LadyGascoyne
Well-Known Member
I'm in NZ but I've just arrived so I'll contribute to Denmark, Spain and South Africa.
Firstly, SA.
Keeping horses in or around the cities differs enormously to keeping horses in rural areas. I've done both.
Cities have access to great vets and equine hospitals, you can find a good farrier quite easily and feet are valued. Riding clubs or centres have outdoor arenas and lots of unaff and affiliated shows. Thoroughbreds are common wherever you are, as a result of the racing industry. You'd pay a fortune for a gypsy cob!
Riding in Cape Town gives you access to great hacks through vineyards and forests and obviously the beach. Riding in Joburg is dry and vast, like the savannah. It's quite easily over 30 degrees and people still ride during the day.
African Horse Sickness is a huge concern. There isn't a very effective vaccine and the vaccine itself can make them very ill. West Nile is also relatively common.
Rural horses live out, don't see farriers regurly so people tend to do their own rasping, and may not have a vet within a day's drive. They tend to be treated more as livestock. American saddlers, hackneys and Arab, as well as the South African Boerperd are very common. The grass tend to be rather poor so horses can be on the skinny side.
Feeding wise, ours were on a hard mix and sugarbeet when competing. Hay can be difficult to find, some feed teff or lucerne.
I've encountered far less laminitis in SA than anywhere else.
Denmark, on an endurance yard, the horses (Arabs, quarter horses, fjords and icelandics) lived out 24/7 even when chest deep in snow- and without a rug. They did look like yaks. They did their own farriery, most were barefoot, and fed a mix of hard feed and straw/hay. Hacking was amazing and I agree that other horses think Icelandic ponies are bizarre! You ride in all weather and the horses were often used as a method of transport- popping to the shop, going to visit someone or riding up to the hunting lodge to pick up some meat for dinner.
At the competition yard, horses were out for a few hours a day, fed on huge amounts of concentrate and worked twice a day, once on the lunge or on the flat, and then jumped. Stallions are common. The vet care was great and the horses were shod. Tack was cleaned after every ride and smartened up before. All the horses were warmbloods but not necessarily Danish. All the horses were completely over the top and a nightmare to turn out and bring in. Colic was relatively common and everything was insured from tip of ear to frog.
Spain, I was in VERY rural southern Spain and had no access to vets. Though the horses lived out, they had no grass and very little hay. If something went wrong, you'd have to wait it out or call a farmer to pts. There was plenty of grass in the valley but the YO didn't seem to understand that the horses might like to eat it. The attitude was very much that they are working live stock but they do take pride in them. Horses are regularly used as transport and seen tied up outside taverns while their owners drink inside. If you arrived in hi-viz, a hat and a body protector, they would think you were an alien.
Firstly, SA.
Keeping horses in or around the cities differs enormously to keeping horses in rural areas. I've done both.
Cities have access to great vets and equine hospitals, you can find a good farrier quite easily and feet are valued. Riding clubs or centres have outdoor arenas and lots of unaff and affiliated shows. Thoroughbreds are common wherever you are, as a result of the racing industry. You'd pay a fortune for a gypsy cob!
Riding in Cape Town gives you access to great hacks through vineyards and forests and obviously the beach. Riding in Joburg is dry and vast, like the savannah. It's quite easily over 30 degrees and people still ride during the day.
African Horse Sickness is a huge concern. There isn't a very effective vaccine and the vaccine itself can make them very ill. West Nile is also relatively common.
Rural horses live out, don't see farriers regurly so people tend to do their own rasping, and may not have a vet within a day's drive. They tend to be treated more as livestock. American saddlers, hackneys and Arab, as well as the South African Boerperd are very common. The grass tend to be rather poor so horses can be on the skinny side.
Feeding wise, ours were on a hard mix and sugarbeet when competing. Hay can be difficult to find, some feed teff or lucerne.
I've encountered far less laminitis in SA than anywhere else.
Denmark, on an endurance yard, the horses (Arabs, quarter horses, fjords and icelandics) lived out 24/7 even when chest deep in snow- and without a rug. They did look like yaks. They did their own farriery, most were barefoot, and fed a mix of hard feed and straw/hay. Hacking was amazing and I agree that other horses think Icelandic ponies are bizarre! You ride in all weather and the horses were often used as a method of transport- popping to the shop, going to visit someone or riding up to the hunting lodge to pick up some meat for dinner.
At the competition yard, horses were out for a few hours a day, fed on huge amounts of concentrate and worked twice a day, once on the lunge or on the flat, and then jumped. Stallions are common. The vet care was great and the horses were shod. Tack was cleaned after every ride and smartened up before. All the horses were warmbloods but not necessarily Danish. All the horses were completely over the top and a nightmare to turn out and bring in. Colic was relatively common and everything was insured from tip of ear to frog.
Spain, I was in VERY rural southern Spain and had no access to vets. Though the horses lived out, they had no grass and very little hay. If something went wrong, you'd have to wait it out or call a farmer to pts. There was plenty of grass in the valley but the YO didn't seem to understand that the horses might like to eat it. The attitude was very much that they are working live stock but they do take pride in them. Horses are regularly used as transport and seen tied up outside taverns while their owners drink inside. If you arrived in hi-viz, a hat and a body protector, they would think you were an alien.