So my overseas lovelies... did you take you horse with you?

[freckles22uk]

Or... did you buy a new horse once you emigrated, or are you now horseless... and how have you found horse ownership different to the UK , if at all.....

I moved to Spain 8 years ago (how time flies!!) and brought over my 2 Appaloosa mares (told the 'now' ex there was no way was I moving without them) then a few years later brought over my daughters first pony, a Welsh Sec A (long story)

They settled in so well, and cope with the heat in the summer like they have lived here all their lives, (and the bitter cold in winter) keeping them is a lot different, no grass for starters, and need to be fed 3 times a day... but I have mine at home, (first time ever) and can walk out in my pj's in a morning and feed them..

Its been a whole new experience for me having horses here, from feeding to keeping,..Ive got a stallion that I would never of dreamed of having in the UK (though I did breed him) and keep him out 24/7 ... to hack out, I just ride though my gate, straight off road... Ive now gone barefoot, use less gadgets, though its probably to do with no 'peer pressure' and all in all feel really happy... oh and I dont miss 6 months of mud, but I do miss the horse shows ...
but one thing that amazes me the amount of 'brits' that discard the riding hats once here (I still wear mine)

 

[Enfys]

Sadly no we didn't.

It was a hard decision, and, in hindsight, the wrong one, I will always regret it deeply because of the trauma it caused my daughter to leave him

I had had my own riding horse pts a few months before we came, on a pre-purchase exam it was found that he had only minimal light and dark vison, rather than try to re-home him, loan him or risk his future I did what I still consider the best for him, no regrets.

We arrived end of September 2006 - homeless.
Offered on a house 2 days later.
Closed on the house, and moved in end of October.
4 Horses in the paddock by end of November!

I still have Robin and Lola, Cooper lives up the road, and Ruby is living in Saskatchewan and I often see her on FB which is nice.

Although management is probably different again from Spain (apart from the language aspect) I know exactly what you mean by the enormous learning curve. Terminology, philosophy, day to day management etc.

 

[Enfys]

Freckles, I have to admit to being curious and Google Mapping your region, wow, looks like so much open space, is your riding good there?

Mine is completely rubbish compared to what I left behind in South Wales (my field opened onto a mountain) next time I move I will research that a great deal more, we are deep in crop country here AND it is horribly flat.
So, although there is a lot of Crownland (think akin to Forestry Commission) it gets boring, and the roads - no little lanes, even the unpaved country backroads are 30' wide, dead straight and go on until they hit the next township. Mind numbingly tedious.

Somewhere down there is our home, interesting to see from 3000' up in a balloon though.

 

[La Fiaba]

I only even had horses on loan in the UK so couldn't have brought any over even if I wanted to (which I did, I miss my old loan boy so much ) So I bought my first horse while here in Italy, although I have imported a few from Ireland (can't beat an Irish horse!)

It has been a steep learning curve, one of my biggest mistakes was thinking the hay was the same quakity as UK! Hay costs me a fortune as I go through a 400kg bale every 2 days. I am very lucky to manage my own land as most Italian horses live in or in small (eg15x15m) paddocks. Farriers are a nightmare and I'm now trying to transition most of mine to barefoot or boots.

Hacking is AMAZING though, I would find it hard to go back to UK now. No gates, no niggly trespass laws, just get on your horse and go! The only issue I have is lots of hills so not many great areas for a gallop, but a guy a few kms away trains racehgorses and has a sand gallop track which we are allowed to use which is a god send, always need a good blast now and then

I know what you mean about the hats, I did it when I first arrived becasue nobody else wore them so I felt a plonker. Pretty much always wear one now although in the summer it is so tempting to take it off as it can get so hot. I have a guy on working livery (well, his horse is ) and he never wore a hat, he's about 60 (the guy not the horse) and a couple of weeks ago he bought a riding hat because a friend of a friend fell off hatless, hit his head and died

 

[La Fiaba]

Seeing as we're doing pics here's one that I love, it's like a 'whre shall e go today?' pic with OH wearing a hat!! After me nagging him as horse hadn't been ridden for months, he hardly ever does though

 

[Enfys]

La Fiaba ......... jealous. Very. I love mountains.

We didn't have much of a choice with location OH had a job (which he needed for us to come here) and we had to be within commuting distance. If it had been up to us we would probably have gone to the Okanagan in BC rather than ON.

Oh boy, that is fabulous, I wish we had something like that here, Ontario is flat, flat, flat, whatever the maps say the highest point would only reach your foothills. Easy to keep horses fit.

Why did you choose Italy?
Was the language ever a problem?

 

[j1ffy]

Ooh, interesting topic! La Fiaba, what stunning scenery. Enfys - eek, that is VERY flat!!!

I had hoped to bring my Spanish boy to HK with me but he failed his piroplasmosis test I was heart-broken at the time but in hindsight it's not the happiest life for horses here (very limited turnout and next-to-no hacking (certainly none on the ex-racers where I ride)). I sent him back to Spain where he's living the life of riley with a friend of mine who runs riding holidays - it's a great compromise as it gives me the perfect excuse to go back to Spain and ride at least two or three times a year

Freckles - I feel your pain with the Spanish way of keeping horses though! Farriers are truly terrible... But the stallions are amazing, so cuddly!

 

[Big Ben]

What lovely scenery you have La Faiba, that is just stunning.

My scenery, well much like Enfys, flat, with big summer storms

more flat

and then winter flat and white

 

[Big Ben]

Oh yeah, horses, I had 'retired' from horses in the UK, so only had the dogs to bring to Canada, arrived in October, and bought two mares from the auction in January

Being a rerider with fluctuating levels of cash, confidence, time, health and weight my horse journey over here has been a little erratic, I have bought and sold a few, but most were projects that were turned around and sent off with hopefully better chance. I also had a small breeding herd of Haflingers for a short while, but now have settled down to hopefully a stable (ish) group of Arabs and Arab crosses, oh and a Ben

Biggest shocks, that horses can live outside in arctic temps, without rugs and not only live but thrive.

Barefoot works.

Some things I still struggle with, riding 2 year olds, and the different view on rider size over here.Terminology, I still try and cling to my old favourites, rugs not blankets, hog not roach, I have leather headcollars and string halters, they are not all halters.

I still ride with a helmet, and according to my husband am totally onery being as I rode Western in the UK, and am now doing dressage in a western world, he is probably right

 

[JCWHITE]

My mare came with us ,and adapted well, I now have a "native" too.
Learning curve is the best way to put it for all the reasons the above posters have made.
Although I compete, the scene and set up is incredibly different, and sometimes I yearn for a County Show, tradestands, a clear round class, a local show,a saddler, but as someone once said, you have to give up certain things, to gain certain things.
I make do with an annual trip to HOYS for my fix.
I feel blessed to have been accepted in the French horse fraternity for who I am and what I attempt, rather than, all the latest gear, the flashiest stable etc.
I have tried horse sports that I would never have envisaged doing in the uk, and this year aim to try two more.
We truly have wonderful people around us of both nationalities, so kind. Having horses has opened so many doors.
I hope that one day I will have the conversational skills to tell my fantastic blacksmith and coach, how much they mean to me.
Luckily I have the best vet, who knows the score in both uk and here, so he knows what I am comparing against.
We are very lucky.

 

[La Fiaba]

La Fiaba ......... jealous. Very. I love mountains.

We didn't have much of a choice with location OH had a job (which he needed for us to come here) and we had to be within commuting distance. If it had been up to us we would probably have gone to the Okanagan in BC rather than ON.

Oh boy, that is fabulous, I wish we had something like that here, Ontario is flat, flat, flat, whatever the maps say the highest point would only reach your foothills. Easy to keep horses fit.

Why did you choose Italy?
Was the language ever a problem?

Sometimes I yearn for flat, especially when having to walk 15 horses to the paddocks and back But yes it is beautiful, of course it is exactly what Tuscany is famous for (aside from the food and wine which makes you thankful for the hills in the end ).

BC I love and would live there in a second if it was possible. Have never been to ON though.

Italy chose me, came over on a job offer to do a season in a dressage yard, met my now OH who I knew was my soul mate and never left! Although having lived in a few places we chose to stay in Tuscany, I think it is obvious why! They say the floor here is made of glue, when you come you never want to leave

For first 2 years I didn't speak Italian as worked with tourists, only since moving to the sticks I had to learn. But hasn't caused too much trouble and OH speaks fluent english which has made me a bit lazy tbh.

Is your OH not canadian then? What made you decide on Canada?

 

[Hemirjtm]

I never had the chance to have horses in the UK...I now have 6 - 3 mine, 2 my mums and 1 is my dads but she is "on loan"! But one is from the UK, he struggled for about a year and still really struggles with the ticks, and if he gets a tick it gets nasty and infected

All of them are kept at home, I would never have been able to have a horse in the UK let alone keeping them at home. I love being able to get up in the morning and go and feed in my PJ's

La Fiaba your hacking looks AMAZING, I'm very jelous. Mine is pretty flat, however we can get straight onto tracks with no road work

 

[freckles22uk]

Sadly no we didn't.

It was a hard decision, and, in hindsight, the wrong one, I will always regret it deeply because of the trauma it caused my daughter to leave him

I had had my own riding horse pts a few months before we came, on a pre-purchase exam it was found that he had only minimal light and dark vison, rather than try to re-home him, loan him or risk his future I did what I still consider the best for him, no regrets.

We arrived end of September 2006 - homeless.
Offered on a house 2 days later.
Closed on the house, and moved in end of October.
4 Horses in the paddock by end of November!

I still have Robin and Lola, Cooper lives up the road, and Ruby is living in Saskatchewan and I often see her on FB which is nice.

Although management is probably different again from Spain (apart from the language aspect) I know exactly what you mean by the enormous learning curve. Terminology, philosophy, day to day management etc.

You didnt waste much time filling a paddock..... lol

 

[freckles22uk]

Freckles, I have to admit to being curious and Google Mapping your region, wow, looks like so much open space, is your riding good there?

Mine is completely rubbish compared to what I left behind in South Wales (my field opened onto a mountain) next time I move I will research that a great deal more, we are deep in crop country here AND it is horribly flat.
So, although there is a lot of Crownland (think akin to Forestry Commission) it gets boring, and the roads - no little lanes, even the unpaved country backroads are 30' wide, dead straight and go on until they hit the next township. Mind numbingly tedious.

Well the hacking here is ok.... I tend to go in the same places, but least its off road, I need to venture further really, but I miss going for a good blast and finding logs to jump. though I do canter in the fields round me that haven't been plowed for anything..

This is Freckles ears!... and the nearest village (Banyeres de Mariola) only 5 mins in the car

 

[freckles22uk]

Ooh, interesting topic! La Fiaba, what stunning scenery. Enfys - eek, that is VERY flat!!!

I had hoped to bring my Spanish boy to HK with me but he failed his piroplasmosis test I was heart-broken at the time but in hindsight it's not the happiest life for horses here (very limited turnout and next-to-no hacking (certainly none on the ex-racers where I ride)). I sent him back to Spain where he's living the life of riley with a friend of mine who runs riding holidays - it's a great compromise as it gives me the perfect excuse to go back to Spain and ride at least two or three times a year

Freckles - I feel your pain with the Spanish way of keeping horses though! Farriers are truly terrible... But the stallions are amazing, so cuddly!

Yes the farriers I was not impressed with, so I now self trim, and never thought I would ever go barefoot! And glad im not on a yard, least mine are out all the time..

A friends horse has just been diagnosed with Piro, but is being treated and is ok.. (where in Spain do you visit? )

 

[j1ffy]

Freckles - I go to the Costa de Luz near Barbate in Andalucia. It's stunning there with amazing riding and incredible horses (on an average hack I'll usually see at least two that I'd happily take home ).

Apparently 95% of horses in Andalucia will test positive for piro though very few will ever actually get the illness (it's an antibody test so any horse that has been exposed will be +ive). The Spanish govt claim they don't have a piro problem though - go figure!!

 

[RichardRider]

Short answer; no. I had already been living in France when I started riding with neighbors, just hacking out. One thing lead to another(I found it SO easy,) then I decided to join a riding club(I speak French so there was no language barrier,) and that's when I discovered how incredbly difficult and demanding the sport actually is.

I own a couple of horses but still put in an hour each week at a club owned by a friend of mine, riding an Anglo-Arab of his for the past 6 years. Yesterday, a woman I've known for some time asked me what part of England I was from. When I replied San Francisco, they couldn't believe that all these years they'd been riding with an American...

Funny, don't really know how to take that...lol.

...rr

 

[RichardRider]

Well the hacking here is ok.... I tend to go in the same places, but least its off road, I need to venture further really, but I miss going for a good blast and finding logs to jump. though I do canter in the fields round me that haven't been plowed for anything..

This is Freckles ears!... and the nearest village (Banyeres de Mariola) only 5 mins in the car

Looks lovely. We're planning a move to Bordeaux soon and can't wait for the warmer weather. You lot that live in Spain; just must be fantastic...Bordeaux get's HOT for a few months and I have been really wondering how horses bred in the north of France or England do when suddenly confronting the sudden heat of the south...Plus, we have tons of hay here but, when vacationing in the Bordeaux Region the past years, I've never noticed much in the way of grass or grazing or hay fields...

...rr

 

[jokadoka]

Yes, I did bring my horse with me from Yorkshire to France and bought a 'local' as a companion.
The riding here is really good, I am in a very small village in the grapegrowing region of Alsace, and nothing is out of bounds. I can do road ( read village lanes ), vineyards or woodland from my backdoor, and it's all reasonably hilly so a lot of variety.
I do miss a good blast up a 'bare' hill tho ( think grassland) as everything here has either got grapes or trees stuck on it, not that I'm complaining mind!
Can't say I like how people keep their horses in my area, stuck in very small, knee deep in mud bits of scrap fields. I seem to be the only one in the area to rug my horse which resulted in my neighbour asking 'is he ill'.
I've also always struggled to keep weight on my boy, but he is definitely the fattest one in town here!
Came here nearly 6 years ago and OH has 3 years left on his contract, if I'm honest I can't wait to get back to the UK.....
Can't fault France for their fantastic healthcare tho, and I will be forever grateful for that.
Anybody else in Alsace ( Bas- Rhin), feel free to get in touch!!

 

[MissTyc]

I did it the other way round when I moved to the UK and brought the boys with me.
Despite living on the south downs and having the horses on site, I really miss the forest tracks of the black forest and the freedom to ride wherever I like. I do like the attitude towards horse care here, but not the coddling I see in many of my liveries. Where I come from it's MUCH colder ... but we only rug if fully clipped.

 

[stacey_lou]

Just curious n I'm not sure if I am allowed to ask this but what were people's reasons for emigrating?

I guess I am too much of a 'home girl' to leave my own county let alone England lol many places I'd think yes I'd love to live there but when it came to the crunch I wouldn't

 

[freckles22uk]

Just curious n I'm not sure if I am allowed to ask this but what were people's reasons for emigrating?

I guess I am too much of a 'home girl' to leave my own county let alone England lol many places I'd think yes I'd love to live there but when it came to the crunch I wouldn't

all in this thread... http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=591656

but if you asked me 10 years ago, if I could see myself living in a strange country, in the middle of nowhere, no mains electric,( I have solar and would never got back to mains) no mains gas,(all gas bottles here) and log burner! (no central heating at mine) a cesspit and no mains water .. I would of thought you were bonkers.... but I love it..

(though this new house does hove mains water, which I hate as I have to pay for it!! )

 

[freckles22uk]

Looks lovely. We're planning a move to Bordeaux soon and can't wait for the warmer weather. You lot that live in Spain; just must be fantastic...Bordeaux get's HOT for a few months and I have been really wondering how horses bred in the north of France or England do when suddenly confronting the sudden heat of the south...Plus, we have tons of hay here but, when vacationing in the Bordeaux Region the past years, I've never noticed much in the way of grass or grazing or hay fields...

...rr

Spain is lovely... but where I am the winters can be cold and often get snow, though none yet! last night was -1'c but by lunchtime is was 33'c in the sun..... summer can be too hot, last year was the hottest Ive ever known it, it reached 63'c in the sun one day, its normally in the 40's during July/August.. and the horses coped fine, never even seem to sweat in it, and will often stand in the sun, despite lots of shade.. though I dont ride when its very hot,

Hard to get hay, thats the downside... not much grass.. so mine have, what I can only describe as a cross between grass and straw... and alfalfa (and hard feed) and straw in nets overnight, so they dont get bored, and they all look really well, if not a bit chubby... lol

 

[Rollin]

Richard Rider I have just noticed your post, you are just two hours away, I am just south of Sable sur Sarthe.

We arrived with an aged gelding and 2 CB mares. I thought my gelding would last a few winters and bought a little pony in the village to keep him company in retirement. He is now 34 and still not retired!!

A few months after arriving a friend was selling her Highland gelding, so he was shipped from Scotland. A year after arriving we purchased two Shagya mares from the Hungarian National stud. Then another CB mare in foal and a stallion from the UK.

We have bred one CB, two Shagya, one ShGxCB since arriving and just purchased another CB mare in the UK.

Learning curve has been difficult. I have no Gallop qualifications so can only compete in endurance, western and le Trec - as an OAP I am a bit old to start training now!!

Love the climate and the scenery of Maine et Loire but wish I could magic my Scottish farrier here. I am on my fourth farrier at the moment.

 

[Casey76]

I bought my two once I was settled over here.

I didn't start riding again as an adult until I moved, then buying Pinto (my cob) was an almost spur of the moment decision when I felt I was no longer progressing in my weekly dressage lesson.

Buying Blitz (the Mérens) was a spur of the moment decision that was over two years in the making! I knew I wanted a youngster to bring on as Pinto heads towards retirement (or less intensive schooling), and I knew I wanted a Mérens... it was buying a 7 month old colt foal which was the spur of the moment bit.

I find myself frequently frustrated at the lack of choice of all manner of things in France, compared to the UK. Most of it I can live with (or import )

 

[sunnyone]

We took our 2 to Spain. Big mistake, it was the region of Murcia which near the coast at least has no grass and the only trees there were commercial fruit. Complete change of diet and scenery led to the youngest being very unhappy. They were kept outside in a sand area with 24hr access to shelter.They both got soft hooves over the winter, which they'd never had before. The youngest could not accept the hundreds of loose goats and sheep near her when she went out and would try to bolt every time she saw them. Riding her was not fun.
After 6 months we decided to move back to an area where grass grows i.e. France. We've settled 50 mins west of Bordeaux. The food for them is more what they are used to and the scenery too. Their hooves improved immediately and their tempers. There are no stray dogs, sheep or goats anywhere and passing the fenced in ones is not a problem. I was always circumspect before when somebody said my horse doesn't like their surroundings, not any more.
Since settling here we have bought 1 French 2 year old, now a gelding, and 1 Lusitano 9 year old mare bred in Andalusia. Both are as sweet tempered as can be.
Thus we have a truly international set up. As I speak all 3 languages I often speak to the horses in their own language, which can have a positive effect on their behaviour.

 

[Crackajack]

Well....I couldn't go anywhere else other than US as I only speak my native English laguage so....me and OH moved to Malta

I was going to bring my beastie - Crackers AKA CJ- Dales X Cob but then upon researching the cost, stress it may cause, time involved and that I wouldn't be able to travel with him I was forced into a no...combined with the fact that the monies we had planned to use fell through

I miss that guy more than I could ever find the words....I sold him to a 12 year old who he had 18 months with - she said he gave her all of her confidence but she sold him on without my knowledge...she told me after

I took 6 months of time away from horses of my own...struggled to get to know the horse world on this rock...

I still struggle with it everyday...

They keep horses in stables inside their garages...if a horse is lucky enough to have an outside stable...only a lucky few get an outdoor stable AND a paddock...
Mine has a normal stable and an attached paddock so can go in and out...normally we get a field each summer but things are bad
No where to really gallop - ground is poo to say the least and everyone are *******s to each other regarding the horses as everyone knows each other due to it being ssoo small...

But I have my King and each day im trying to love him the way I loved CJ...

Info: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=551170