Day 6
VISIT TO THE SLOVENIAN GOVERNMENT PROTECTED LIPICA HORSE FARM.
A horse farm of this breed, brought by the Slovenians from Andalusia in Spain, was first established in 1580 and is now a 100% state-owned holiday resort. It was taken over by the government because it aims to preserve the pure breed without interbreeding with other breeds. Although Slovenians eat horse meat, it is forbidden by law to eat only the meat of Lipica horses.
The longest-lived horse in this farm reached 40. In addition to organizing horse racing, this farm also provides many horse-related services, such as horse riding, carriage rides, and horse-riding training. The horses are washed and cleaned before and after entering the competition, and the riding horses are trained for 2 years. Young horses are trained by experienced horses, and when they reach the age of 4, the stallions are kept and the other horses are castrated based on their color, shape, and gait.
When foreign tourists come to Mongolia, they like to ride horses and go on horse-riding trips. But there are many issues such as safety and standards. Horses that are ridden by tourists should be well trained and cleaned. There are a lot of foreign tourists who say that when they go on horseback riding trips in Mongolia, the smell of horses is very strong, and the smell gets absorbed into their clothes. One of my team members also said this today. There is an opportunity to establish horse farms in Mongolia that meets European standards for tourism purposes.
