Could my arab thrive in the UK?

[SueandBaqi]

I am currently resident in the UAE and own an arab gelding. We are considering returning to the UK and would love to take him too but I wonder if it would be fair to suddenly put him into the UK climate. I don't want to end up with an unrideable horse because he cannot cope with the environment. Any advice please.

 

[Pinkvboots]

As far as I am aware many horses especially Arabs are sold from hot climates to the UK and I am sure it can be a bit of a shock but they adjust with careful management, my advice would be to move over here in the summer months and hopefully then it will be a gradual drop in temperature, well that's the idea but anything goes with UK weather, and invest in some decent warm rugs ready for the winter, I have two Arabs and although they have always been in the UK neither are particularly cold horses compared to some other breeds I have known, and if you put to thicker rugs on they sweat quite easily,
what part of the UK are you moving to and I would love to know your horses breeding?

 

[splashgirl45]

lots of racehorses spend time in UAE and then come over here and they seem to do very well so your arab should be able to cope as long as you are careful with rugging etc.,,I think most horses are ok with the cold but rain is the problem for lots of them..

 

[SueandBaqi]

As far as I am aware many horses especially Arabs are sold from hot climates to the UK and I am sure it can be a bit of a shock but they adjust with careful management, my advice would be to move over here in the summer months and hopefully then it will be a gradual drop in temperature, well that's the idea but anything goes with UK weather, and invest in some decent warm rugs ready for the winter, I have two Arabs and although they have always been in the UK neither are particularly cold horses compared to some other breeds I have known, and if you put to thicker rugs on they sweat quite easily,
what part of the UK are you moving to and I would love to know your horses breeding?

Thanks for your advice. If we decide, the move will be to Essex. I am the proud owner of a horse bred by HH Sheikh Omar Al Nayhan..His name is RS BAQI which means bred by the Royal Stables . He is a retired endurance racer and I think not very successful because he was quite fat when I bought him and is lazy too but has a lovely character.

 

[SueandBaqi]

lots of racehorses spend time in UAE and then come over here and they seem to do very well so your arab should be able to cope as long as you are careful with rugging etc.,,I think most horses are ok with the cold but rain is the problem for lots of them..

Oh, my horse hates water! Will invest in waterproof rug

 

[Shady]

i live in France and have an Arab that came over from the hottest part of Australia, i know he went to England first for a year and did not do well at all but it was to Wales which can be very , very wet, he got mud fever and struggled with the rain and cold there, that being said i do not know if he had the best of care as his owners had to leave him with friends. He's been with me here in the south of France for over 4 years and i can honestly say that he hates the rain with a passion but is ok with the cold and snow , he gets a tiny bit of sweet itch which i guess could be worse in the UK and i do watch for mud fever which he's never had with me, i do stable him at night and i don't believe he would do well living out 24/7( but he has always been stabled), i also watch his diet and you would have to be on top of that even more in England given the richness of the grass, mine loves his straw thank god!
i am certain your Arab can adjust, don't part with him if you love him because of moving, Pinkyboots is right, do it in the summer and bring any hard feed he has just to start with.
I also have a Spanish horse that came directly from Seville Spain and he has done really well although he had a touch of mild colic when i first got him, he also hates the rain but is happy with his rug on and access to a shelter, Spanish horses get exported to the UK and although they do better if bred there, they do adjust, it again comes down to watching rich grass intake , like Arabs they need more fibre and very low sugar. Best of luck if you do move back, keep us posted?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

That's so funny Shady. I know that your boy is closely related to mine, but they are so different in their personalities. Mine would much rather be out in the most inclement weather, than in his stable. Sometimes the girls are sheltering by the windbreak and he's off on his own at the top if the hill in the wind and rain. Nutter.

 

[Enfys]

Sure, he will be fine, arabians are tough cookies on the whole, but like any horse they are individuals. Be led by him and your knowledge of him. You sound as if you have your head screwed on. I have a mare bred and raised in Columbia, spent most of her life in Florida and then rudely uprooted to Canada where -30C isn't unusual. She is still in blankets now in April.

 

[Shady]

That's so funny Shady. I know that your boy is closely related to mine, but they are so different in their personalities. Mine would much rather be out in the most inclement weather, than in his stable. Sometimes the girls are sheltering by the windbreak and he's off on his own at the top if the hill in the wind and rain. Nutter.

Lol Faracat! i swear to god they are pathetic! the mearest hint of rain and they stand in front of the kitchen window, both of them perfectly aligned to stare directly in at me, if that doesn't work they start eating the fence interspersed with pitiful , needy neighing, they both drive me nuts!! can't believe we share the same bloodlines! swap you my stocky wimp for your gorgeous boy! xxxxxx

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Hot stuff would need to bring his girls. He spent a lot of time today prancing about trying to impress them... it didn't work.

 

[texenstar]

I imported my Arab from the UAE about 5 years ago. Transitioned fine but he has only just now started to grow an actual thick winter coat and I have to make sure he is well ruggged up as he gets cold easily. The only health issue i have had is one bout of mud fever but other than that he has settled in fine and he is 23 now so wasn't a young buck when he moved in the first place. I think horses are a lot more adaptable than we, sometimes, give them credit for and they can put up with a lot of change if managed right

Goof luck with your move

 

[Pinkvboots]

Thanks for your advice. If we decide, the move will be to Essex. I am the proud owner of a horse bred by HH Sheikh Omar Al Nayhan..His name is RS BAQI which means bred by the Royal Stables . He is a retired endurance racer and I think not very successful because he was quite fat when I bought him and is lazy too but has a lovely character.

lucky you he sounds lovely where are you moving to in Essex I lived in Essex for 16 years.

 

[SueandBaqi]

Will do thanks for the help. Will be looking for livery near Braintree, Essex