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Shetidze Tusheti Horses

Being a horse in Georgia and being Soso Shetidzes horse means being a happy horse. More than 80 Tushetian horses live together freely in a herd the way their ancestors have done it before. Born and raised on meadows, they have never seen a stable and are able to roam around as much as they want to. All year around the horses are kept in freedom. One can state that this is truly a horse`s paradise. The wellbeing of his horses is crucial for Soso. Our guests can ccompany him and his horses and be part of the daily life of a real Georgian horseman between Tushetian mountains and the semidesert area of Vashlovani National Park. The seminomadic life of Tush people is a unique part of Georgias culture that needs to be preserved. About Soso: Born in Alvani, Kacheti, raised in Tusheti and Vashlovani, Soso is a real Tush and has been working as a herder, cowboy, since childhood. He startet working first with sheep and cows but fell in love with horses very early. At the age of about 3 years he sat on horseback the first time but cannot remember the first time exactly as he practically grew up on horseback. As a real Tush man he does not say very much and describing his horses would be enough for him. But it is important to mention that Soso traveled to Poland and lived in Germany and received training in different “Western style” horsemanship methods. Classical riding lessons in English style, jumping and dressage – Soso got it all and therefore now knows what a treasure he has being able to keep the horses in the way he does. He is familiar with different ways of working with horses and is very interested in Monty Roberts “horsewhispering” methods as well as in Parellimethods. Soso is a professional rider, offers horsetours in Vashlovani and Tusheti National Parks, Georgia, as well as trains new horses in his own unique Tushstyle method. In summer he and his horses live and work in Tushetian Mountains, Caucasus and in the wintertime on his farm in Vashlovani National Park. In October 2019 Sosos guesthouse “Tushi Mejoge/თუში მეჯოგე” (“Tush Horseman”) opened and now visitors can spend their nights in a house as well as enjoy the luxury of a hot shower on Sosos farm, right next to the horses. Soso speaks Georgian and Russian and learns German. With a little volontary help of his German and Czech friends he communicates in German and in English as well.