GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Horse riding has become a popular hobby in the Gaza Strip but local Palestinians face constant hurdles -- from a conservative society to Israel's blockade on the territory -- to practise the sport on their home turf.
The Al-Faisal equestrian club, on the seafront in Gaza City, attracts around 50 riders a day, according to Samir Salama Saad, director of the "Beautiful Life" society which bought the club several months ago.
Founded in 2003, the club now attracts both male and female equestrians ranging in age from eight to 40 years, Saad said.
But the club, which occupies some 10 dunams of land -- around 100 hectares (247 acres) -- has had to resort to unusual methods to obtain the 60 horses it owns, smuggling them in through tunnels from Egypt.
"We don't have medicine because of the blockade, and this affects the horses we have locally, so their numbers are constantly diminishing because of deaths," Saad told AFP.
To make up the numbers, horses are brought in through the tunnels dug under Gaza's border with Egypt, but the process is dangerous and often leaves the animals with injuries and psychological problems. more
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