winter riding in Cyprus

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padderpaws

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Is there anyone on here who has experience of owning or working with horses in Cyprus. If so, can you tell me what the routine is. Is it so very different from the summer months. I know that you would ride early or late to avoid the heat in summer but do you have to bring the horses in when winter arrives or can they stay our all year round.???
 
Hi,

are you still looking for info on cyprus? I'm not in paphos but it's a small community here so can try to help :)
 
Well I have 1 horse that I bred there. Last I heard he was happy and well. But if you're ever around the racing community I'd love to know he's ok. I can't pronounce or spell his name. Will try and find it. I can give you more details via PM.

Terri
 
Hi I was there for five years and bought an ex-racer while I was there.

The routine would depend on where you are keeping horses in Cyprus. It will differ between British Forces Saddle Clubs, Ex-Pat yards, Cypriot stables or the bondu.

Generally though stabling is scarce and the life is generally outdoor and can be harsh. From my own experience I would not take a horse over there or bring one back from there to UK but if you can give a good home to one while you are there then you will have some wonderful riding.

I kept mine on a lovely private Cypriot yard and also a military saddle club.

If you have any other questions I am happy to try and answer them.
 
Indeed, I would love to take mine to the uk but the poor thing would be traumatised. There are quite a few stables on the island, all of them have there ups and downs ofcourse but most of them have good people who do their best for our horses everyday. There are also tons of horses here looking for a loving home, both for sale and rescued. The majority are ex-race, and I can say from experience they are some of the most loving and rewarding animals I have come across :)
 
yes they are lovely horses and very grateful of kindness and feed. Some have amazing breeding too which I was very surprised to find out.

Sometimes in the heat of the summer there is no chance of riding as the hot sun reflecting off the baked sandy soil can get so hot that even the local horses find it hard. They just stand and drip, particularly if stabled near the coast. Time spent under the hose helped, the water was never overly cold tho. In winter when it did actually rain, the horse pens were very soggy and wet and it looked more like a hippo pen rather than something for horses. However the horses didn't mind and it didn't seem to last for long. When I stabled up in the mountains you didn't get these extremes and there was usually a nice breeze.

For alot of the year it was just lovely. Nice t-shirt weather and sunshine to go for a nice happy ride. I used to ride in the quiet time before it got dark, but be warned it gets dark VERY quickly in winter...
 
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