RDA question (sort of).

[littletrotter]

My eldest has just started riding lessons. She's 9, and has ADHD and high functioning Autism (asperger's syndrome), she goes to a mainstream school with extra pastoral support (to give an idea of her level of issues).

She's really enjoying riding and after chatting to a few local places we put her into "normal" lessons as the vast majority of things she struggles with aren't physical and the RDA place near us told us that she may end up progressing quite slowly with them as the class obviously has to progress as a whole and some riders are quite physically impaired. She's doing really well and is currently able to post and is just starting to have a few short canters.

Anyway one issue she seems to have is with the reins. She has never been able to maintain a grip - she can't hold hands for more than a few seconds, she drops her pencil unless actively writing with it, etc. In her lessons you can actually see it happen - the instructor will say "shorten your reins, heels down, good, now rising, close your hands round the reins, rising! Shorten the reins!" - i've walked down thousands of streets holding her hand and know that the second she thinks about anything else her hand lets go, she has to actively concentrate at all times to keep holding hands.

Is there a realistic solution to this? Part of me hopes that with practice she'll start to master it, but she's still not gotten the hang of holding hands in 9 years so i don't know if it's something her neurology will ever be able to do.

I've seen those loops you clip on "rein bows" - but wouldn't that mean no flexibility? At the moment the school have her in those colour coded reins so the instructor can tell her to hold the green bit and she can glance down and see if she still is, but it seems to me that she'll be gaining/losing/gaining her contact all the time.

What do you lot reckon? Should we give up and just get her western lessons?

 

[chillipup]

I seem to remember that a pupil at my old riding school had difficulty holding reins, I think she used 2 loops of elastic around each of her wrists that fastened to reins, so in the event she drop the leather reins, she was still sort of attached using the elastic loops....if that makes any sense. I'm guessing it was a home made aid rather than bought, as it was so long ago. Just and idea, good luck with the search.

 

[Theocat]

If the rein bows can help her in the meantime, unless/ until her grip improves, I'd definitely think it's worth a shot. Even if it means a bit less flexibility, that must be better for her confidence and progression as a rider at the moment than losing her contact all the time.

Bit of a random idea, but I wonder if a few Velcro dots on reins and gloves might help? I don't mean very strong Velcro, just enough that she might feel a bit of a pull on her gloves if she loses her contact, so it would almost act as an immediate physical cue that she needs to take hold again ....?

 

[wren123]

I help with rda and our riders constantly surprise me with their progress. I would leave things as they are and hopefully with time her ability to hold the reins will improve, especially if she is loving her riding. I am no expert just speaking from my experience.

 

[[100855]]

Hi,
Only going on my experiences,I worked as a groom/instructor on an RDA yard and also as a t.a in a school with autistic children....
I would probably try blue tack around the pencil may help with grip at school as we used to give it to the children who needed something to hold and press to aid concentration.
For rein grip I would try:
-blue tac where you would like hands to be on reins
-knots tied in each rein where you want them held
-foam tubes- from diy store cut and secure to where you want reins held
- lots of head shoulder knees a and toes / Simon says type activities to get used to picking up reins whilst walking around the school
Passing small rubber rings/ balls from one hand to the other/ passing it to instructor/ other riders
-loop reins
- I was always told to think that I had a baby bird in my hands when holding reins- don't hold too hard that it will be hurt but hold tight enough so that it doesn't fly away etc
- lots of steering activities in and out of cones, stopping between two poles etc to reiterate how important being able to steer and stop is...
Hope these help

 

[be positive]

The ideas already given are all useful aids that may help but looking at from a different angle, you say she keeps hold of a pencil if she is actively using it so has the ability to hold, does she have an understanding of WHY she needs to keep hold of the reins and has this been explained to her in a clear way with her being able to take in the fact that having the reins mean she is in control and can tell the pony where to go.

I think an instructor constantly repeating "shorten the reins" will just be going over her head and getting lost when she has other things to think about, I would be trying to find a key phrase that she will connect with something that gives her a "reward" for keeping hold of them possibly also something physical to take hold of as already suggested but I think she needs a good reason to keep them, a couple of private sessions to really concentrate on this one issue may get her to understand what she should be doing, doing handy pony type activities where she really has to steer properly to "win" each activity would be my way forward.

It sounds as if she is enjoying her riding and doing really well apart from this one relatively minor problem, if she really does not get it as long as she is safe and having fun does it really matter that much.

 

[teapot]

If she was one of my RDA group - I'd stop telling her multiple things to do for a start. I always try and have rein contact at the top of my list, everything else is a bonus and frankly heels down means naff all for someone who's got poor muscle tone for example. That said, consistant rein contact may well be something some of my riders and your daughter may never get. It is NOT the end of the world, it really isn't. I've taken riders to RDA National and been successful with inconsistant rein contact.

Also, when you are further up the spectrum and probably thinking too much, telling someone to shorten their reins can be taken literally thus making no sense. So depending on who I'm teaching, I can suggest anything from 'raise your washing line so it's straight otherwise your knickers will fall off' (one of my Downs riders loves this!) to 'can you hold the reins tighter' which is just a simple basic instruction. Lots of steering exercises also helps as they quickly realise short reins help the process. Does she have any other interests that require her to hold onto things? For example, one of my younger riders is a massive car fan and he got the whole rein contact thing far quicker when I made the pony out to be a car and he had to hold the reins firmly and consistantly like he would driving his toy car etc. RDA teaching and learning is so much more about making it relatable to everyday life that they know and feel safe in. Has anyone taken the time to explain to her why she needs to hold her reins? Simple explanations go so much further than the continued nagging us able bodied lot get.

Out of interest are they the rubber coloured reins? If so, some are a real ****** to ride in - I warm up one of my RDA horses and she has them now and I hate them - they don't bend, weird grip and just urgh. Does she ride in gloves? Texture's a massive thing too and RDA riders hating the feel of reins is quite common. The other suggestion is try ladder reins so she has one bar/stretch of leather to hold with her hand/thumbs facing ninety degrees to the left or right. To change rein length it's a simple holding of a different ladder step as such. You can get rein loops too but they're fairly easy to drop/lose contact with. Your daughter sounds far more of a case of getting her to hold anything consistantly, rather than a specific rein issue.

I'll ponder some more as I have a number of riders where reins are everywhere all the time and it's tested me a lot in terms of how best to sort it when it comes to riding independently.

 

[littletrotter]

I seem to remember that a pupil at my old riding school had difficulty holding reins, I think she used 2 loops of elastic around each of her wrists that fastened to reins, so in the event she drop the leather reins, she was still sort of attached using the elastic loops....if that makes any sense. I'm guessing it was a home made aid rather than bought, as it was so long ago. Just and idea, good luck with the search.

That's a good idea, and i'm the queen of home made aids! Thank you.

Bit of a random idea, but I wonder if a few Velcro dots on reins and gloves might help? I don't mean very strong Velcro, just enough that she might feel a bit of a pull on her gloves if she loses her contact, so it would almost act as an immediate physical cue that she needs to take hold again ....?

That is a good idea too, though i'd need to try it. I know if her hand goes slack in mine i can be shaking her arm quite hard before she closes her grip on my hand again, whereas a verbal reminder is more instant.

I help with rda and our riders constantly surprise me with their progress. I would leave things as they are and hopefully with time her ability to hold the reins will improve, especially if she is loving her riding. I am no expert just speaking from my experience.

Haha, this is what i am hoping! Thanks for adding your experience.

Hi,
Only going on my experiences,I worked as a groom/instructor on an RDA yard and also as a t.a in a school with autistic children....
I would probably try blue tack around the pencil may help with grip at school as we used to give it to the children who needed something to hold and press to aid concentration.
For rein grip I would try:
-blue tac where you would like hands to be on reins
-knots tied in each rein where you want them held
-foam tubes- from diy store cut and secure to where you want reins held
- lots of head shoulder knees a and toes / Simon says type activities to get used to picking up reins whilst walking around the school
Passing small rubber rings/ balls from one hand to the other/ passing it to instructor/ other riders
-loop reins
- I was always told to think that I had a baby bird in my hands when holding reins- don't hold too hard that it will be hurt but hold tight enough so that it doesn't fly away etc
- lots of steering activities in and out of cones, stopping between two poles etc to reiterate how important being able to steer and stop is...
Hope these help

Yes at school she has a billion fiddle toys and feedback aids, and does usually manage to hold her pencil in fact, it was just the best example of her problem. I actually think the blu tack round the rein would work in summer - just now it's so cold she's riding in magic gloves but i actually prefer to ride gloveless when i can and i wonder if she would do better to do so. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she's currently in a group lesson which is fairly carousel-like as it's the very beginner quarter quarter style (15mins instruction and then 15 mins hack up the lane and back in walk, weather permitting - when the weather doesn't permit they do pony club exercises like round the world and heads shoulders knees and toes in the school) which doesn't give much flexibility for specific "issue tackling". On the one hand i feel her riding might progress faster if she has private lessons and even lunge lessons (who's wouldn't?) BUT (and it's a big but) she NEEDS to practice her social skills and so being in a group of people is hugely important too, especially as it's a different group to the one at school. I do have frequent chats with her instructor and he seems to think that you can hardly tell she has issues and it will all come with time - he isn't an RDA instructor but DOES teach disabled riders at that school (for example there is a lady very similar to my daughter in my own class, and a blind lady who rides there too).

I think an instructor constantly repeating "shorten the reins" will just be going over her head and getting lost when she has other things to think about, I would be trying to find a key phrase that she will connect with something that gives her a "reward" for keeping hold of them possibly also something physical to take hold of as already suggested but I think she needs a good reason to keep them, a couple of private sessions to really concentrate on this one issue may get her to understand what she should be doing, doing handy pony type activities where she really has to steer properly to "win" each activity would be my way forward.

It sounds as if she is enjoying her riding and doing really well apart from this one relatively minor problem, if she really does not get it as long as she is safe and having fun does it really matter that much.

Handy pony is exactly the sort of thing - i think she needs to realise she is 100% in control all the time. At the moment she just isn't (too new to it so the ponies fill in all the blanks, very kindly of course) and i think it lets her mind wander. They actually do "own a pony for a day/week" type things in spring and summer where they do a lot of pony club games, i'm definitely going to sign her up.

If she was one of my RDA group - I'd stop telling her multiple things to do for a start. I always try and have rein contact at the top of my list, everything else is a bonus and frankly heels down means naff all for someone who's got poor muscle tone for example. That said, consistant rein contact may well be something some of my riders and your daughter may never get. It is NOT the end of the world, it really isn't. I've taken riders to RDA National and been successful with inconsistant rein contact.

Also, when you are further up the spectrum and probably thinking too much, telling someone to shorten their reins can be taken literally thus making no sense. So depending on who I'm teaching, I can suggest anything from 'raise your washing line so it's straight otherwise your knickers will fall off' (one of my Downs riders loves this!) to 'can you hold the reins tighter' which is just a simple basic instruction. Lots of steering exercises also helps as they quickly realise short reins help the process. Does she have any other interests that require her to hold onto things? For example, one of my younger riders is a massive car fan and he got the whole rein contact thing far quicker when I made the pony out to be a car and he had to hold the reins firmly and consistantly like he would driving his toy car etc. RDA teaching and learning is so much more about making it relatable to everyday life that they know and feel safe in. Has anyone taken the time to explain to her why she needs to hold her reins? Simple explanations go so much further than the continued nagging us able bodied lot get.

Out of interest are they the rubber coloured reins? If so, some are a real ****** to ride in - I warm up one of my RDA horses and she has them now and I hate them - they don't bend, weird grip and just urgh. Does she ride in gloves? Texture's a massive thing too and RDA riders hating the feel of reins is quite common. The other suggestion is try ladder reins so she has one bar/stretch of leather to hold with her hand/thumbs facing ninety degrees to the left or right. To change rein length it's a simple holding of a different ladder step as such. You can get rein loops too but they're fairly easy to drop/lose contact with. Your daughter sounds far more of a case of getting her to hold anything consistantly, rather than a specific rein issue.

The "heels down" was when her whole leg had crept back to the point that he heels were on the flanks! I think he said it as it forced her to put her leg back under her - if the pony had slowed down even a tiny bit at that point she'd have gone over its head! He isn't giving her masses of positional instruction to iron out minor things, they are big glaring "she'll fall off/lose control/isn't riding!" type things and he is really kind with it and congratulates her frequently. She gets into truly AMAZING positions on horseback and off - maybe vaulting would be a good place to go from here!

When explaining the reins to her i told her all the standard "it's how you talk to the pony" stuff but WHAT A GOOD IDEA about the cars! I'm going to tell her to imagine the pony is Spiro/Toothless and the reins are her NintendoDS and if she drops them she won't be controlling the "dragon/game" any more! Thank you that is a great idea!

They are the rubber zoned reins (which have red, pink, green, yellow and black zones). She seems to love them and though they don't ever force it she has consistently chosen the pony in the zoned reins to ride in her lessons (they can pick any pony that is saddled and the right size for them and we are usually first there). She does have sensory problems but mostly to do with passive sensation (so she wears seamless knit leggings under her jods and i forensically remove labels from everything) and sound (a whole other horrible area i won't even bother getting into!) and she complains loudly and instantly when there's a problem so i assume she's okay with the reins (though i agree with you!).

Thanks so much to all of you, sorry this reply is so huge with all the quoting but i really appreciate each and every one of you weighing in. I DO think that she will get there eventually - it took her years and years to learn to swim and ride a bike because of these problems (arms switch on/legs switch off and vice versa) but she can do both now. Meanwhile i will keep trying and see if we can get a breakthrough. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if eventually she was able to hack out with me. That would be magic.

 

[OWLIE185]

Why not have a word with Sister Mary Joy of the Wormwood Scrubbs Pony Centre (London) as she has had so much experience of teaching kids with disabilities to ride.
http://www.wormwoodscrubsponycentre.org/

 

[ironhorse]

That's a good idea, and i'm the queen of home made aids! Thank you.


She gets into truly AMAZING positions on horseback and off - maybe vaulting would be a good place to go from here!

Joking aside the yard where I used to keep my horse is both an RDA centre and is also used for the local vaulting group. I believe the vaulters did a demo this summer and both RDA helpers and some clients got to join in. Is it worth contacting your local vaulting group and seeing if they do something similar? I would imaging that she would love the sensation of being on a horse with other riders and it would give her some context to holding hands!

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if eventually she was able to hack out with me. That would be magic.

I hope so too - you are giving her access to an amazing hobby that is obviously helping her in so many ways, and I wish you every success

 

[teapot]

I do have frequent chats with her instructor and he seems to think that you can hardly tell she has issues and it will all come with time - he isn't an RDA instructor but DOES teach disabled riders at that school (for example there is a lady very similar to my daughter in my own class, and a blind lady who rides there too).

Sometimes that's great, other times it isn't - I had taught kids long before I started with RDA but my RDA teaching/coaching has taken on a far wider thinking outside the box approach. Sometimes that's the beauty of RDA group sessions because we'll have tricks up our sleeves other may never have thought of, and I say that having been in recent weeks teaching with someone who knows a fair bit about horses/top of their sport type stood next to me learning all about how RDA works.

The "heels down" was when her whole leg had crept back to the point that he heels were on the flanks! I think he said it as it forced her to put her leg back under her - if the pony had slowed down even a tiny bit at that point she'd have gone over its head! He isn't giving her masses of positional instruction to iron out minor things, they are big glaring "she'll fall off/lose control/isn't riding!" type things and he is really kind with it and congratulates her frequently. She gets into truly AMAZING positions on horseback and off - maybe vaulting would be a good place to go from here!

Ahhaha I know what you mean, totally see the heels down point then! Vaulting's very popular these days too. Again though, maybe say she has to sit nice and still on her dragon otherwise she won't be able to control Spiro properly!

When explaining the reins to her i told her all the standard "it's how you talk to the pony" stuff but WHAT A GOOD IDEA about the cars! I'm going to tell her to imagine the pony is Spiro/Toothless and the reins are her NintendoDS and if she drops them she won't be controlling the "dragon/game" any more! Thank you that is a great idea!

Plus seeing as it's Christmas see if you can have a Christmas themed day and perhaps turn the pony into a unicorn/dragon, then she really will be in control of her own favourite thing. It sounds such a basic idea but getting kids to relate to something they love solves so many issues. One of my older riders who really struggled with holding the reins improved a damnsight quicker when I told him he'd be spilling his favourite drink if that continued :wink3:

 

[Marchogaeth]

I'm an instructor and I'm currently teaching a little boy and young girl with very similar issues. Infact my little sister has very limited use of her right side and thus cannot grip the reins very well herself. We've tried lots a different things, including all of the aforementioned. However we have found 'Alice Reins' to be perfect for all of them, they are, without doubt superior in all respects, they're easy to use and versatile, Tilly does BD, pony club, some SJ and went on her first proper hunt this season aged only 9! They're tailor made to suit individual needs and preferences, everything from the size of the loops, to how far apart they are and even what they're made of! Honestly I can't recomend them enough!)