Horses Helping Children

Since 2009, I've volunteered with RDA, 'Riding Develops Ability' (formerly Riding for the Disabled Association). We have groups of school kids come in, and ride horses. 

It's been the favouritest place of mine that I've ever worked at. 

It's just amazing to see what placing a child with spastic (tight) muscles on a horse can do. 

Or those who are believed to have weak core strength. 

One girl is usually uses a walking frame and wears something to hold her body up while riding a bike. Her occupational therapist saw her sitting up straight on the horse, and walking just by holding someone's hand. She now knows what the girl is capable of, and is gonna work with her to concentrate on building up her core strength so that she can walk by herself and ride a bike with not as much aid.

They make us laugh alot, the kids. 

A boy who has Down Syndrome had flowers tucked into the back of his saddle one day, and I asked him what they were for. 

"Oh, I goddem for my girlfwiend!!"

So when he hopped off the horse, I told a lady who had a camera about his flowers, and she went to take a photo of him. He posed, holding the flowers out to the camera, and instead of saying "Cheese!" he said "GIRLFWIEND!!!!!!!"

So cute.

We get the children to work on their balance, their core strength, their coordination, 

their lefts and right, and stretching their muscles. 

But they don't know!

They are having fun carrying flags on sticks as they ride, throwing and catching a ball from horseback, steering an imaginary bus with a hula hoop, stretching their arms out being aeroplanes, ducking down to avoid being hit by the tree's leaves, clipping pegs into the horse's mane, reaching down and picking up puppets to ride with them, ringing bells that make a joyful noise, singing songs and doing the actions to them, and lots more. 

The movement of the horse really helps the children with tight muscles to relax. It's so rewarding to see the kids improving, throughout the year. Some get good enough to go off-lead, and they can steer the horse all by themselves. It's lots of fun; it's worth getting up really early and coming home with aching legs (You're walking for an hour each session, and there's 3 in a day. And I stay all day.)

{me with Tilly}

I will continue to go there as long as I live where I live.

(even thought I've lived here for 12 years and want to move)

I love the kids, I love the horses, and I love being outside 

and being helpful and feeling needed.