South Head, north west of Auckland.

The beauty resides in the peaceful undulating countryside surrounding the Home Lodge; the nature rich environs surrounding the waters of the nearby lake, and the miles of riding trails winding through Woodhill Forest to the deserted beaches of the Tasman Sea.

Romance abides in the love of horses by a man and a woman from contrasting backgrounds who met while pursuing their equine passion in pelting rain across muddy fields in Wales. Dave grew up among horses on a farm in the Welsh hills, while Rosemary, a Londoner, had little opportunity to ride until she moved to the Isle of Wight as a mature adult. Having worked hard to build a successful business, Rosemary was able to buy and ride a mare named Mary – who later bred a foal named Jodie.

However, tragedy loomed as the handsome foal grew into a powerful but potentially dangerous mare who, on two occasions, nearly killed Rosemary. She confided in me that, “I was faced with the anxious dilemma of a thought too horrible to contemplate: whether or not to put Jodie down.” Rosemary continued: “However, I became more and more determined to understand and train Jodie so I sent her away to expensive professional horse trainers and listened to their opinions. But each time Jodie returned to the Isle of Wight she displayed more aggression and dangerous behaviour.”

Rosemary then shared the next phase of her fascinating life journey: “I was at the end of my tether, when I met, by synchronistic coincidence, a lady who was a successful practitioner in Natural Horsemanship training methods. I reorganised my business to enable me to stay at her Horse Centre in Wales for six months and began to acquire skills to better understand and manage my problem horse.  I learned about the social hierarchy of horses in their natural herd environment, and that Jodie had always treated me as a subordinate member of her herd. I was also taught - and personally observed – the psychological and physiological games that horses play with each other, and trained Jodie to respect me as the lead horse.”

“Incredibly, during that sojourn in Wales I also met Dave who, when younger, had farmed in New Zealand for several years. I watched a wonderful video depicting life in New Zealand and both Dave and I became motivated to emigrate and set-up a holiday and equine centre, promote natural horsemanship and a hoof care clinic. The potential tragedy I once faced-up to has evolved into the triumph and joy of living in the beautiful environment of Dune Lakes Lodge and, through hard work, our love of people and passion for horses has led to all-round success and a rewarding lifestyle.”

Watching and listening to Dave and Rosemary at work, I was struck by the connection between them, and the fact their skills seem very complimentary to one another. “Dave is very practical, trimming hoofs with great patience and skill that allow horses to develop their natural gait over time,”  Rosemary said. “In terms of behaviour he handles difficult animals very well – I like to think I apply the refinement thereafter! If there is one thing we have learned, with horses patience and consistency will solve most things eventually.”