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Was it the word ‘galloping’ that drew your attention? Then you must be one of the many who, although looking forward to study, regrets having to give up his or her favourite sport, passion or love (dependent on the severity of the ‘horse loving virus’). Luckily there is good news. In Wageningen, you will have a lot of opportunities to work with horses or even bring your own horse!
The surroundings of Wageningen are ideal for recreational horse-riding. You can reach the ‘Ginkelse heide’ (a heathland) within half an hour and the forests offer you almost direct access to the Veluwe area. There are many riding schools and riding sport centra around, offering you possibilities to practise equestrian sport and even join in competitions. With or without your own horse, as a student of Wageningen university you do not have to give up your favourite sport. There are two horse-riding associations connected to the university: Hipac for horse-riding and De Paardengroep for driving a coach and learning the art of the Classic Horsemanship.
Hipac is the student horse-riding association of Wageningen. The association does not own any horses herself, but arranges riding lessons for reduced prices at a riding school just outside Wageningen. Besides that, workshops, trips and tours are organized and the association often participates in student competitions. Students from different cities will meet and compete during these matches in horse-training and horse jumping. The biggest challenge: the riders do not know their horses. After the competition there is always a big party!
De Paardengroep (‘Horse Group’) is the association that trains the five horses of Wageningen University. You can become a member by either participating in the coach riding classes or by joining in the course of the ‘introduction to Classic Horsemanship’. Although riding a coach is a little less familiar and popular than the usual horse-riding, it is at least as enjoyable and a lot of fun. The coach riding classes you can take, enable you to do an official exam for the official charioteer license. Members who already posses such a license or own their own horses, can become members of the Paardengroep as well. As a member, you can join workshops, ‘pawn trials’ (a special game to test your manoeuvrability), vacations to Oenkerk or several trips. The Classic Horsemanship is a way of training and riding horses that is of increasing popularity in the area around Wageningen, as well as in the Netherlands. The Paardengroep chose for this way of riding horses because it wants to treat its horses as consistent, fair and friendly as possible.
Finally, a lot of students bring their own horse to Wageningen and find a place for their animal in one of the many stables or ‘horse grounds’ you can find in the area. You can get more information about these possibilities via the connections of Hipac or the Paardengroep. Anyway you do not have to miss your horse or hobby here in Wageningen!
