Those of us living in this beautiful part of Southern Scotland are proud of our rich equestrian heritage. If you are contemplating a visit to the Scottish Borders, you have a wonderful treat in store. The Scottish Borders is world famous for its equestrian heritage. For centuries the undulating Southern Uplands with their mystical, rolling hills and intriguing wooded ‘hopes’ and ‘cleuchs’ harboured a culture of tough, fighting men. The Border Reivers, who thieved cattle to settle scores and to keep themselves and their families alive are now notorious the world over. These men depended entirely on the horse for their survival.
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Horses carried the men of the Borders into many a battle. It was on horseback too that the ‘bounds’ were checked as the people of the Borders protected their own from marauders. Their legacy lives on in some of the spectacular ‘Common Ridings’ – unique, annual, equestrian festivals that celebrate our indebtedness to our Borders‘ ancestors.
Nowadays, it’s old farm buildings with their beautiful sandstone archways and cobbled floors that give us insight into the numbers of working horses that ploughed the land from dawn till dusk on Border farms. Happily, however, in 2006, horses are just as vital a part of Border life as ever they were, continuing to enrich the culture and the economy of the people who live here.
The Scottish Borders still has more horses per head of population than any other part of Scotland. For centuries horses have been our lifeblood and we’re passionate about them. We have a wealth of equestrian skills and experience and now we’d like to share it with everyone who visits RideBorders.com