Aotea Taylor is a 19-year-old horse breeder from King Country. From being a Muay Thai National Champion to establishing a Pedigree Stud Farm and working alongside her dad to help struggling youth get back on their feet, Aotea’s story, of compassion, determination and ingenuity, is an amazing one.
From an early age, Aotea has been working with horses.
"My Dad wanted to teach us three main goals growing up: How to fight, how to ride a horse, and how to survive off the land. During my brief fighting career, I represented NZ twice in the National NZ Black-Gloves Team at the IFMA World Champs in Thailand. I went further than I had expected, competing in a sport for which I had great respect but no passion. I did feel very pressured doing something I didn’t enjoy, but looking back, I am grateful for the invaluable self-defence skills, the respect for myself and others, and the indispensable experiences I gained from it.
I phased out of fighting and became more involved in helping Dad with Youth Programs for high-risk youth for a few years. Recently, I moved on to my current profession- breeding horses, which I feel is very rewarding."
At age 19 Aotea has already established her own business and now breeds the most beautiful Friesian and Arabian crosses in New Zealand. Even at such a young age, she continues to show innovation that is inspiring for people of all ages.
With her business well established, Aotea is aiming to specialise in breeding beautiful Friesian sport horses with Arabian, Iberian and Saddlebred blood.
She recently sold a horse to attend a Compassionate Communication Training course.
Compassionate Communication, or Non-Violent Communication, is a method of communication that encourages taking responsibility of your feelings and emotions and using them to increase empathy and establish a connection between individuals.
There is so much for us to learn from Aotea’s compassion and determination.
“My Dad was first invited to attend the event, but things didn’t unfold for him, so he suggested I take his place. I was more than happy with the idea because it was a break from the farm and also an opportunity to expand my awareness and skills in dealing more efficiently with compassionate communication, something essential to working with the youth in our youth programs.
I thought the wisdom I could gain from this program would expand my knowledge on the topic of non-violent communication, something that has challenged me in working with youth who have trouble dealing with anger and frustration issues and their inability to communicate efficiently. I wanted tools that I could apply practically, and use to create a better community and connection. I also saw a wide collection of people travelling from all walks of life, congregating to a single place to attend this event, all for similar reasons, seeking inspiration on their quest of self-discovery. As an aspiring young horse breeder, I was very satisfied with my decision to sell one of my first foals for such a great cause and attend such an awesome experience.”
Thinking about the future, Aotea has yet another project in mind. After having experience helping her dad with Youth Programmes that assist at-risk youth, Aotea aims to bring her two passions together and create an equine assisted Youth Programme aimed at high-risk youth who are falling through the gaps in the system.
“Our program would use a plethora of holistic, touch-based, natural horsemanship and liberty
communication methods (gentle and respectful methods that encourage natural cooperation and trusting relationships).
It will build valuable life skills: confidence, dealing with aggression and conflict, communicating more effectively, and improving physical, mental, and social well-being, creating positive behaviour changes, and stronger connections to self and others. Our program would not only consist of the work we do with horses but providing opportunities for youth to accelerate their healing journey and improve their mindsets through outdoor activities as metaphors for exploring belief systems and behaviour.
Many equine-specialised categories would be included, and there’d be employment and volunteer opportunities for our youth program members looking to work with horses in their careers and broaden their practical experience.
The biggest challenge at the moment is finding the facilities/location and the finances to start such a huge program, but I’m looking forward to the potential this proposal has and how I can make it happen.”
When asked who her main inspiration was, Aotea replied that;
“My Dad has to be my main inspiration. Dad has always been a very strong and stable character throughout my life. There are many things I admire in him, especially his tolerance, his dependability, and his ability to remain solid under any circumstance. He has always been like a solid foundation holding me steady. With whatever life has shown him, he is able to remain steadfast and resilient like a Maunga (mountain), with as much grace as the name he was bestowed.”
Aotea’s compassion and determination is incredible. At only age 19 Aotea has achieved so much, and she is an inspiration to all youth. Her story represents that age doesn’t matter, if you have a passion for something, follow your dreams.
“Everything happens for a reason. Some things may not unfold in the exact way you wished, but a greater opportunity can arise from it. Keep an open mind and be willing to see the silver lining in all situations.”