Riding in Cuba (or somewhere similar) - advice needed.

[Callisto]

Hi all,

DH, DD and I will probably be going to Cuba for a holiday next year and I just wondered if anyone has any experience of riding there? I try and make a point of riding wherever I go on holiday, and now DD is old enough and a good enough rider, it is really lovely to ride with her. However, I realise that Cuba probably doesn't have quite the safety consciousness of the western world so I wanted some advice on what to look for/avoid with riding somewhere like this. I will be taking her hat and back protector with us, and I will make sure that the horses look well cared for. Any other suggestions would be great.

We've always called by a couple of days before to have a look before we book, have a nose in stables and a once over of tack to see that it looks in decent condition. One place in Germany had those nylon string girths with half the strings broken attached to saddle straps which had been put back on with some sort of industrial stapler. It may have been fine but I didn't fancy it! We've found that riding in the Caribbean tends to be more Western style?

That sounds like good advice. I do like to turn up and book there and then if possible - the yard owners reaction to an unexpected visit speaks volumes in my opinion.

Western is cool. DD rode western in Canada when she was 3 and loved it.