©  Foto:

TREC course for you and your horse near Hillerød – The first in Europe

For the first time in Europe, you can now take advantage of a publicly accessible TREC course, where you and your horse can train your teamwork skills and have fun at the same time.

The First in Europe

In Stenholt Vang Forest, only about 7 minutes from Hillerød on Zealand, north of Copenhagen, lies Europe’s first publicly accessible TREC course. With its 800-meter stretch, you and your horse can challenge yourselves with 30 different obstacles that build your teamwork and terrain skills.

You’ll find a variety of exercises ranging from opening and closing a gate from horseback to ditches and bridges.

The course is designed for beginners, but there are also multiple variations for some of the exercises, such as different jump heights and varying depths/widths of ditches.

The course is completely free to use, but there is an option to provide financial support for maintenance. It is NOT a requirement to use the course.

How to Find the Course

If you’re arriving with a trailer, you can park at the large rest area on Hillerødvejen, northeast of Hillerød toward Fredensborg, where there’s plenty of space for trailer parking.

You’ll find the start of the course at the end of the rest area heading toward Fredensborg. A forest road leads to the right, with the course's starting point about 100 meters into the forest. The course ends on the same forest road, making it easy to find your way back to the parking area.

What is TREC?

TREC, an abbreviation for "Techniques de Randonnée Equestre de Compétition," is a versatile and challenging equestrian competition sport originating in France. TREC combines elements of navigation, endurance, and technical riding skills, challenging both rider and horse in unique ways. The sport typically consists of three parts:

  1. The Orienteering Phase (POR - Parcours d'Orientation et de Régularité)
    The rider and horse navigate a route using map reading and orientation. Participants must find markers in the terrain, follow the mapped route, and maintain a specific average speed. This phase tests the rider's navigation skills and landscape-reading abilities, as well as the horse's endurance.

  2. The Control of Paces Test (MA - Maîtrise des Allures)
    In this phase, the pair demonstrates pace control by riding a straight stretch as slowly as possible in a canter and as quickly as possible in a walk, without the horse breaking its gait. This test challenges the horse’s obedience and the rider’s finesse in controlling paces.

  3. The Obstacle Course (PTV - Parcours en Terrain Varié)
    The final phase is an obstacle course that includes various natural or simulated obstacles reminiscent of those encountered on a trail ride, such as bridges, hills, gates, and steep slopes. The horse must collaborate and show courage, while the rider demonstrates precise control and technical skills.

TREC is renowned for promoting cooperation, trust, and communication between horse and rider. It’s a sport for those who love varied trail riding and want to challenge their skills in navigation, control, and obstacle riding.

Some of the elements in TREC are comparable to eventing and endurance riding, including jumps, ditches, and tasks that require teamwork with your horse.

In Denmark, approximately 300-400 riders practice this discipline within equestrian sports, of which around 12 are at a level to compete in the Danish Championship (DM).