“For those who own horses, their lives are made easier… and they love their horses and take very good care of them.”
daughter were struck by the affordability of food and lodging. Returning to the desire to make extra income, she notes that hosting guests in casas is a great way for Cubans to do exactly this. In addition, all the Cubans she met were eager to learn
more about life far from their small island nation. “They wanted to hear about our world,” she recounts. “The news that comes into Cuba is very filtered.” With limited inter- net service and no international telephone service, Rose and her daughter communicated with friends and family at home via occasional emails and by using the WhatsApp messaging service when they could find wireless internet access. Rose was also struck by the automobiles in Cuba. All
are from the 1940s and ‘50s, she says, and almost all are American. Because they can’t be replaced all are very well cared for. The sight of so many vintage automobiles was amazing. Throughout their trip, temperatures ranged between 75 and 85 degrees, with little rain. On a visit to the coastal town of Varadero, the last stop on their trip, she was also impressed by the landscape there. “It’s a beach town where you can view the Atlantic Ocean a block away on the north side, while viewing the ocean on the south side as well. It’s actually on a narrow peninsula,” she explains. “Both the waters were 80 degrees and an unreal and very beautiful turquoise-greenish color. It was an amazing view, seeing both oceans with just the turn of your neck!” With so much to see, the pair took picture after picture. Rose says she took more than 3,000.
The Horses of Cuba As a breeder and farm owner, Rose was a keen observer of
the horses in Cuba and how they were used and cared for. The differences between the Warmblood sport horses she handles daily at home and the scrappy Cuban horses she saw on vacation were striking. While in Viñales, Rose and her daughter had the
chance to take a long ride through the nearby moun- tains. Only later did they find out they were both mounted on young stallions. In fact, Rose’s was only three years old. In addition to their ride through the mountains, the two were also able to tour nearby tobacco fields on horseback, getting a closer look at one of Cuba’s most important crops. (Sugarcane is the island’s other primary crop.) “Cuban horses in general are very small, smaller than a
Quarter Horse,” she says. “They were small but they were super strong. Horses are used for everything here: they do all the work that machines do for us in the United States. And they are used for everyday transportation. They use
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