Kaimanawa wild horse charities have raised enough money for a fourth muster of the year, and found enough homes for a small group of animals living in an ecologically sensitive area of the North Island's central plateau.

The fourth muster was required because a group of about 15 horses is living away from the main herd, on Defence Force land near Waiouru.

Three musters have taken place earlier this year to help limit herd numbers, which current sit at about 500.

The Kaimanawa Wild Horse Advisory Group - including the Department of Conservation and the charities, Kaimanawa Heritage Horses and the Kaimanawa Legacy Foundation - recently decided that a muster of those horses could take place if the charities raised the money for it.

If they didn't it was possible aerial culling would have been used.

Legacy Foundation founder Kelly Wilson said the charities had raised about $60,000, which was enough, although the cost for the latest muster had since increased by about $19,000.

The charities would have to cover that cost.

Eighteen homes had agreed to take wild horses if needed. Wilson said no one knew the exact number that would be taken from the site, so it was good to have flexibility.

"It's a huge relief," Wilson said.

"Our fundraising to do the muster would be pointless if we didn't have homes for them to go to."

She said it would be interesting to see how easily the horses could be trained as, unlike horses from the main herd, they'd had little contact with people.

Trainer Morgan Chandler-Bruce would work with six or seven of the horses at Wilson's sanctuary, near Taupō.

Wilson said a week before applications for horses had closed, the charities had only received one for the five stallions likely to be mustered, and they were short of homes for mature mares.

However, private sponsors put up the money for eight horses, to cover most of the costs of training them. Applications then followed.

"We are hugely appreciate of the public for the donations received to enable the muster to go ahead, as well as the homes that have stepped forward to offer these special Kaimanawa horses homes," she said.

DOC project lead Sarah Tunnicliffe said the department was finalising logistics of the muster and setting up temporary yards for it.

It was expected to take place from late next week.