Welcome to Zdravets!

Riding Academy

How can we communicate with horses and ride with trust and friendship?

Our teaching method builds leadership through mutual trust, attentiveness and kindness towards the horse.

Riding is an art that is much more than a physical skill: it takes knowledge, perseverance and a caring attitude towards the animal. At our Academy, lessons are based on the principles of Natural Horsemanship (natural communication with the horse). The skills children gain with us are closely linked to understanding how horses think, learning their language and building effective communication.

Horses are social animals that, in nature, rely on the safety of the herd to survive. Understanding these instincts is the key to safety. Because horses respond to danger by moving away, our first goal is to create an atmosphere of trust and calm. Knowing how a horse sees the world helps the rider anticipate and guide its reactions with ease.

Horses communicate all the time through their bodies. The position of the ears, the look in the eyes, tension in the muscles or a swish of the tail are all signals of how they feel. We teach children to be attentive observers, so they can respond thoughtfully and with understanding, turning riding into a true partnership and friendship.

Good communication means giving clear and consistent cues. In Natural Horsemanship (natural communication with the horse), this is achieved with minimal pressure, using body focus and voice signals. Patience matters: we always reward the right try and stay calm when something doesn’t work out yet. This way the horse learns willingly, calmly and with trust.

Riding with the horse’s health and spirit in mind means knowing its nature and needs. This includes proper feeding, caring for its good condition, and well-fitted, comfortable tack. We teach young riders that caring for the horse before and after a ride is just as important as the time spent in the saddle.

Zdravets Horse Riding Centre, Skravena village, 40 minutes from Sofia

+359 898 525207