KEY POINTS:
Nearly 90 Kaimanawa horses were mustered yesterday in the Department of Conservation's annual round-up of the wild breed, with a third likely to be sent to the abattoir.
Three helicopters "working like sheepdogs" wrangled the herd along well-worn horse tracks, so DoC could protect the fragile ecosystem of the Central Plateau near the Waiouru Army base.
Another 20 horses were expected to be mustered today from a more remote region further north, said DoC analyst Bill Fleury.
A count in April found 592 horses, meaning they had to be culled back to the limit of 500.
Two horse protection societies helped to find homes for 60 of the horses.
Foals, yearlings and 2-year-old mares were the most popular horses for adoption because they were easier to handle.
Fleury said the only alternative was the abattoir for those horses too sick or old. He estimated that would amount to about a third of the 88 mustered yesterday.
"When people ask for a foal, we can't give them a stallion," said Fleury.
While he was keen to find new homes for the horses, Fleury did not want people taking horses through tender-heartedness alone.
Sharyn Boness, of the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Welfare Trust, said the perception of the horses as "wild and feral" was incorrect.
"Lots of the pictures are of them at the muster, when they are scared," explained Boness, who has adopted five, one yesterday.
"They are brilliant, absolutely lovely. They love attention and they are very intelligent."
Boness said every effort was made to ensure the people who adopted the horses were serious about their commitment. Their facilities for the horses were thoroughly inspected and they were required to have previous handling experience.
