Riding for Disabled - any of you help out there?

madmav

madmav

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Just wondering about offering to help out there. I like to do my bit to help the world go round etc. Mentoring thing I was doing is coming to an end, so just thought I'd see if any of you out there have any experience with RDA and your thoughts on it. Cheers.
 
I started helping at an RDA group a very long time ago, the group was unusual in that most of the riders had learning disabilities. I stopped being able to go every week when I changed job location as I can no longer get there on time, but I still go to the end of season presentation and supper, usually go to the christmas get together. I also still steward at the Agricultural show that the organizer is horse secretary for, fence stewarded for hunter trials that the RDA organizer ran etc etc :D It was a brilliant way to get to know like minded people, while helping others discover the joys of horses and riding. We also currently have three sheep that we bought from the organisers son, went to her daughters wedding, went to her husbands birthday part etc :D
 
I've just posted on the other thread.

This is what I put;


Almost 30 yrs ago sis and I answered an ad similar to the one you saw, got lost on the way to the 1st session and when we did get there, seemed to be extra to requirements, there were so many helpers around but we were asked to go back the next week when there were far fewer helpers and more riders.
Since then we have continued to be involved with RDA in various ways, helping at riding and stable management sessions, fundraising, shows, setting up a new group. Because of our involvement we have also been asked to steward at a local agricultural show- and have stewarded for some quite well-known judges - and to be fence judges and do the timing at hunter-trials.
We have had kittens and pups from the farm, learned all sorts from the very knowledgable people who are also involved in RDA, been on RDA training courses, added RDA to CVs which has helped in career progression, taken our horses to the farm for 'emergency' livery and last but definitely not least, made some very good friends.


Our riders, both adults and children, mostly have learning disabilities but we have also had riders with mental health issues, sensory impairments, cerebal palsy, epilepsy, ME and acquired brain injuries. Every one of them has benefitted from their riding sessions. We have had a severly autistic girl utter her first words when stroking one of the puppies on the farm. The young man with ME is now working as a chef. The little boy who needed Sooty to ride with him has grown up into a much more confident young man. And the parents of the riders have been able to talk to other parents and exchange experiences, which they don't often get to do on a day to day basis, as their children are usually transported to and from school by taxi/minibus.

Do give them a ring, I'm sure they will be very welcoming and you and the riders will benefit enormously.
 
My daughter is disabled and has been riding with the RDA for nearly 6 years. They are amazing and the change in her when on a horse is incredible. So much so, we bought her her own pony. RDA are an incredible organisation and if you can get involved then its hugely rewarding. My daughter goes to competitions, events, learns dressage and is now moving onto jumping, all with RDA. There are so many ways to help. Honestly just try it. The look on a childs face when they get the horse to do something is worth a thousand smiles x
 
I helped there for a couple of years but have to leave to finish my GCSE'S. I made some really good friends there and learnt a lot (there was a deaf girl so I learnt a bit of sign language etc).
once pony mag came to do a photo shoot and 2 girls got to be on the front page, im in the 2011 annual but never seen it because it sold out! also at christmas we did a nativity ride thing where all the riders got to be a character and we acted it out in the indoor school in front of all the parents etc :)
 
I helped with the RDA for a while and the experience was awesome.

I think as someone mentioned on here, the particular group I belonged to wasn't very well organised as it was a very small group, but if you find this is the case, stick with it, you will be needed.

I did RDA for adults, which is the uncool bit of the RDA, but what they got out of it was amazing. Must of our riders were quite severely down syndrome, often who had a pretty rough life. The joy and pride that the interaction with horses gave them was amazing.

One 50yo I remember particularly well, used to just say the same one sentence all the time. But over time he learnt the names of parts of the tack, horse, etc. After about 2 years his chief carer came and was overwhelmed - apparently he hadn't spoken at all in the home. Experiences like this make it really worthwhile.
 
I would say try it. I went 20+ years ago to see if I would let my son ride with the RDA. Needless to say he rode there and I have volunteered there ever since. There are lots of jobs from ponies to people, even positions for those who like neither as our treasurer would tell you. Sometimes there seem to be a lot of people standing around doing nothing then the next ride arrive and the mounting team swing into action and side walkers are suddenly needed. The carriage driving lot turn up for a change of driver and new cyclists set out with them as they go again.

You can gain immense satisfaction from doing your little bit. There are sorrows too when those with progressive diseases fail, but the group I am with is like one big family who support and encourage as needed.

Volunteers are always needed so GO FOR IT.
 
ask if you can go have a look and watch a lesson, they are always very busy. I used to teach disabled children to ride, also deaf children using sign language. It is very worthwhile and if any of you have riding clothing your kids have grown out of like joddie boots or warm riding coats they are welcomed as often they aren't turned out well.
 
Every group is different, every session is different.

I started off helping a group of children, which was fun, and all the helpers were a similar age to me so we got on really well.

They were short of helpers on another day, so I went to help out, and although I got a lot out of it, the helpers were all older as were the riders - I preferred the first group and stuck with it for 10 years!

Sometimes when you go to look round everyone is very busy so it might take a few weeks to feel part of it, but once you have a job to do, ie tack up, or get the hats out, you will be fine.
 
I went along to a session about 3 years ago. i wanted the kids outgrown shettie x to be useful as we couldnt part with her. I have carried on going and the pony is now on loan to a family with 3 kids that I met there.
My daughter has moved from mainstream school and now only goes part time so she also comes and helps . They are always short of reliable help. Sometimes when we get there we have to phone around trying to get more help.
The other helpers at ours are mainly older than me but so welcoming , I love it.
 
I would say definately help if you can, the RDA are so short of volunteers, I have been trying to get my son into a centre for ages, we are on the waiting list but a slot wont be available until next September at the earliest, after the first disaster of buying a pony that is just too sharp for him we have now brought what we hope is a more sensible one, his first hack out was fabulous and he even asked to trot for the first time, he has cerebral palsy and riding is such brilliant therapy for him, especially as his core muscles are so weak, he can only manage about 10 minutes at a time and it is such hard work for him.
Both me and my partner need to be with him, me to lead and him to support my son in the saddle although we are hoping with time he can learn to balance on his own, he has fab sitting balance at home but on a pony he pulls his feet up rather than pushing the weight into the stirrups which makes him less secure, we are working on it!
kate
 
I'm an RDA instructor and I have to say it's the most wonderful thing I've ever done. Brilliant fun, rewarding, and you learn a lot.

All RDA centres are desperate for volunteers, so definitely give your local centre a ring and arrange to pop in. You may feel awkward at first as it's all a bit daunting - tack is slightly different, horses are led from the inside not just the left, and a whole list of other RDA oddities, but once you get used to it you won't even have to think about it. I assure you, unless you have a stone where your heart should be, you'll love it.
 
We have a lady on our yard that is an RDA instructor, she has a regular team of assistants but I'm more than happy to help out if needed (even if it's just bringing horses in or hacking one of them out).

It's amazing to watch a lesson and how they are taught/ride - defo go for it :)
 
Starzaan said:
I'm an RDA instructor and I have to say it's the most wonderful thing I've ever done. Brilliant fun, rewarding, and you learn a lot.

All RDA centres are desperate for volunteers, so definitely give your local centre a ring and arrange to pop in. You may feel awkward at first as it's all a bit daunting - tack is slightly different, horses are led from the inside not just the left, and a whole list of other RDA oddities, but once you get used to it you won't even have to think about it. I assure you, unless you have a stone where your heart should be, you'll love it.
Click to expand...

Starzaan,
im looking for a more supportive saddle for my son, where do the RDA get theirs from?
thank you
kate
 
katymay said:
Starzaan,
im looking for a more supportive saddle for my son, where do the RDA get theirs from?
thank you
kate
Click to expand...

Hiya, at all the centres I've taught at the saddles have been standard, proffessionally fitted GP saddles, but there are things you can do to provide support and build up muscle strength.

Without knowing your son's history it's hard to know what to suggest, however... there are a few ideas that spring to mind.

You could try a "magic belt" belts made by saddlers, or adapted by saddler which go around the waist and have handles fitted to them to enable an outwalker to hang on without restricting movement.

Back riding is fantastic for building muscle strength - I had one little boy who couldn't sit up unaided when he came for lessons, and after two years of back riding he can now walk with crutches and ride unaided. Back riding is essentially where the horse is bareback and the child is placed in front of an adult, who sits behind the child holding them up. This provides support and enables them to start to build up their muscles. The movement of a walking horse stimulates the muscles we use to walk, and so it enables children with weaker muscles to build them up before they have to start supporting their own weight.

Lastly you could contact "Inky Dinky", a company that makes memory foam saddles for children. They could possibly make you one to measure to help your son.

You could try a western saddle or an Aussie stock saddle, but the stirrup length needed to sit comfortably and correctly in these may cause more problems than it solves.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know!
 
Thank you so much for all of your replies, all of them so positive and rather moving. So I will go for it, have found a centre that's within striking distance of me. I'll let you know how it goes!
 
Use caution with back riding, it is only recommended to be done by a physiotherapist.

We have an old saddle called a Remedy saddle which has movable blocks for positioning the rider and support. Unfortunately we have never found a pony that it actually fits.

Usually CP riders are better staying in walk as that pace relaxes tight hips and the rhythm is really good for them, whereas trotting causes tension and spasms. We very rarely hold riders by their middle as it prevents progress, but do stabilise the lower leg for them.
 
Our group has a sort of over-saddle which fits onto a normal GP which fits the pony is made of suede and has adjustable blocks with velcro which can be moved infinitely to accomodate the individual riders. Sorry I can't remember where it came from. We too hold riders legs/ankles/knees to support them.
 
Starzaan said:
Hiya, at all the centres I've taught at the saddles have been standard, proffessionally fitted GP saddles, but there are things you can do to provide support and build up muscle strength.

Without knowing your son's history it's hard to know what to suggest, however... there are a few ideas that spring to mind.

You could try a "magic belt" belts made by saddlers, or adapted by saddler which go around the waist and have handles fitted to them to enable an outwalker to hang on without restricting movement.

Back riding is fantastic for building muscle strength - I had one little boy who couldn't sit up unaided when he came for lessons, and after two years of back riding he can now walk with crutches and ride unaided. Back riding is essentially where the horse is bareback and the child is placed in front of an adult, who sits behind the child holding them up. This provides support and enables them to start to build up their muscles. The movement of a walking horse stimulates the muscles we use to walk, and so it enables children with weaker muscles to build them up before they have to start supporting their own weight.

Lastly you could contact "Inky Dinky", a company that makes memory foam saddles for children. They could possibly make you one to measure to help your son.

You could try a western saddle or an Aussie stock saddle, but the stirrup length needed to sit comfortably and correctly in these may cause more problems than it solves.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know!
Click to expand...

Thank you, thats so helpful, I have heard of the back riding, we call it Hippo therapy, not sure his 10.3hh would enjoy my fat bottom on him too!
I will contact Inky Dinky and see if they can help, we already have a magic belt or if we dont use that we just hang on to his body protector! im sure if we persevere it will get easier for him, pony is quite sensible, I might try some bareback too and it will encourage him to stretch his legs out
kate x
 
katymay said:
Thank you, thats so helpful, I have heard of the back riding, we call it Hippo therapy, not sure his 10.3hh would enjoy my fat bottom on him too!
I will contact Inky Dinky and see if they can help, we already have a magic belt or if we dont use that we just hang on to his body protector! im sure if we persevere it will get easier for him, pony is quite sensible, I might try some bareback too and it will encourage him to stretch his legs out
kate x
Click to expand...

You're most welcome - it's lovely to hear you've got him riding! As someone else has said, it does tend to work best if you hold on by placing a hand just above the child's knee, but then if they have problems with tense legs that can prevent them from relaxing.

Basically, what works for one child probably won't work for another!

I hope you have some success with the Inky Dinky, they're a lovely company.
 
It's a fantastic opportunity to give something back and makes you feel good about yourself helping others. I've helped at 2 different RDA groups over the years. I helped out over 30yrs ago in Leeds. When we moved to Nottingham in 1998 I helped out at a local RDA until I found f/t employment and obviously couldn't make it. What sticks in my mind was one little boy who had severe autism and was 'locked in' to his own world and did not communicate with other people. As soon as he got in the saddle every week he sang his heart out for the whole session. The power of horses!
 
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