January 28, 2025
Text: Mille Anker Friis - Photo & video: Helle Bjerre Christensen
Children's reporter Mille went horseback riding with the Pumpestation's horse-loving children. Read her interview with Morten, the riding instructor, who talks about how to go horse riding, what he does if the children get scared of the horses, and what the club's annual riding colonies are really about.
How do I sign up for the Pump Station Riding Club?
"You write an email to me or Jonas 1 on our website, where you can find our email addresses. And then you can write if you have any riding experience. It's very simple."
What equipment do you need?
"You need good boots, preferably riding boots. Then you need a helmet, preferably a riding helmet. And we also want you to wear a safety vest so that if you fall off, it doesn't hurt as much."
What do you do if a child really wants to learn to ride but is scared or unsure of the horse?
"Then we start by getting the child comfortable being around the horses. And when they have the courage and feel ready, they get on the horse. Quietly and calmly. Where they just walk around. And if it doesn't feel dangerous, then we continue learning."
What do you do if there are more children than horses?
"We haven't experienced that yet. But otherwise you have to share the horses. Then someone rides for the first half of the time. And then you switch when the time is up."
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Do you have to be able to ride before joining the "Pumpens" riding club?
"No, you don't have to. We have a beginners' class, and you can start there. And then you learn slowly and slowly."
Are there any special rules?
"Out at the riding school, you can't run around. You shouldn't scream either. You just have to be quiet and calm. Because we're dealing with animals that might otherwise get scared."
Where does the riding take place?
"We ride at Mattssons Rideskole, which is right next to Klampenborg train station. We take the S-train there together from Nordhavn Station. We walk to the station from the club and it takes less than half an hour to get there."
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It wasn't Morten's plan to become a riding instructor, but he enjoys both the job and the horses. "I'm good at building things and playing music. But I'm from the country, so it suited me very well." Morten learnt to ride at a colony as a child. "I ride when I'm at the colony, where we ride Icelandic horses. I actually learnt to ride there myself. I also briefly went horse riding when I was in 4th grade, because my sister took riding lessons and I wanted to too. But then I fell off the horse and I didn't want to do it anymore."
What do you do if there are too many registrations?
"We have a good old-fashioned waiting list, so if there are many people who want to start riding with the club, they are put on it. But anyone who wants to ride can also join. Because it's always the case that some people just want to try it out, and then it might not be for them after all. And then it makes room."
Do you have any fun games that you play while you're out here?
"Yes, we have many. The kids like to play hobby horse before they go riding. Then they take a broom and run around inside the riding hall if it's empty. We do that at the colony too."
Do the children look after the horses themselves after riding?
"We groom them and ride them, and then someone else feeds them and mucks them out."
Can you also go to a riding colony?
"You can. You can join a riding colony when you have about a year's experience. Or when we assess that you can handle it. Because you have to be away from home for quite a while, and there are some really long rides. We ride for six hours out in nature, and we ride in all weathers. So you also have to be physically ready to have a sore bum and back and stuff like that."
Would you recommend the riding club to new kids?
"I definitely want to. If you like horses and riding and good experiences, then you should definitely start. It doesn't cost that much to join here either, so in a way you could say that it's the cheapest riding school in Copenhagen. We would also like to have more boys. Riding is not just for girls. It's definitely a sport for boys too."
