the Horse in Sweden – more important than you think

Social importance and the potential
for development Having a horse as a hobby augurs for
a lifetime of learning and personal development. Being
around horses is a good way to develop organisational
skills and to learn about collaboration and responsibility.
The great nationwide interest in horses is in itself a sign
of the physical and mental well-being which contact
with horses can bring.
An interest in horses will often start early in life. Riding,
for example, is after football the sport with most
activities arranged for children and youngsters between
7 and 25. That so many young people can learn and develop
positive social values may be the most important
contribution from the horse industry to our society.
There is room in the horse industry for continued development
within a number of quite diverse areas. There
has been an increased focus on the horse’s importance for
Coldblood trotters also make good Baroque horses. Here we
see the stallion Hårfagre with his owner Eva Jälmbrant.
rural development in later years. A great incitement for
moving from an inner-city environment to a rural one is
the opportunity that such a change brings for engaging a
horse interest in open countryside with lower overheads.
That the horse-sector is in large part made up of small
businesses, often in collaboration with the agricultural
community, is also an important contributing factor in
maintaining a thriving countryside.
Horse riding is the largest sport for disabled people in
Sweden. Around 2 000 people with physical disabilities
and 2 000 with mental disabilities ride either in their free
time or as a complement to their usual physiotherapy, socalled
therapy riding. Therapy riding is conducted by someone
with a medical background and free-time riding
by someone with training in the equestrian sphere.
The horse in Sweden – more important than you think 17