Two ex-pat gals living in the UAE give us an insight into overseas horse life – from decadent barns to sharing space with camels, it’s definitely its own universe!
The United Arab Emirates has long been part of the tradition of horse domesticating, breeding, and showing, but generally in a world far removed from our experiences in the states. In recent years, wealthy families have been expanding into the world of thoroughbred racing, high performance endurance, and show jumping; allowing a cosmopolitan population flowing into Dubai and other major cities to continue pursuing their equestrian ambitions in the Arabian Peninsula nation.
15-year-old Julia of Germany and 16-year-od Bella (who has lived all over the world in her short years!) are two such transplants, and they’ve become a bit of a social media powerhouse sharing their barn life in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Julia rides a tall gray Hanoverian mare named Luna, and Bella recently acquired a lovely new young gun from the Netherlands named Beau.
These gals and their horses compete all over the UAE, and invite us along for the barn tour (including introducing us to the camels who live next to the arena!), and take us along to a recent Longines jumper show, where they share the good, the bad, and the beautiful. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing, Bella and Julia, and you can continue to follow these two gals on their IG accounts (here, here,) and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
If you’re riding and living somewhere unique that you’d like to share with JN, send an email to our editor at lorraine@nationmediallc.com.