An interesting visit

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Ruftys mum

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I am in South Tenerife at present and yesterday I was taken to a huge equine centre in the mountains. It had amazing facilities and all the horses looked well. However what a boring life they led . They lived in a small area consisting of a shelter and a small run. Because of the climate there is no grass All in individual turnout but they could see the next horse. I don't think we realise how lucky we are in England that they can graze and live in when necessary .
Another problem they did not use fly sheets because of the heat and the horses were driven mad by flies
There was little or no hacking except on roads so all riding done in arenas. Some large enough for a gallop.
One of the horses had Cushings but apparently the cost of drugs was prohibitive so the horse was managed by diet only . The owner was terrified he would get laminitis but so far he was ok.
THe horses were well loved however and the 2 I met were a delight

All in all the UK seems a good place to keep our horses
 
I’ve ridden horses in both Lanzerote and gran canaria. Both hacked out.

The horses in Lanzerote weren’t short on character. 3 of us had ridden plenty so got horses that were forward but nice so when we went a canter the man taking us out stayed behind with my OH on his wee mare. The man’s horse wanted to come with the 3 of us going for a canter and he cantered up the hill sideways to try and catch up with us.
OH’s lovely mare did 2 steps of trot, realised he was unbalanced and went back to walk and carefully took him up the hill. She was a special horse.

Of course the set up was very different to here but the horses weren’t shut down or depressed. I have no idea how those ones were kept though.

There’s plenty of horses who don’t get turnout in the uk too. I must admit I have no idea how folk manage them. Mine would be a nightmare and probably be scheming my demise 😂
 
We were on holiday quite a few years ago in Spain and the house next to us they had a horse that lived in their garage and his paddock was the building site of a half finished house next door. He seemed to have a lot of care with brushing and being lunged and I imagine ridden as the hacking would’ve been absolutely brilliant but he was always covered in flies. His face would be absolutely plastered. He seemed very sweet.
 
I have a friend who lives in Tenerife (but not in the 'tourist' part of the island). She often posts videos of her rides out on the mountain tracks and it looks fantastic.
I don't know anything about how the horses are kept but they all look healthy - and clearly very fit - in the videos.

I don't personally like it when it's very, very hot (which doesn't happen a lot up here, admittedly) and I probably wouldn't opt to ride in blazing hot sunshine.
Our trio seem happy to be living out with free access to hay, but they do have to put up with some awful weather (torrential rain, hail, sleet/snow, gale force winds).
I swore profusely for 90 minutes when I was poo clearing last week, especially when I nearly got blown over onto the much heap.
And there are days when it's just not possible to ride because of the vile weather. On those days I find myself wishing I lived in a nice warm place...

I imagine there are pros and cons associated with keeping horses in different locations; the most important thing is that we're all trying to do the very best for them and they are as happy & healthy as possible,
 
Swings and roundabouts. Lots of UK horses are stabled for (very) long periods year round, without even a small turnout pen. And also exercise in arenas or on roads if they are lucky. Lots stand around in deep mud too, also not great. I did a week riding in Crete a few years ago and the story was similar to OP's experience. Horses kept mostly in stables with pens attached, some slightly larger and kept in pairs. The horses were used for trekking over mountains though, and were super fit. There was a limited area of olive groves (no grass), although I never saw a horse in it when I was there.
Honestly, for an EMS horse like mine, I'd pay damn good money for that keep.
 
Ruftys mum said:
I am in South Tenerife at present and yesterday I was taken to a huge equine centre in the mountains. It had amazing facilities and all the horses looked well. However what a boring life they led . They lived in a small area consisting of a shelter and a small run. Because of the climate there is no grass All in individual turnout but they could see the next horse. I don't think we realise how lucky we are in England that they can graze and live in when necessary .
Another problem they did not use fly sheets because of the heat and the horses were driven mad by flies
There was little or no hacking except on roads so all riding done in arenas. Some large enough for a gallop.
One of the horses had Cushings but apparently the cost of drugs was prohibitive so the horse was managed by diet only . The owner was terrified he would get laminitis but so far he was ok.
THe horses were well loved however and the 2 I met were a delight

All in all the UK seems a good place to keep our horses
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Horses don’t have to be medicated for Cushings. Medication doesn’t cure it only helps control the symptoms. My horse was diagnosed with Cushings, I tried the medication but it didn’t help him so now he doesn’t have any medication & is doing well.
 
Peglo said:
I’ve ridden horses in both Lanzerote and gran canaria. Both hacked out.

The horses in Lanzerote weren’t short on character. 3 of us had ridden plenty so got horses that were forward but nice so when we went a canter the man taking us out stayed behind with my OH on his wee mare. The man’s horse wanted to come with the 3 of us going for a canter and he cantered up the hill sideways to try and catch up with us.
OH’s lovely mare did 2 steps of trot, realised he was unbalanced and went back to walk and carefully took him up the hill. She was a special horse.

Of course the set up was very different to here but the horses weren’t shut down or depressed. I have no idea how those ones were kept though.

There’s plenty of horses who don’t get turnout in the uk too. I must admit I have no idea how folk manage them. Mine would be a nightmare and probably be scheming my demise 😂
Click to expand...
We were il Lanzarote last month and the November before. Both times we rode at the place you describe. Both times, we both (myself and novice BF) had horses that I'd happily have taken home with us. Mine was a go-ey thing both times, his was very quiet last year (perfect as it was his first sustained canter) and this year he rode one more up for it.

The horses, as you said, were full of character and not shut down. They were well bitted up but seemed happy in their work. I would not hesitate to ride there again. Each time, they allowed riders to push themselves and try new things, and the horses were utter saints and brought everyone home safe and sound.

They were working horses rather than pampered pets, but I was happy with how they were kept. They were co-operative to mount, put themselves to bed after the ride and were just very much on side. No grazing, but I think they were kept in herds in a dry lot situation.

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