Nestled in the rural atmosphere of Zollikerberg, away from noise and traffic, 12 Icelandic horses and small horses are available for horse-loving boys and girls of school age who want to gain experience in dealing with horses and riding. At SENN-HOF, the focus is not on equestrian training. Riding rather serves to give the children a good body feeling and a sense for their physical and mental balance. The claim of the SENN-HOF is therefore a pedagogical-therapeutic one. The contact with the horse helps to cope with everyday life with more energy and promotes a healthy self-confidence of the children. The aim of the SENN-HOF is to accompany and support the riding students in their personality development. Riding as a hobby helps to strengthen the will and to reduce fears . The work with the horses is holistic. The children learn to experience and recognize horses as thinking and feeling creatures with very specific needs. The owner of the farm, Mrs. Marlies Senn, is a qualified riding pedagogue and social pedagogue, as well as a trainer C SFRV and a trained movement pedagogue in the Franklin method. She has been running the SENN-HOF since 1989. Pony course for beginners The beginners' course is suitable for children from 7 to 13 years of age. It is intended as a meaningful and long-term leisure activity, which has a positive effect on the personality development of the children. In the sense of therapeutic riding, we strive to give the children a holistic view of the horse as a living being. Care and handling as well as understanding the ponies are important to us. Easy and more difficult exercises on the guided horse should strengthen the joy and the body feeling of the children and promote the desire to ride. Adventure and pony holidays Goals such as joy and fun with each other and in the handling, contact and care of the horses are important to us. Easy and difficult riding exercises for beginners should awaken the desire to ride. Adventure, games and fun around the stable in a rural environment should not be neglected. Riding courses for beginners As a riding instructor, my main focus is on the relationship between the child and the horse, and not on sporting endeavors. Therefore, I try to teach the children to ride with a feeling for the horse and its nature. Riding obliges the children to move consciously on the horse's back and to use their body purposefully in order to obtain the desired reaction from the partner horse. Riding in this sense has a great influence on the healthy development of the child's personality, and especially trains the child's empathetic side. SPECIAL EVENTS Every year there are riding Sundays for the children of the riding courses. We start in the morning and ride for a whole day. The aim is that the children get to spend a whole day with the horses and in the saddle and thus consolidate what they have learned in the riding courses. Of course, the shared experience plays an important role. At noon we make a longer stop with a picnic. REMEDIAL EDUCATION RIDING Every year there are riding Sundays for the children of the riding courses. We start in the morning and ride for a whole day. The aim is that the children get to spend a whole day with the horses and in the saddle and thus consolidate what they have learned in the riding courses. Of course, the shared experience plays an important role in this. At noon we make a longer stop with a picnic. GALLERY