Hello, We are planning to move to

No idea, regarding your specific questions; however, this site may be of help http://www.fise.it

Thank you looks interesting. Very kind of you to respond. I am hoping to find out more about keeping horses in this area of Italy. Live in the north of Scotland so probably having horses is very different in Italy from Scotland. Hoping the horses will cope with the changes.

I've seen a few places here in Abruzzo where horses are kept and are obviously for riding, including a couple of schools by the look of them. Our only interest being that our two children have been horse riding since they were very young and still do al the time. Your comment on hoe the horses will settle caught my eye as I do suspect it will be very different for them here (and you). The heat is an obvious difference and likely one it is worth doing some research online about how to cope. Would have also thought diseases and pest would be worth checking out, your vet there may help or know someone to advise you. 

Hi, we are hoping to move to Piedmont soon so perhaps we can share experiences. Sorry cannot help about horses.

Piedmont seems a popular destination for a lot of English speaking people at the moment, only been the once and it was covered in snow! Well it was Christmas and it was still beautiful. Perhaps another forum will come out of this influx of people. Best of luck to you all on your venture.

Hi AliM,We have a house in Piedmont – in a place called Calamandrana to be exact. We see several horses that are kept in the surrounding fields and we know of at least two local horse enthusiasts who keep horses and enter them in horse events. If you want we could contact them and ask more details on your behalf regarding laws about keeping horses; trekking; riding activities/events/clubs. Let me know where in Piedmont you are going.There is a little local ex-pat network also, with a few Scots. I myself am from Northern Ireland. All the best Conor

Hi  I  must thank Conor for mentioning the little expat community we have started in the area around Nizza Monferrato, We are now totalling over 15 members from all over Europe the only requirement is that you must be able to converse in English.We live in the countryside and are aware of a few stables in this area, certainly it would be a haven for trekking as much of the area is national park. My husband has a vast experience of horses having had his own livery in Scotland many years ago.  To the comments regarding the heat he says that providing you turn them out early and bring them into the shade before the sun reachs its peak you should have no problems. Basic commonsense, we also have some very good vets in this area.note that  last summer the temperatures did reach well into the 30 s for a considerable time.Where is your house?,you may find my blog site interesting it has taken me a while to get it going but I am now well on my way. www.juliasitaliangarden.com or www. juliasgardencom.com.By the way Conor finally i have remembered that woodworm treatmentSovereign chemicals limited  -   DEEP KILL. hope you find that useful.regards julia  

Thanks Julia for the wordworm product!Conor

Julia, we are also starting our search in this area. I do not know your blog. Can you give the address please as I would love to follow it. We have found s house and now the nerves are setting in, is this the right thing, will we be lonely etc! To read about your continued love of the area after moving in is really reassuring. I would also be very pleased to contact you via your blog. Thanks.

Buongiorno,
concerning sanitary aspects and rules to follow in case you decide to build a stable/keep horses, there's a specific Code:
http://www.aslcn1.it/fileadmin/Sanita_animale/Educazione_sanitaria/Codice%20tutela%20e%20gestione%20equidi.pdf
Consider the fact that you're not allowed to keep horses anywhere. Each Comune (town) through its Piano Regolatore -PRG (Urban Planning) defines the areas where you 're allowed to keep them. Normally they would be the rural areas of the PRG (aree agricole) but I'd advise to check each time.
As an alternative, you could search for properties where they already kept horses. I know of a few on sale in my area (Asti Province).
Riding Clubs: according to the link below, there are at least 17 active clubs in our Province (they must be more than that because I myself know of a few which aren't listed).
You can check here to see where they're located: http://www.maneggionline.it/maneggio/provincia/Asti/6
Let me know if I can help you with anything else,
Elisabetta

Thank you, you have brought back so many memories. I lived in Piemonte for 20 years, 5 years in Turin and 15 years in Asti. The Monferrato is a truly beautiful region.

I live in a small village near Asti called Vigliano d' Asti.  Many people have horses......my village even holds an annual rodeo.  It's a beautiful region.

Pleased to hear that you are planning a move to our region. I live with my husband and daughter in the Monferrato area of Piemonte, and we think it is great horse riding country. Our 18 year old daughter keeps a horse in Casorzo in a lovely stable: Hilltop with spectacular vineyards all around. They ride out on dirt roads and in fine weather often stay out all day--riding to other villages for lunch or visiting other stables. As opposed to Langhe or other areas at higher altitude, Monferrato has long, low hills and a nice microclimate.I am not a rider myself, but one of the other 'stable moms' is originally from Norfolk. I'm sure she would be pleased to give you more information.  I am not sure how to connect personally via this community, but if we can help, just ask...and I will figure out how to respond. Toni

 I administer a Facebook page called "Monferrato Mio", and it is Eng/It bilingual, photos, current events--festivals, concerts, museum shows, restaurant specials, wine/cheese tastings, cultural information, etc....to promote our lifestyle and local business. You will find that English is not commonly spoken in Piemonte, and I started the page to help local vacation home and B&B owners have information available for their guests. The stable I mentioned previously is also present, with a page called "Cascina Monticello".I invite all of you in the 'Italy community', but especially those interested in Piemonte to come visit the page virtually.I also have a Facepage for our own vacation rental property "Casa in Monferrato". Senza impegno!Toni..(I hope it is all right to mention other Facebook pages within this discussion context...)

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There are a lot of initiatives in Piemonte for horse riding, for example : they are cleaning up old mulattiere (muletracks) to be used by horse riders.

Where exactly are you planning to live? Piemonte is a large region, where exactly are you looking for properties?

As Italian Dream House allready mentioned, there are rules for stables (there are always rules here :-) ) and of course there are also rules for importing horses. (ask for certificates from your vet, don't forget to mention which countries you will travel through too).
About stables : if you have only two horses you ufficially don't need stables.

Hi, what part of Piemonte? We have just made an offer for a house near Biella. The house will be a holiday home. Might be good to share experiences? 

Finally getting round to it - I had been meaning to share a little story about the origins of the name Monferrato - which has horsey links.The legend that I heard from my mother-in-law (who is Monferrato born and bred) is that in the 10th century the founding duke, called “Aleramo”, had a wager that he would become lord of the land that he could ride his horde around in one day – so he picked a route that included all the undulating hills – hence the name Mon meaning My and Ferrato meaning the route he followed with his iron shoed horse.A romantic story which does not sound too realistic, but stuff of legends!Whereas Wikipedia has three different versions of the origin of the name, the last one is also horse related:“There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of "Monferrato", but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, like the one advocated by Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and "farro,"—a variety of wheat, and another according to which derives from the Latin "Mons ferax," meaning "mount fertile and rich." Still another refers to the irons left by the Romans in their conquest, "Mons ferratus." Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick ("mun" in local dialect), and thereby the horse was shod ("fra"), hence the name "Munfra" yielding Monferrato.” (from Wiki)  

Hi ConorI am glad you finally got to writing about the Monferrato, I vote for number one I love these old legends and no doubt there maybe a thread of truth in it. If we are honest it must be the the rich fertile land anybody starting to garden here will be amazed at how everything grows so well.  Julia

hi Jeverything grows so well.....except for RhubarbC

Hi! I wonder if you made it safely to Italy with your horses...I am also thinking of doing that from Austria. Would love to hear from you. Judit