Kia ora Kelly,

Ta for the message. Great to hear you're moving to NZ, you won't regret it! Central Otago is great, I would love to move there too in a year or two but we will see! I lived in Auckland for a couple of years too, its nice out west near the sea I think. Have you got jobs sorted already?

Yes I brought my cat over with www.petexports.co.uk. I probably wouldn't have been able to remember but its written on the catbox she came over in! They were really friendly and helped with every aspect of the move including what i needed to do with the vet etc. They gave lots of free no obligation advice on the phone too before I decided to book with them. I had shopped around pricewise and the price at the time was far better than elsewhere and the service great. It was about 500pounds if I remember right plus the vet fees which was around the same cost. Very expensive but i wouldn't have had it any other way.

You're thinking of getting a horse too? Awesome. As far as grazing goes you could expect to pay anything from $10 a week (about 3.50pounds) for a decent sized paddock etc to maybe $50 per week ( 20pounds ish) for a flash place with arena, jumps, stables etc. Stables are only used if sick generally. I never owned horses in the uk so i'm not sure of prices there but here your basic costs are:
trimming - $40, Shoeing $90
bag of feed - $25
bale of hay - $7
wormer - $23
half decent 2nd hand saddle: $500
bridle: $30-200
canvas/synetic winter cover $200

they are all rough prices and would depend which area you are in. like where i am at the moment hay is $15 a bale as there was no rain for months over summer! hawkes bay is lovely though.

buying a horse would depend on what size/breed/level etc you are keen for. Thoroughbreds are very cheap, you can get a tb for $1000. I personally would recommend stationbred/gisborne bred horses, much like your irish hunter types i've been told but they are a mixture of breeds, bred on a massive farm, gentle natures and can do anything! if you look at my pets at "maui" she is gisbornebred and is the most awesome horse ever. Expect to pay something like $2-5k for one though unless they are really really young (maybe $1000 for a 2-3yr old).

You often get what you pay for though, a young inexperienced horse with lots of potential will be a lot more affordable than a 10year old thats won various trophies etc. you should check out www.horsetalk.co.nz for any horse advice.

Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!

Brutus is a cool looking dog!

All the best,


Laura.

Hi kelly! thanks for adding me,As you may know im new to this site so im still getting used to it lol,im sorry about the loss of your cat,he looks lovely in your pic, how is your dog? is he happy?

Hi Kelly - Thanks for the message. The trouble with pet Idol is that people sometimes ignore the rules! I dont want to be too bossy but for the next competition i want to have a subject that people really stick to 9and its got to be pet-related). what do you suggest? maurice.

Hi Kelly, Welcome to PetStreet. We'd love to know more about you, and Brutus, of course.