April the 27th, 2021 - Zagreb County horse riding is a perfect way to see some of the beautiful rolling green hills and other areas of the countryside in the City of Zagreb's vicinity, and a brand new almost 100 kilometre trail for precisely that has been presented.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, strengthening continental and rural Croatian tourism through 85 kilometres of trails for experienced horse riders, as well as for for beginners is part of a plan that will enrich the tourist offer of Zagreb County.

The beautiful nature located a mere stone's throw from the capital will now be able to be enjoyed by keen and experienced horse riders and all those who want to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, as was explained the mayor of Orle, Ervin Vujica, who emphasised the fact that the Zagreb County horse riding opportunities are very close to the heart of the capital and that the municipality of Orle is now set to become the first in this part of Croatia with marked trails of this type.

On Sunday, May the 2nd, 2021, the grand opening of the first and longest trail (23 kilometres) will be held, realised in cooperation with the Miklin Equestrian Centre, which has existed and been in operation for about 30 years now.

“Our equestrian centre has been gathering lovers of these noble animals for many years and it provides them with the experience of riding in almost untouched nature. We're looking forward to embarking on this new project in cooperation with the Municipality. When creating the Zagreb County horse riding trails, we rode more than 203 kilometres and chose 85 kilometres of different trails, each of which carries a special experience, some are intended for experienced riders and some are for beginners, and the natural environment is diverse,'' explained the owner of the Equestrian Centre, Ivan Miklin.

Vujica explained that the focus of the Zagreb County horse riding trails lies primarily on rural development, which means in the near future, the opening of accommodation facilities for all visitors and providing the highest quality gastronomic offer from local family farms will take place. 

He also added that this is one in a series of development projects in the municipality of Orle to contribute to the tourist offer of the entire county. One of the initiators of the project, Zeljko Matejcic, pointed out that these Zagreb County horse riding trails located in the municipality of Orle will attract horse lovers from all over Croatia, as well as from the rest of Europe.

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As SibenikIN writes on the 30th of November, 2018, a project which brings together animals and children in the name of helping kids with varying disabilities, worth a massive million and a half kuna, will seek to help as many as twenty kids with numerous developmental disabilities in Croatia.

This project is not only a praiseworthy but an interesting one because it directly involves working with children with various developmental disabilities, these children tend to do very well once they get involved in athletic activities, and the emphasis this time, is on horses.

''The children will learn how to ride a horse, as well as how to properly groom and care for a horse in preparation for riding. We're proud because the project will go on for three years and we're expecting at least twenty children to be included in it,'' said Suzana Živković of the Kolan riding association.

It has been proven on numerous occasions that therapeutic riding has quite a few effects on the overall health of children and young people.

''Improvements in both the motor and emotional fields are seen in all children. The children are given freedom, they gain self-confidence, their social communication is strengthened, and being around nature is an incentive to a healthy life,'' noted Suzana Živković.

The Kolan riding association was established back in 2012 and currently has 48 members, including both recreational riders and children with various disabilities.

There are currently twelve horses who live permanently on the farm, four of which are ''therapeutic'' horses, and the remaining horses are ridden for recreational purposes. The breeds present at the riding club include Icelandic horses and various types of mixed breeds.

This wonderful project aimed at helping kids with developmental disabilities in Croatia is funded by European Union funds, as well as funds from the Ministry of Family and Demography and it will, as previously mentioned, last for three years, the project's partners are the City of Šibenik and the Šubićevac Education Centre.

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In the last twenty years, the number of horses in Croatia has increased 5.5 times.