Horseshoe Point, Very Poor Riding Facility

[CFIT]

I rode at Horseshoe Point a few weeks ago and was very, very disappointed.

Self proclaimed " The best equestrian centre in Asia" BS !!

They spend all their time and money on the Portuguese style architecture as every horse had fungus so bad

half of them had their manes and forelocks shaved off .

(Horses actually keep cooler with manes and need forelocks to keep flies away from the eyes.)

The poor Lusitanos were bored to death from being trapped in the stalls,

they were all weaving.

All that land and no pasture turn out, <snip> of animals.

The horse I rode on a trail ( that was unscenic, unshaded hot, dusty and covered in the ubiquitous Thai litter ) was so swayback and in so much pain he tried to buck me off repeatedly. I got off and walked him the rest of the way.

Another horse on the trail ride had his hooves literally glued together and none of the

horses needed shoes ( like any do , ever..) but they all had them ,

and not a one I saw fitted correctly either.

On their 2009 June calendar, look at the pic of " Cherie on

her beloved Lusitano, Hexagono," rearing, a full half inch of shoe hanging off the

foreleft, the bit painfully high in the mouth and the way too tight chin strap gouging into the throat. Disgusting .

I wanted to do some intensive jumping, like I've done for decades at a REAL equestrian centre in UK , I don't think they had a

qualified teacher ( or horse ) so just decided to string me along. I played along to see how low they would go-

I've been riding 40 years and the teacher told me I wasn't ready for cantering.

The shoppe charged 250 baht for a rubber grooming comb I've then saw at the supermarket for 60 baht.

Be careful, they don't have a clue what they are doing and the horses are miserable.

Edited May 20, 2009 by soundman
Removed overly negative generalisation.

[PattayaParent]

I have a friend in Pattaya who's a professional jockey and he says much the same thing about ALL the horseriding facilities in the area.

[simon43]

Are there any decent riding schools in this area? I used to go riding/galloping on Exmoor in the UK every weekend, but havn't yet found a decent place to ride since I came to Thailand...

Simon

[Mobi]

I rode at Horseshoe Point a few weeks ago and was very, very disappointed.

Self proclaimed " The best equestrian centre in Asia" BS !!

They spend all their time and money on the Portuguese style architecture as every horse had fungus so bad

half of them had their manes and forelocks shaved off .

(Horses actually keep cooler with manes and need forelocks to keep flies away from the eyes.)

The poor Lusitanos were bored to death from being trapped in the stalls,

they were all weaving.

All that land and no pasture turn out, <snip> of animals.

The horse I rode on a trail ( that was unscenic, unshaded hot, dusty and covered in the ubiquitous Thai litter ) was so swayback and in so much pain he tried to buck me off repeatedly. I got off and walked him the rest of the way.

Another horse on the trail ride had his hooves literally glued together and none of the

horses needed shoes ( like any do , ever..) but they all had them ,

and not a one I saw fitted correctly either.

On their 2009 June calendar, look at the pic of " Cherie on

her beloved Lusitano, Hexagono," rearing, a full half inch of shoe hanging off the

foreleft, the bit painfully high in the mouth and the way too tight chin strap gouging into the throat. Disgusting .

I wanted to do some intensive jumping, like I've done for decades at a REAL equestrian centre in UK , I don't think they had a

qualified teacher ( or horse ) so just decided to string me along. I played along to see how low they would go-

I've been riding 40 years and the teacher told me I wasn't ready for cantering.

The shoppe charged 250 baht for a rubber grooming comb I've then saw at the supermarket for 60 baht.

Be careful, they don't have a clue what they are doing and the horses are miserable.

In spite of our beloved sensor's scissors, the message comes through loud and clear.

Typical Thai BS and a terrible disregard for the well being of animals.

I once went to one of these K9 dog training centres to see if I could get some help in training my Golden. I won't repeat what I found, but suffice to say I would never take a dog within ten kilometres of any training centre with a K9 label.

I know we Brits are criticised for loving our animals more than human beings, but this is ridiculous. Sounds like the place should be closed down.

But it probably won't, not even if half the horses give up and die.

TIT

[hughden]

You could try Polo Escape. The mainly concentrate on Polo, but I know of at least one guy who rides from there every day. Lovely country trails and the horses are very well looked after. Nice coffee bar too!

[PattayaParent]

And there's a place opened up on the road between St. Andrew's and the 36 Highway.

And I think I saw a sign for a place along Phoenix Golf Club Road? Past the golf club going away from Pattaya.

[CFIT]

You could try Polo Escape. The mainly concentrate on Polo, but I know of at least one guy who rides from there every day. Lovely country trails and the horses are very well looked after. Nice coffee bar too!

Horses that are incarcerated in stalls and weaving ( slinging their heads back of forth rhythmically , sometimes violently) are bored to death due to inadequate exercise and facilities - no pasture time and it is a symptom of neglect recognized by horse care professionals - at least in places where animals are cared for by law- unlike Thailand where there are no laws protecting horses or mandating minimum land for their use .

Horse shoe point has hundreds of acres too I believe so it's a matter of just not caring.

A Polo club? (Well the coffee bar might be nice a but are the horses happy?)

No thanks, Polo horses are amongst the most abused animals , even in UK and US. I shudder to think what the Thai animals are subjected to in the way of drugs and injuries.

If you aren't familiar with horse care, it's easy to think horse are looked after, but are they in their stalls all day? Do they get any time in a pasture with other horses - to be horses? Are they just hurriedly hosed off with water instead of properly curry-combed. ( probably why the Horse- Shoe point horses are infested with fungus..)

Are they getting cow feed and straw instead of appropriate grass hay ? Horse in the tropics need high quality supplemental feed because the hay is deficient in vitamins. Are they subjected to shoes applied by ill trained " farriers" ? Or used for trail rides when the hoove sare glued togethe or sway back and bucking riders off?

There is the Nonthaburi Equestrian Centre to the north of Bangkok, I've not been there, I understand it's run by an American but is is also outrageously priced and has a waiting list.

A couple of years ago , I went by the beach rental stable in Bangtao , Phuket . It was horrible-should be shut down for cruelty, In the UK ,they'd be charged and barred from EVER owning horses again.

( I've got pics and they would make you cry ) Please do not patronize these types of business

Edited May 25, 2009 by CFIT

[hughden]

Perhaps you should take a look rather than assuming. The horses are put out to pasture and there is a full time Argentinian vet on the premises.

[monty]

Perhaps you should take a look rather than assuming. The horses are put out to pasture and there is a full time Argentinian vet on the premises.

I must concur with hughden here.

I assume you are talking about Thai Polo and equestrian club (owned by Harald Link's B.Grimm group).

As my resort accommodates a big amount of the organizing teams, both Thai and foreign, I have always been amazed how they care for their horses.

The facilities (stables etc) are absolutely huge, and my personal contact with most of those people is that they really care for their horses.

Last time they actually had horse masseurs on staff (Argentinians and Indians) who simply full time were busy with the horses.

I've never been a big fan of horses being used for competitive games, but in this case the amount of people taking care of the horses, and indeed as has been mentioned above, big fields where horses can roam about "being horses" seems to leave a positive impression!

[hughden]

Actually Polo Escape is a different club, but with the same standards of care.

[seadoo]

Hmmm, I guess the OP has never eaten meat or fish and has never killed a fly (I wonder how they were treated), or more so, never used glue before

You certainly seem to have a bug up your butt about this place (or more so Thailand) if you can't handle the ways of the land, maybe you should change the land.

I am not saying the place is in the wrong or right.

[TheWalkingMan]

Wow, I always assumed that, that point place was a top level run establishment. That's what I get for assuming.

Sometimes I wish that the TAT, or whoever is in charge, would be given powers to ensure that places are run to a higher standard. Of course there is no assurance that if TAT had the power they could do better, but it is nice to dream.

[Old Croc]

HD should know what she's talking about.

[Tokay]

One look at how the Thais treat dogs (or any other animal they have) should have been enough warning to know they that would also not take care of a horse. hel_l, most moms give their kids to the grand parents to raise, so you can't say much about how they take care of their kids either.

[zmash]

i'm not so sure if everything written here is true as i heard good comments about horseshoe point. you must come to the place to decide if what is true. last time i came (couple of months ago) everything was ok and looks fine to me. i don't ride myself but saw good looking horses, big paddock in the middle of the ranch with mares and foals, several arenas including a long covered arena and a sand arena with fences on it. nice green field to play football too.

[zmash]

I think everybody should come to Horseshoe Point and decide for themselves if what is written here is true. I've been there several times and my experience is quiet the contrary on what was posted here. Horses looks happy, a lot are grazing out in the paddock, very nature oriented that you wont expect something like it existed in Thailand. I don't know about riding but my kids ride regularly and quiet happy with the horses and the instructors. Horses are clean and well mannered that I may start riding too. For golfers, well, you have the Siam Country Club just behind Horseshoe Point, but, what I love the most is the organic farming that they are starting as this is what I do - chemical free rice farming and growing Pangola (hay) just using horse manure, EM, and enzyme to do it!

In spite of our beloved sensor's scissors, the message comes through loud and clear.

Typical Thai BS and a terrible disregard for the well being of animals.

I once went to one of these K9 dog training centres to see if I could get some help in training my Golden. I won't repeat what I found, but suffice to say I would never take a dog within ten kilometres of any training centre with a K9 label.

I know we Brits are criticised for loving our animals more than human beings, but this is ridiculous. Sounds like the place should be closed down.

But it probably won't, not even if half the horses give up and die.

TIT