Horses in your culture!

[PortoCruz]

Hello! I am new on this forum and I absolutely loooooove it.

Beside from languages, my passion is horses. I have one, which is my second horse, and I'd like to know people on this forum that would like to discuss about horses, and how horse back riding is practised in their country, or how horses are seen in their culture.

Thank you!

[WallOfStuff]

Hello! I am new on this forum and I absolutely loooooove it.

You'll change your mind quickly.

Anyway, in the U.S. it varies greatly depending on area. I surprisingly happen to know quite a few horse owners here, and there's some small stables not far from my house. A lot of my friends have big backyards where they keep their horses though.

[Osias]

Hello! I am new on this forum and I absolutely loooooove it.

You'll change your mind quickly.

Now, don't be so negative. Maybe PortoCruz digs phonology!

[PortoCruz]

I just think it is a wonderful concept...

[linguoboy]

Anyway, in the U.S. it varies greatly depending on area. I surprisingly happen to know quite a few horse owners here, and there's some small stables not far from my house. A lot of my friends have big backyards where they keep their horses though.

You must live in a semi-rural area. For most of us, horses are something you ride only at summer camp. Or have only touched at a petting zoo or model farm.

Horse meat is rarely, if ever, eaten by in the USA. In fact, there are no commercial horse slaughterhouses left and many states ban the slaughter of horses for meat outright.

[Remis]

You'll change your mind quickly.

The more you display that attitude, the more people will dislike you, just sayin'.

As for Norway, horses ain't really a big thing over there. There are some riding clubs and such, but they are usually too expensive for normal folk (I had to quit after a few years because it got too pricy). I wish we had the same situation as Sweden, where horse-riding and things related to it get grants from the government (iirc, anyway).
As for how horses are seen, well, mostly as work animals, I suppose. Norway does host at least one pretty big dressage competition, I think, but that's about it.

[hlysnan]

In Australia, wild horses are counted as pests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brumby#Env ... tal_impact

And also there's obviously the famous Melbourne Cup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_cup

And our national hero, Phar Lap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phar_Lap

I have gone riding once when I was small, at some holiday daycare thing where we did something different everyday. I wouldn't call it a "camp" though since we never stayed overnight. It was very fun I admit, but nowadays I'm not too fond of the idea of people having "ownership" over horses (and other animals).

[ILuvEire]

Hello! I am new on this forum and I absolutely loooooove it.

You'll change your mind quickly.

You don't have to be an ass. If you don't like it here, get the hell out.

I live in Austin, Texas, which, if you're not familiar with the geography around here, is an urban area along a river in the middle of plains--perfect for horses. Where I live, there aren't many horses, but I do have several friends who own horses that live in stables outside of the city, sort of like a horse apartment. One of my best friends has a horse (who thinks she's a dog...) and so I took horseback riding lessons as a kid. Western-style riding is the only kind you'll ever see here.

Porto, tell us about horse culture in Québec. Are there a lot of horses? I'm also interested to hear where your love of horses came from, did you grow up in a rural area (or do you still live in one)?

EDIT: OH. I also forgot that, a few miles outside of town, there's an exotic animal farm with zebras, water buffalo, ostriches and other curiosities where you can go visit them and pet them or something. I dunno, I've never been, but I hear it's the coolest thing ever.

[JackFrost]

She says she lives in Quebec City.

But saying that she has horses confuses me. Horses? In the city? o,O

I can't say anything about horses in Quebec because I'm too much of a Montrealer. I do know that horseback riding is not unheard of and there are certainly horse farms throughout the province for hobbyists.

[ILuvEire]

I imagine she would either have to live on the outskirts of the city and commute in for work, or she lives in the city, but rents a spot at a stable outside the city.

[PortoCruz]

I live in Quebec City, near a ski station, so it is more rural than downtown Quebec. I started doing horseback riding when I was 6, and I'm now 18. I always took lessons, and when I got 15, my grandparents bought me my first horse, which was Porto Cruz. I shared my life with him during 3 years, 3 perfect years, except for the last one, because he was always injured. He was not the luckiest horse in the horse unfortunately....he had en eye removed because of an infection, he had a skull-fracture (I don't know if this word is right...), and the worst, we fell off of a bridge of 20feet high.....he died on January 8th of this year....it was the saddest day of my whole life....but now, I own a new horse named Adagio...

Here in Quebec City, horses are becoming more and more popular. There are competition circuits and it is not rare to know at least on or two persons that own a horse or that take lessons. Although it is an expensive sport, a lot of stables are more affordable, so that everyone can practice this wonderful sport !

[WallOfStuff]

You must live in a semi-rural area. For most of us, horses are something you ride only at summer camp. Or have only touched at a petting zoo or model farm.

Horse meat is rarely, if ever, eaten by in the USA. In fact, there are no commercial horse slaughterhouses left and many states ban the slaughter of horses for meat outright.

I can't imagine that now. I'm so used to seeing a horse every time I get out of the house. Actually, my neighbor who lived behind my house (our backyards were facing each other) had a horse, so I could look over my back fence and see them.

And lol I hear that some people get it imported from other countries if they want to eat horse meat.


Also, you guys need to learn to take a joke.

[JackFrost]

I live in Quebec City, near a ski station, so it is more rural than downtown Quebec.

Oh, that makes sense. I was thinking of the administrative limits of the city, not the surrounding areas like Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Lévis.

a skull-fracture (I don't know if this word is right...)

"Fractured" skull would be the word for it. ^^

Sorry to hear about him though.

[Remis]

he died on January 8th of this year....it was the saddest day of my whole life....

Jesus. That must have been awful. Mes condoléances.

Also, you guys need to learn to take a joke.

That was a rubbish joke.

[Saaropean]

Horse meat has become rare here. Wikipedia says there are only 100 horse butchers left in Germany.

I don't think horses have a special value in our culture. Unlike North America with its famous Wild West horses like Fury, Jolly Jumper or Mr Ed.

Except that little girls love horses and read magazines like Wendy...

[Car]

There definitely are a lot of girls riding horses, though. Most people don't own them, but I know lots of girls who used to ride one when they were younger. My sister also used to do that. Some equestrian sports also used to be quite popular, but I think it died down when it was revealed that some of the horses were doped.

[PortoCruz]

Therefore, German horses are the BEST. Some people I know travel to Germany only to buy a horse because the reputation of german horses here in Quebec is amazing! I know someone that paid 300 000$ for a horse she bought in Germany.....

[Varislintu]

I surprisingly happen to know quite a few horse owners here, and there's some small stables not far from my house. A lot of my friends have big backyards where they keep their horses though.

In Long-Island, New York ?

[linguoboy]

I surprisingly happen to know quite a few horse owners here, and there's some small stables not far from my house. A lot of my friends have big backyards where they keep their horses though.

In Long-Island, New York ?

You do realise that Long Island is larger in area in than Gotland, don't you? I'm not sure where eversleep lives, but the eastern parts of it are over 100 km from New York City and no more built up than Rockland County, which is 30% parkland.

[WallOfStuff]

I surprisingly happen to know quite a few horse owners here, and there's some small stables not far from my house. A lot of my friends have big backyards where they keep their horses though.

In Long-Island, New York ?

Yes. Though the old towns I lived in, which are less than 10 minutes away from here, didn't have the horses. But my town does. It's weird how it varies so much across small distances.