riding for the disabled volunteers ?

Shysmum

Shysmum

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I just wondered if there are any RDA volunteers on here ? I'm hopefully going to start with them very soon, and am really looking forward to it. :)

Done a search of threads and couldn't find any, but any experiences gratefully received , sm xx
 
I did some volunteer work years ago with an RDA group, absolutely loved it.

You do have to learn to keep calm and and carry on as the saying goes and take your lead from the carers.

We had some very severely mentally and physically disabled youngsters who could be violent on occassions - being around and on the horses seemed to completely calm them and it was truly amazing to watch.

Basically we were just there to lead the horses, the carers walked either side of the riders to ensure they were OK.

Several times I was walking around with tears in my eyes after witnessing the enjoyment of the kids & hearing from the carers what an impact the sessions had on them.

Sorry, just realised this hasn't been a scrap of help, just a trip down memory lane for me!!:rolleyes:
 
Yes, I volunteer and I love it! Took me a while to stop scraping helpers of walls (as a rider, I always try and keep close to the wall in an indoor school) and I lived in fear ofsome one coming off, but so far so good
 
thanks so much, I kinda thought it was like that - I used to help at a trekking centre where there were parties of special needs peeps, and I loved that, but it wasn't nearly as properly organised as it should've been. I just want to "give back" i spose - corny but true.

I always wanted to do PAT dog work with my lab too, but he's way too sensitive for it...

Can't wait to get started, and it's perfect for me while the boy is growing :D

sm x
 
I've helped out with various groups over the years. It's very rewarding and really good fun to work with the riders and see them improve and enjoy themselves from week to week.

I would only mention two downsides:
- some groups are staffed by well meaning, but not very horsey volunteers, so they tend to spend all their time walking endlessly around the school. Clearly the lesson should be tailored to the needs of the student, so I am not suggesting that everyone should canter around all the time, but there are many interesting and varied exercises you can do in walk to keep everyone learning.
- you will need Criminal Records check to work with children which involves a bit of paperwork, but also some of the restrictions people impose in light of the legislation seem very excessive to me. E.g. some of the kids are real sweethearts but you are not allowed to give them a hug, even if they try to hug you, I was literally told that placing my hand on a child's thigh to keep him stable could be classed as assault, etc. so slightly OTT at times!
 
I volunteer at my local rda and I really enjoy it. You get the enjoyment of being around the ponies and they are generally total legends! The people who ride vary greatly in how restricted they are by their disabilities. Some appear as if they are in their own world when riding, while others enjoy it and really come out of their shell. It is very rewarding, especially getting to know the regular riders and seeing them increase in confidence and getting so much from riding and being around the ponies.
Hope you enjoy it!
 
Booboos said:
I've helped out with various groups over the years. It's very rewarding and really good fun to work with the riders and see them improve and enjoy themselves from week to week.

I would only mention two downsides:
- some groups are staffed by well meaning, but not very horsey volunteers, so they tend to spend all their time walking endlessly around the school. Clearly the lesson should be tailored to the needs of the student, so I am not suggesting that everyone should canter around all the time, but there are many interesting and varied exercises you can do in walk to keep everyone learning.
- you will need Criminal Records check to work with children which involves a bit of paperwork, but also some of the restrictions people impose in light of the legislation seem very excessive to me. E.g. some of the kids are real sweethearts but you are not allowed to give them a hug, even if they try to hug you, I was literally told that placing my hand on a child's thigh to keep him stable could be classed as assault, etc. so slightly OTT at times!
Click to expand...

Those are really good points. I am one of the very few horsey volunteers and it does give you a different slant on it really. Sometimes I do find it frustrating, but everyone there always wants the best for the ponies, but sometimes the knowledge and thought process can be lacking! The ponies do get their summer holidays away and they get to do more interesting things or they have a proper good break which they really deserve.
You have got to be very careful with the legislation, though tbh occationally it is necessary to ignore it - you can't let a nervous metally disabled child have a heavy dismount just because you can't place a hand on them to support them and help their balance on the way down. Alot of it is looking after yourself in the event of litigation though, so it is best to be informed so you know where you stand - then you can keep yourself out of trouble, while best supporting the riders.
 
I used to run 2 sessions a week, April - October for over 13 years. Loved every minute and made some wonderful friends. The knowledge I gained through doing that also helps me with some other bits I do, for example later on this month I will be doing pony rides for children who are terminally ill. So RDA helped me think outside of the box and has enabled me to get kids who don't have long left (and thus many have drips and alsorts hanging out of them) who want to ride the chance before their time is up. Instead of just saying "no" I now think well ok how can we make this happen and what do we need to keep it as safe as possible. The kids love it.

I really want to start it up again but had to stop as I had some really unhelpful and very unreliable helpers and I just couldn't cope with it any more. Was gutted when I made the decission but I am still lightly involved and still want to start up again when I can get together enough reliable helpers and the horses to do it.

I did get into quite a bit of trouble as I taught people to ride not just sit like blobs on the back of a horse. My attitude was its a risk sport, we make the risks as small as possible but if you ride horses at some point your going to land on your behind! I was severely repremanded for expecting the riders to catch, groom and tack up their horses! But they did conceed a little when I asked them to watch what happened and tell me exactly what their problem would be if that person was "able bodied" and wasn't it discrimination to not allow them to do it just because of a disability... doesn't Lee Pearson ride wonderfully and I bet he would have a few choice words if you treated him like that... The rulers that be loved me really just paniced over insurance lots! They nearly had fits when we went out on a hack and the helpers rode as well! :D Riders loved it!

All in all - its great, you meet fantastic people, RDA is slowly dying as the latest generations are having to work where as many years ago it was all Pony Club mothers who were stay at home Mums (and their kids helped out too!), go for it and enjoy every minute!
 
Yes, I'm a member of the committee of a local RDA group and used to help after work with 2 groups on Monday nights in the summer months. I work too far away now. The group operates at a family run RS on a mixed farm. The horses are brilliant and have been known to hunt on Saturday, show on Sunday and do RDA on Monday, with lessons/hacks for able-bodied riders of differing abilities thrown in. The riders in our particular group mainly have learning disabilities, as it happens there is another local group whose riders are mainly physically disabled. Sis and I, too, felt that we should 'give something back' (God know why as she's a social worker and I'm a teacher but anyway...). I can honestly say it changed my life. We went to our first session over 25 yrs ago. Since then, directly because of this, I've...... jump-judged and time-judged at hunter-trials, stewarded a variety of classes at agricultural and breed shows, judged at local shows, been invited to train to judge BSPS classes (declined because of lack of time), been able to leave a livery-yard at very short notice, had horses transported to and from various venues by very experienced loaders/drivers, been able to ask advice in many situations, met a variety of well-known local and not-so-local horse-people, learned more than I can possibly say by watching and being around 'old horse-people', made life-long friends, been to major birthday parties, weddings and funerals, oh and had several kittens and 2 JRT pups that I wouldn't otherwise have had. I can thoroughly recommend it!
 
I've been doing it for the last few months though we're now on holiday as the groups that come on my day are all schools. We work primarily with kids with very severe learning disabilities which can be very challenging some days but seeing the difference in some of the more extreme kids when they actually get up on the pony is fantastic. We do have a couple who will literally throw themselves off mid way round just for the sheer hell of it - it's a game, they're certainly more than happy to get back on - which certainly livens things up if you're not paying 100% attention.

One of the aspects I struggled with at first is being responsible for only the pony if I'm working as a leader. I got 'told off' by the RS owner for stopping the pony and sorting out the rider's stirrup on the opposite side to the side the helper was on. I was told very firmly that I'm in the charge of the pony and the pony only and I should have made the other helper go around and sort it out. Which is fair enough, but took me a while to get into my head :-)
 
well yesteray at the herford country fair my mum asked them if i could volunteer as i think next year for school we have to do communiy service they were more than happy and desperate or me to join :p
 
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