A little bit about us..

Makino is our 55 acre farm just on the outskirts of Feilding, Manawatu. We have been operating a family owned horse agistment yard since 2018 where horse owners are able to enjoy a friendly, supportive environment with many riding opportunities including hacking, road riding and full arena facilities on site.

At Makino we endeavour to provide an environment for your horse to thrive and enjoy life. Whether you come and enjoy your horse daily or every once in a while, we are here to ensure all of their needs are met every day of the week. We owe it to our horses to provide them with a life that supports their natural behaviours and social needs and in return they are content in their work and time spent with us.

The ‘3 Fs’ Friends-Forage-Freedom form the foundation of how we strive to support your horse in their daily life.

Our herd grazing ensures your horses feel secure in a social herd where they can express themselves and share in natural behaviour and herd dynamics.

Makino’s ‘horse friendly’ pastures are purpose sown with low sugar species and managed in a way that ensures maximum fibre intake while reducing the risk of grass affectedness, laminitis and obesity. Even in our grass free track system horses have constant access to safe forage at all times.

Our large paddocks ensure horses have freedom to move and engage in social behaviours with their herd mates. Freedom for Makino also means freedom from pain, boredom and isolation. Living on site means we are here to check on your horses throughout the day and pick up on any changes in your horse early. We work very closely with our local vets and hoof care professionals to ensure your horse has access to the best of care.

We are passionate about animal welfare and providing a safe, fun and supportive environment for owners to enjoy their horses.

I have a background in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management and am a qualified Agricultural Consultant with years of experience in Horse management with a special interest in nutrition and animal welfare.

Makino is run by myself (Jess) and my husband Adam. I take care of the day-to-day management of the farm and your horses. Adam is responsible for of all the tractor work, maintenance and repairs around the farm. We live on site with our two children Bonnie and Edmond as well as the three dogs and cat who are very much a part of the daily comings and goings at Makino. We have an open gate policy and welcome owners to come and go at their leisure.

FAQs

  • Yes! There is plenty of space for you to store your tack, gear and rugs.

  • We have limited float parking on site however we normally have space to store floats if needed. Please note that floats stored on the property must be well maintained and have a current registration and WOF.

  • No. Our pastures are very carefully managed to minimise weeds and unwanted pasture species. Bringing hay onto the property introduces seeds which might not be desirable. We have plenty of hay available on site for you to use in hay nets when yarding or floating your horses. All winter hay and balage is included in the weekly grazing charge so you don’t need to worry about sourcing or storing any hay.

  • Yes! You’re more than welcome to store additional feed at Makino and feed it when you come out to visit your horse.

  • Of course. We’re more than happy to add one or two supplements to your horses daily feeds such as 4Cyte, Digest rite or any other supplement we can fit into our containers on the motorbike!

  • You’re more than welcome to ride your horse on our property at any time. There is also quiet road riding available and some farm hacking which we organise for group rides with a neighbouring farm.

  • You can bring your dog with you but they must be kept on a lead when around the yards and house. Please note that we have entire dogs (male and female) that are out and about so please leave your bitch on heat or entire male dog at home.

  • For the safely of our herd members only front steel shoes are appropriate. You’re more than welcome to have fully shod horses in private paddocking.

  • You can visit your horse as little or as often as you wish! Regardless of how often you visit your horse is treated as one of our own and is checked on at least twice daily. We will notify you of anything out of the ordinary ASAP.

  • If you think you want to use the arena on your own, we have a fb page for you to let others know things like this. Otherwise, it is a shared facility free to use at any time.

  • Lizzie Maundrell from Hoofcare and Horsemanship has us on her schedule and visits us every 5 weeks. Lizzie is a superb hoofcare professional and we recommend her while you are grazing at Makino.

  • Definitely! We have floats available for casual hire. If you don’t have a tow vehicle, we are more than happy to help where possible.

  • In the very sad event that your horse passes away while grazing at Makino we can offer to bury them on the property for you should ground conditions allow. The bond which is paid at the beginning of your time here will cover all the costs of burying your friend.

Contact us

We can’t wait to hear from you!