Talking of Trekking - horrible experiences abroad - never again

Storminateacup

Storminateacup

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We went trekking in Corfu a few years back.
We paid about £30 each for 2 hours and the horses we rode were truely a sorry state.
I almost felt I should get off and lead the poor wee grey TB mare I was given. She was about 14.2 just well covered enough not to be a rescue case and felt lame all round. I merely sat very still on her the whole way round and stopped her from catching up with the horse in front to save her pains. Didn't even need to pick up the reins. I didn't complain because many of the horses in Corfu are syphoned off from a destination to slaughterhouses of Italy, so concluded she was getting a slightly better option. She was so willing too, but I just felt so sorry for them out in the blazing sun thin and arthritic. Boyfriend as he was then, weighing in at about 15st was mounted on a 16.2 middleweight TB type that we were reliable informed (halfway round), had recovered from a fracture shoulder last year!?
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This trekking centre was an approved centre and the horses were stated to be well cared for (on the website) . The owners were expats from UK, who clearly thought her horses were well, and fit and sound to do the job.
Boyfriends horse was obviously lame, on one front leg but he was told this was entirely mechanical and he was in no pain.

We were warned not to go to any of the locals trekking centres as they are reported as horrendous. These poor horses were back out again on another ride an hour later.
So what is the experience of other HHO contributors with trekking abroad?

TBH I was ashamed of myself afterwards for not throwing an indignant fit about the state of the horse I was riding, but I felt my money was some small compensation towards its comfort and also I had to be diplomatic and not pour scorn on BFs treat ( he didn't know much about horses then!)
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Thats not very fair Dobby, if storminateacup hadn't taken the ride I am sure there would have been others (less knowledgeable) to take her place.

Two protesting Brits wouldn't have made a difference to the trekking centres managerial skills.

I think it all comes down to grass roots education and that takes a very long time such as what the Brooke are trying to achieve.

We only have to go back a couple of hundred years in our own history to discover how horses were treated as purely working animals and not cherished pets as they are to us today.

I think that the obesity of some much loved pet horses are in far worse threat than slightly underweight working ones.

Wow - not like me to be contraversial!
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its harsh abroad,. ive worked abroad, and done the holiday bit, if you find a trekking centre that is run by patrons of any given country the chances are the horses will not be up to out standards.

i went to work in one trekking centre in cyprus that i was so adament i wanted out i tried to break my arm falling of a horse.

skin and bones living on dust, fed the worst straw possible, shoes lose.. for may counties this is very good keep. the horse still has 4 legs..

harsh but very true.
 
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...but you still rode them? Nice one. I bet that £30 went straight to paying for medical care, food, shoeing and well fitted tack. Not.

Well done you.

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It wasn't til we got out, that I noticed how bad she was, nor were we told about the other one OH was on 'til almost home. Plus we had checked website before we went, and horses generally look skinnier there than we are used to seeing in UK, so were not intially alarmed. I could not walk far at the ime either as had just got off crutches from broken pelvis, also the type is the Greek horse (not TB as I stated above) which is rather a gangly not very attractively put together horse at best. True I agree it was a dilemma on several levels, but would never visit risking a trekking centre in Greece (or anywhere for that matter) again, and reported the centre when I got home to the Equine Welfare organisation.
There were also abandoned stray donkeys on the roads- the whole thing was a bit of a shock TBH
I don't think there is any need for you to be so S****Y with me!!!
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At trekking places I have been to abroad most of them seem to use skinny TB types that some you think are almost rescue cases
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In mexico I got on of the spanish stallions that was usually ridden by the guides
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All the other horses in the area that were working were also in poor condition, but some of these people could hardly afford to feed themselves.
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It is tough...
 
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its harsh abroad,. ive worked abroad, and done the holiday bit, if you find a trekking centre that is run by patrons of any given country the chances are the horses will not be up to out standards.

i went to work in one trekking centre in cyprus that i was so adament i wanted out i tried to break my arm falling of a horse.

skin and bones living on dust, fed the worst straw possible, shoes lose.. for may counties this is very good keep. the horse still has 4 legs..

harsh but very true.

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Yes unfortunately that is the case, I was ignorant when we went out there so I was caught off guard, but I still feel bad about it and so glad I reported them but I suspect that the place was a high standard compared to the "Norm" for the country.
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Not all places are like this. There are many enlightened places that know the horse are their business, although none will have the same life as our beloved pets. If your feeling guilty make a contribution to Worldhorsewelfare (used ot be ILPH).
I can recommend a place in Coin in Spain run by a couple of Brits who are lovely horsey people if you like.
 
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Not all places are like this. There are many enlightened places that know the horse are their business, although none will have the same life as our beloved pets. If your feeling guilty make a contribution to Worldhorsewelfare (used ot be ILPH).
I can recommend a place in Coin in Spain run by a couple of Brits who are lovely horsey people if you like.

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I am a regular contributor to WHW
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Er, yeah I think it'll be a sad day when I or anyone else starts advocating riding horses in this condition.

What do you want, a medal? You rode a lame, undernourished horse in clearly horrible condition and think it's ok. Don't get it, sorry.
 
Dobby whilst I agree in essence with what you say, I think stormina teacup has highlighted this and actually is well aware of her shortcomings! I am assuming that you are flawless in every way? Hindsight is great and I am sure stormin a teacup will not repeat the same mistake and has had the humility to point out where she went wrong.
I once (through sheer fatigue) forgot a horse was in a stable and threw in the end of a carrot I was eating so the horse could get it later, the horse was asleep and got such a shock it actually fell on the floor.... I felt awful and I nailed that mistake .... never to be repeated!
Where is she advocating riding horses in poor condition? I see no positive encouragement ... I see someone admitting she was wrong and accepting culpability. Whilst I admire your strong view point, maybe leave it to the less deserving!
 
Most of us do things that, in hindsight, was not the right thing to do and by doing things that trigger off such emotions surely we all learn valid lessons, some unfortunately at the expense of other people, animals or things but the majority of the time this is unintentional.

SIAT feels guilty and knows her judgement was not up to par on that day and is trying to highlight the problem so other people may not get caught up in the hype of what probably looked like a fabolous experience.

I am sure by posting this it will remind us that not all countries have the same standards as many of us and to think twice before committing to things involving animals.

Try not to beat yourself up too much SIAT, whats done is done, you are sorry and your post will no doubt have positive repercussions in the future. xxx
 
IMO it's never a good idea to go trekking in these sorts of places. We also went trekking once in Greece, the horses were all ok - they looked rather moth eaten but were otherwise not thin and feet were fine etc. However one of the ponies was VERY lame, I told the girl she should get off or tell the guide guy but she refused. We told the guide person who KNEW this pony was lame! He must have done as this pony was lame as soon as she got on so I assume was lame when they brought it in from the field that morning. He pretended to act horrified but at least he took the pony home straight away.

It sounds horrible but I wouldn't give them your money. IMO the slaughterhouse is probably far kinder than being ridden when in pain all the time.
 
i rode a tb x in Ibiza horse was perfectly health and yard was well cared for as were the horses guy took 1 group out a day 20 people at once and it was £30each he had a beautiful black andalusian stallion i was drooling over! didn't have a bad experience at all! i was only 15 then and i stayed behind to help him with the horses all tack was clean and fitted properly stables were massive and full of every thing and there was a school for warming horses up

not every where abroad is bad there are some good ones out there
 
Some years ago we had a holiday in Tunisia. We went on a 'safari' trip and in one village were offered a ride in a ''horse and carriage'. There were 20 or so of these 'horse and carriages' and most of of tourists were usinig them to sightsee around the place. We didn't, the state of the horses horrified me. They were, or would have been, beautiful Arabs, but they were painfully thin and most were covered in open sores from the ill fitting and decrepid harnesses. It was heartbreaking....but we were well aware that many of the villagers,including the children, were in equally poor conditon.
 
Sorry, I just wouldn't do it. We've been riding in a couple of places while on holiday, and I always insist on having a good look at the horses, their general condition and the way the tack fits first. I appreciate that it doesn't make much difference on the grand scale of things, but I couldn't bring myself to ride a horse that was in poor condition, unsound, and with ill fitting tack. I wouldn't want to endorse what they were doing or increase the poor horse's suffering.
It's the same with carriage rides - althought they're generally pretty grim. The only exception I've seen is at Versailles, where the farm carts carrying visitors are pulled by fit, healthy looking heavy horses.
You're also potentially putting yourself at risk -SIAT says that she had just recovered from a broken pelvis, what if her poor horse had stumbled and thrown her?
 
I rode in Lanzorote many many years ago and i must say i thought the horses were in pretty good condition. The place was a bit ramshackled, but the horses looked happy and fairly healthy, were on the rounder side of thin if that makes sense?! all shoes were firmly on, no lamness and plenty of hay in the stables for them. Someone i knew went to tunisia about 3 years ago and rode over there and she had nothing but good things to say about the horses too.
 
First impressions of the place were good. The horses were being groomed when we arrived, we were invited to assist grooming and tacking up. There was decent hay in the haynets and on none of the horses could you see ribs, but they were ewe necked and looked in their teens, with some rather knobbly knees. All were well shod.
When I tacked up the grey mare the tack was good quality western tack with reasonable clean thick sheepskin underneath. She has a snaffle bit with no noseband. She was very sweet and gentle. I had no reason to assume she was lame only that she was perhaps in her teens. I was told she was forward going, as they knew I had a horse in UK. When I got on I was reminded of riding a seaside donkey. She was sound in walk which was the pace we went for the first mile or two then we were offered a trot and a canter on a flat grassy track on the top of the hill we had climbed. She was quite keen to keep up with the horse in front but when she trotted I could feel she was lame all round, just like an arthritic so I made her walk.
There was nothing more I could do at the time except make sure I gave her the easiest way to get me home.

I told my husband who was behind me on the big horse, who could barely tell one end of a horse from the other, just how bad the mare was, thats when he told me that the owner had just told him that the horse he was riding had broken its shoulder last year! He had not realised the significance and had not mentioned it 'til then.

Its very easy to make assumptions that horses in a well recommended Trekking Centre with all the "Approved Signs" and "Badge and Certificates " over the office door, is a reputable place.
Thats all I was saying really, its easy to be duped when you are on holiday and off your guard.
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I used to ride in Tanzania; the instructor had been trained on the train the trainers scheme, the horses were all immaculately kept to the highest standards (the owners parent's used to come out from Germany with containers of horse equipment). I've also ridden in Greece where the horses were well kept. Not all stables are bad but not all stables are good - similar to here frankly. Personally I always go a bit early, and check the stables out before riding.
 
I have ridden on ponies to go trekking in northern France before, don't know what kind they were, but all black, well built with feather. They were in great shape, and enjoyed having gallops on the beach.

In spain, went to an andalusian place, watched a show and paid for a trek, we were obviously on the lesser desriables though! Horses were ok, slim obviously (not many fat horses in hot countries
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), and a little lack lustre, but ok.

Egypt - hmmm. Our horses compared to others there looked great, although by western standards pretty poor. But having said that, fit enough to be ridden on sand and obviously well cared for by their owners - skinny but no sores etc. But these animals were also a business for them, and they were not rich people - they can't afford to be fat themselves, so can hardly keep their horses up to our standards.
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Brooke were in evidence though, with lots of shade/water stations around.
 
Thats percisely why I recently raised over £500 for the Brooke.
And why in a couple of years I intend to raise £10,000. (If you're interested in helping me, sponsor me! Go to www.jtle.co.uk and then to the just giving page - because its theough just giving, any money donated goes directly to the charity so no risk of me conning you!)
 
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