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Laureus Cavallo, Winterthur-Unterseen - Switzerland

The Laureus Cavallo project allows socially and economically disadvantaged children to work with animals. The project gives children aged from eight to 16 the chance to be in contact with horses and to integrate socially with others. The project began in Winterthur-Unterseen in Switzerland under the direction of the Winterthur Sports Office and the Isliker Stables.

Thanks to support from the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Switzerland, the children are given the opportunity to learn from and ride with horses one afternoon a week at the Isliker riding school free of charge.

The caring environment and emotional attachment to the horses instils a sense of responsibility in the children, as well as teaching patience and assertiveness. These qualities help to increase the self-confidence of the children as, for many it will be the first time they have been responsible for something other than themselves.

In addition to weekly visits to the riding stables, the project also runs camps during the spring and autumn half-term holidays for children from across Switzerland. The children spend a whole week living on a farmyard, learning how to look after and care for the animals.

In the project's first year, 22 children were involved and benefited from the weekly visits to the stables. These new skills were shown when the children performed at the annual Mercedes-CSI show. Laureus Foundation Switzerland Ambassador Conny Kissling said: "The horses develop trustful relationships with humans and this shows the children a new, essential way of dealing with each other and with the horses, something that was clearly on show in the display."