Young trainee practicing horse riding in the club. (Photos: Changjiang Daily)
22 grade schools in Wuhan started pilot riding lessons in September. Lessons inside and outside of schools are taught by riding clubs free of charge, with pilot lessons lasting 3 years. This includes not only teaching how to ride, but also compiling textbooks and making video lessons. Pilot schools provide racecourse reconstructed by sports filed. Students can have 3 classroom hours on learning how to ride a horse, and 1 hour for riding lessons every week. Schools can apply for subsidies for this.
The horse is a pony lower than 1.47m.
The Wuhan Municipal sports administration said all ponies in the schools have been vaccinated. Thanks to help from horse riding clubs, both classroom and hands-on classes are free. The curriculum consists of basic knowledge, such as the etiquette of horse riding, horse nursing and horse habits. Students and their parents can sign up for hands-on classes outside of school. The administration also said that pilot horse riding classes start this year and will be introduced to every grade school in Wuhan.
A coach accompanies a trainee.
The Bureau of Education of Hanyang district said on September 3 that the aim of the pilot class is to develop students’ interest in horse riding, and introduce the skills of the sport. Three grade schools from Hanyang district have started horsing riding classes. The Bureau of Education pays close attention to the safety of students and classroom lessons. The specific curriculum is still under discussion.
A trainee feeds a horse.
One of the clubs, Cavalier international pony club, is located on the top floor of a square, where there are separate classrooms for theory lessons and stables. Race courses adopt an international standard, and horses on the race courses are all ponies. The manager of the club said that since opening last July, they have enrolled about 300 people. All coaches graduated from Wuhan Technology and Business University, and have experience in youth education. To prepare for the pilot program, all horses are vaccinated. Schedules and specific curriculum will be carried out according to the requirements of the Bureau of Education and Bureau of Sports.
