Work like a Horse Course
In the run-up to the European Horse-riding Championships in 2019 in Rotterdam, a mini-obstacle course was developed for children. This obstacle course was temporarily used for competitions at primary schools. This was a big success. More than 5.000 children attended this competition. As a result of this success, this obstacle course is now officially a new Work like a Horse project: Work like a Horse Course. We offer this program together with Sportbedrijf Rotterdam for the upcoming three years.
Movement
A lot of children in Rotterdam do not exercise enough. Through this project, we want to stimulate children to have fun while exercising. Different sports techniques that correspond to athletic techniques such as sprinting and jumping hurdles are covered in this course. It shows children how much fun it can be to participate in (sport) competitions!
Challenge
The design of the obstacles makes them look like real obstacles used in horse riding. The children start the clock by pressing the button themselves. Then they start to run and jump over the course as fast as they can so that they can press the button again and stop the time. Of course, a fast time is needed to win but, as in horse riding, they also have to jump a flawless run This way, the challenge is not only to run fast but also to pay attention to how they go through the obstacle course. The competition element is friendly and the children are encouraging each other from the side lines.
The finals
The obstacle course is offered to primary schools in Rotterdam in 80 clinics. Besides this, we look for suitable events within Rotterdam where the course can be used. The fastest children of the challenge take part in the finals which are organized during the yearly CHIO Rotterdam. This course is also part of our programs ‘Work like a Horse Holiday School’ and ‘Work like a Horse After School’.
