Tanja Kraus Horsemanship
Love Thy Horse gets to talk to Tanja Kraus about her history, how she got into horses and some of the hardest things she has had to deal with in her business - this is her story
My love for horses was born when I was very young. My family lived in Currumbin near the ‘Currumbin Bird Sanctuary’ and there was a paddock behind the sanctuary with a couple of horses in it. My mum used to take me there all the time to pat the horses and give them a carrot or two. My family then purchased a block of land which was opposite the Currumbin Horse Club, and while my mum and dad were busy on the block working out where the house was to be built, I would be over at the horse club patting, and simply ‘hanging out’ with the horses. When we sold that block and purchased around the corner, the people who lived at the end of my street had a racing trotter who was petrified of people. He was a young colt, and if you went near his yard he would hide in his stable or try to run away - I used to get as close to the yard as I could (without him moving) and simply sit there and chat away - Im sure it was riveting conversation from an 8 year old girl, but none the less as the days, weeks and months rolled by I was able to get closer and closer until I was rewarded and able to stroke his nose. I was very determined to pat the horse, but I remember being so empathetic to how scared he was, and spending as much time as I could convincing him that I wasn't there to hurt him.
Soon after a couple of my neighborhood friends got horses, and I spent hours helping them (truth be known I was probably simply a pest), with their horses, and when they went out trail riding I went on foot. They joined the local horse club and I spent the next 2 or 3 years going to their events and rally days without a horse, just to watch and get the occasional ride whenever I could. Finally when I was 12, my parents realized that this ‘fad’ was not wearing off anytime soon and we purchased Shadow - a 10 year old ex pacer.
24 Love Thy Horse Magazine