The summer camps in Angera organised by Club Ippico Euratom give children the opportunity to spend part of their summer with horses, gradually approaching riding technique and learning more about these animals. The experience is not limited to riding lessons, but also includes activities designed to develop an initial awareness of horse care, its needs and the right way to interact with it.
The aim is to provide participants with the foundations needed to build a relationship based on trust, respect and mutual understanding. Learning to ride also means understanding the horse’s behaviour, caring for it and recognising the importance of proper communication.
During the days, the young participants alternate between theory sessions and practical activities, experiencing life at the riding school and gradually learning what it means to spend time alongside a horse. The programme introduces them to building the horse-and-rider partnership through experiences suited to the camp setting.
Understanding the horse
Equine ethology
To build a good relationship with a horse, it is important to learn its language and understand how it communicates. Ethology is therefore an important part of the activities offered during the camps. The children are guided in discovering the horse’s nature and behaviour, learning to observe its reactions and express their own requests clearly and respectfully.
Understanding an animal’s natural abilities also helps explain why it may show hesitation or fear in certain situations. In the wild, the horse is a prey animal, and this characteristic influences some of its behaviour and responses to its surroundings.
Confidence from the ground
Getting to know the horse
Part of the theoretical and practical course included in the weekly camps is dedicated to ground contact with the horse. Before mounting, the children learn how to approach the animal, stand correctly beside it and become more familiar with its presence. The aim is to learn how to move calmly around the horse, observing its behaviour and respecting its space. Through these activities, participants gradually begin to understand how to build a relationship based on trust.
Groundwork is also a useful step towards gaining confidence before ridden activities. Children learn that their relationship with a horse is not limited to riding, but also includes all the activities that come before and after a lesson.
Learning together
Riding lessons and grooming
The campus days include various activities connected with life at the riding centre. In the morning, groundwork lessons are offered to help participants become familiar with the horse, together with activities focused on tacking up and untacking.
These sessions also introduce basic notions of anatomy and some of the main rules to follow in the riding center. Animal care is another part of the program. Through grooming, participants can take part in activities involving the cleaning and preparation of the horse, developing a relationship that begins with daily care even before they get in the saddle.
These activities combine learning and practice, giving children more direct contact with everyday life in the equestrian world.
Days at the stables
The camp activities
A day at the summer camps in Angera alternates horse-related activities, breaks and group activities. After the morning activities, there is time for a snack. In the afternoon, once each child has been assigned a horse, the children are divided into groups of similar ability, so that activities can be organised according to their level and experience.
The group is actively involved during lessons: participants can initially observe and help as assistants, then mount up and take part in the planned riding activities.
The day includes:
- groundwork lessons;
- saddling and unsaddling;
- basic knowledge of anatomy;
- rules to follow at the riding centre;
- breakfast;
- riding lessons;
- snack;
- equestrian games.
REQUEST INFORMATION
Contact our riding center in Varese for more information about the facilities
