Nothing seems to draw the eye quite as quickly at any pony club event than a handsome Paint, Pinto or Appalloosa. There is something quite magnificent about those multi-coloured animals,  that solid coloured mounts somehow don’t quite have.

All quiet - some of Pourewa's progeny.

They certainly have a ‘desirable factor’ about them. It seems that the Paint and Pinto differ only in breeding – within the American Paint horse Association, a Paint must be the offspring of a registered Quarter Horse. A leopard spotted horse is usually called an Appaloosa, but for the layman the fact they look so gorgeous is probably enough!

One very remarkable Paint is Pourewa – a station bred animal from the very far north of the country. Now 23, he has fathered so many foals his owners have almost lost count, and his sons are continuing the long tradition. Pourewa is remarkable not just for his obvious virility.

It seems he was never broken in, yet is so quiet that children have ridden him quite safely. As Chris Taylor told Rural Living, “The first Pourewa pony we ever bought, we saddled him up once he arrived and rode him. I happened to talk to the original owner shortly afterwards who told me he had never been broken in which came as quite a shock to us! Pourewa is such a good influence that we often put other horses with him for a bit of ‘inter-generational training.’ Horses can learn as much from their own kind as from their human masters!”

Today the focus of Galaxy Equine stud is on producing 14.2hh jumping ponies. Both Galaxy Pourewa, and his son Galaxy Spring Fever (Jack) have sired winners in Showhunter and Show jumping events around the country and at the Horse of the Year show.

Although the process of breeding by artificial insemination (AI) from horses sounds on the surface a little unsavoury, it does in fact save a great deal of stress on the mares.

“Mares usually take a while to settle in, so if they were in season when the visit was planned, occasionally they won’t be by the time they arrive,” Chris explained.

“Getting them from any part of the country and back again is expensive for the owner, and can run to nearly a $1000 from the South Island. Semen from our stallions can be quickly and easily collected, mixed with an extender, and air-freighted anywhere in the country.

“It is usually viable for up to 24 hours and generally I can get it to most places within about five. The cost of doing that as opposed to trucking a mare all over the country is very significantly cheaper, and a lot more reliable.”

Apart from their own broodmare band, Galaxy doesn’t keep mares at their stud as they are too much of a distraction. Jack jumps competitively and goes to competitions regularly.

As he is only seven, if there are mares at home his concentration, as Chris so delicately put it is, “not quite where it should be. He has still got that teenage boy thing going – every mare is a target. Without smelly mares around he can get on with his job and focus on the riding side of his life.”

Visiting Galaxy Equine stud and having the privilege of seeing Pourewa and Jack together you would have to be a complete philistine not to agree they are beautiful animals.

Solid, muscular, fine conformation, gleaming coats and nice manners – quite apart from the glorious pattern of colour. Chris believes that Pourewa is a complete ‘bitsa’ – as a station bred animal, he may have just about everything in his genes. Looking at the very handsome head I couldn’t help being reminded of a Shire or Clydesdale – “anything was possible,” Chris chuckled.