Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

As much money as they have, "just retire" is going to mean going to someone else for another type of work at some point. The geographical reality is that the UAE is a small group of desert countries with wildly growing cities in them. There are not a lot of places to retire horses to other than equestrian centers or private owners with small holdings.  There is no large acreage available to horses in such a place. So far the growth in interest in equestrian pursuits has meant that there have been increasing numbers of private equestrian centers, but at some point this will taper off and then another solution will have to be found. 

I live in another country where horses are not put down except in extreme need and even then not by every owner. We have a lot of equestrian centers but we also are one of the few countries with a large population of working cart horses, some of whom are obviously in superb shape and well cared for and some of whom would make you want to weep. Horses that do well at the race track or in halter shows are kept for breeding, those that do not do well find their way down the food chain and if they are lucky they end up some place like my farm. If they are not, they will be worked to death because there is no other option, including pastures to leave them in to starve to death.

Right now the UAE is in a growth phase and accommodation for aging horses is available. Growth is never unlimited and at some point, they will have to face the problem. My bet is that horses may well just be given away (perhaps not now but in the future) to appropriate people who will find solutions to excess equines in their own way through export since there is not working equine population outside of the equestrian centers.

And everyone should really relax about who was riding in the President's Cup. The President's Cup is to all intents and purposes a local race among the studs (read: families) there. The few invited riders were just there for window dressing anyway. It's about family rivalries mostly, not international competition. That's why they only have the one 160 km race. They only need the one.

Maryanne

On 2/19/07, Maryben Stover <mbstover@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

 I also don't buy that the horses that end up permanently lame go to live at the Taj Mahal.

 

You may not buy it but it is true.  They do not like to put horses down over there.  The prefer to find another job for him or just let him be retired.  They have so much money and so many horses that a few extras mean nothing.  I know this is true.......................mb

 

-- 
Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
msgabbani@xxxxxxxxx
Egypt Face to Face
www.alsorat.com
Weblogs
Living In Egypt
miloflamingo.blogspot.com
Cairo/Giza Daily Photo
cairogizadailyphoto.blogspot.com