Anna Salandar, from Båstad, Sweden, is an amazing 11-year-old with an unsual hobby. At an age when kids prefer to play video games, Anna is learning to jump hurdles like a horse – on all fours.
Anna’s unique hobby is her own choice; she wanted to be able to run and jump using all four limbs. When she was younger, she wanted to resemble her grandmother’s dog, Peggy. When she got older, she thought it would be more fun to be like a horse.
Pretending to be like a horse might sound like fun, but it involves a lot of hard work for Anna. She began her training without hurdles; she first had to perfect the art of galloping. It was important to get her arms and wrists strong. Once she got a hang of galloping, she started with low barriers, about 30 to 40 centimeters high. Over time, she has managed to increase the height to 110 centimeters. The biggest challenge for Anna now, is to jump several consecutive obstacles. “It is very hard, so I get tired in the arms and need to rest,” says Anna. Despite this, she practices every single day.
