01 Jul 2010 9:54 PM:
Two things; firstly the taps bar at La Peraleja is excellent. Interesting staff - an excellent waitress from Romania who now lives in Sucina with her Spanish husband and their baby, and a highly excentric spaniard who takes your order, brings what he thinks you'd really like, gives yo extra drinks and then makes up a (very attractive) bill! The food is great and the service prompt.
Secondly; the horses. I didn't see any of them 'at work', but, over three visits last week, I had a good look at them. I have mixed feelings over what I saw. All of the staff that I spoke to seem genuinely both interested and caring about their horses, but, at the same time, equally genuinely surprised that, as Britons, we would find their animal husbandry 'unusual'. Although not a horse owner, I have lived around horses for many years (there are around 2-3 dozen within 30 yards of where I'm sitting as I type) so I have seen much good and bad practice over the years. What I saw in Spain may be far from the best I've experienced, its also far from the worst and, by southern European standards, about average. I suspect that the influence of the British may well see standards at Peraleja rise, but in the meantime, I think that the characterisation that animals are 'potentially suffering just around the corner' is slightly over the top. In Britain we no longer buy our cats and dogs from glass boxes in pet shops in shopping centres, but that won't keep me out of Carrefore or Eroski, and it won't stop me having a coffee at Nam-Nam. So David & Caron, please feel free to express your disgust, but lets encourage improvement rather than trying to throw the baby out with the bath water. The equestrian centre has the potential to add such a lot to the viability of Peraleja as a whole ... and we all benefit from that ... even the horses!
Community thread:
Equestrian centre
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