Teaching Autistic Children to ride

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pickwickayr

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Can Anyone give me some advice on teaching an autistic child to ride? My son has just turned 7 and has high functioning autism. As I have horses and am an instructor he has been going for the odd wee ride since he was 2. But now he is a bit older he has been doing a bit more. He is delighted to have finally mastered rising trot after years of practise! he struggles to stear and trot, but can trot happily on the lead rein. He has been doing some gymkhana games to practise his riding without making it too formal but i am looking for ideas t help him progress. he is happy to ride out a hack on his pony but is not too good at listening or concentrating in the school. He is always talking about something totally irrelevant lol. any ideas how to keep riding fun but help him progress to the next step?
 
pickwickayr said:
Can Anyone give me some advice on teaching an autistic child to ride? My son has just turned 7 and has high functioning autism. As I have horses and am an instructor he has been going for the odd wee ride since he was 2. But now he is a bit older he has been doing a bit more. He is delighted to have finally mastered rising trot after years of practise! he struggles to stear and trot, but can trot happily on the lead rein. He has been doing some gymkhana games to practise his riding without making it too formal but i am looking for ideas t help him progress. he is happy to ride out a hack on his pony but is not too good at listening or concentrating in the school. He is always talking about something totally irrelevant lol. any ideas how to keep riding fun but help him progress to the next step?
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Would your local RDA be able to help you with this?
 
I do have some experience with children with autism (friends' children etc.) but not teaching them to ride. I'm sure you will get feedback from people who have. What I wanted to say was, autism aside, 7 is still quite young - not too young to ride, but quite young to really concentrate unless they are absolutely into horses. My two boys are older now, but when they were 7 it really had to be fun to keep their interest and concentration. I think what you are doing is probably the best (hacking, gymkhana games etc), but also wondering if there is another child he gets on with that can ride at the same time, because it's so much more fun with company. :)
 
my son is autistic, all i ca think to advise you is to let your son take the lead and go at his own pace, keep everything fun and try to let him thin of what he wants to do next etc. Lac of concentration unfortunately is a common problem and no matter how fun something is it only takes a nano second for them to lose the concentration and move on to a different subject.If this happens dont try to get him back to what he was doing previously as this has already gone from his mind, maybe try going down a different track kind of, so X now we have finished that why dont we try this???? unfortunately it is going to be very difficult to try to teach he one thing as you cant just go over and over that thing until it clicks, it doesn't work like that. maybe you could both sit at home and do some social stories about the next step for him and when he is happy transfer it onto his pony? hope this has helped
 
I actually used to work for an equestrian charity specializing in teaching adults and children with special needs. I used to teach several autistic children and two rather delightful young adults with autism. In one way its hard to advise because every child is different (if there was one thing I discovered about teaching those with special needs physical or mental was how important it was to treat everyone as an individual) there is no right way to teach special needs just things that can and did work for specific people. BUT trying to generalize I found

1. don't get annoyed if you have to endlessly repeat things - repetition will bring kinesthetic learning in the long term so its not time wasted
2. sometimes autistic pupils will learn best by being set a task - steer this pony round those cones - rather than being told how to turn a horse. the task helps with the focus the mind and the repetition instills the basic principles. so 101 exercises to learn the same thing is a useful way to think - though some autistic folk prefer to learn by doing the same task over and over - depends on the person.
3. sometimes encouraging empathy for the horse and explaining the aids as the horses language can help... sometimes not!

I think its hard because for me I was a riding teacher someone seen once or if lucky twice a week - its a very different relationship than mother and son. That may make it easier ... or harder!

good luck and I hope he enjoys it!
Liz
 
Your local RDA should be able to put you in touch with instructors who have experience in this area. The people I used to help out with were more than willing to share their ideas so it's worth asking if they could give you some pointers. Also, it might be worth reconsidering the RDA lessons as there are other benefits to group lessons (working with others, learning from others, etc.). In general there are many, well-supported RDA groups so I wouldn't worry that you were really monopolising the resource.
 
I teach all different children .. I try and keep it fun .. Play games , build a handy pony course ..ride to music etc .. Kids love it ! I teach them the letters of the school ..All King Edwards Horses Can Make Big Fences and of course X marks the spot ;) I say a sequence of words .. Eg All Horses Big X marks the spot and the child has to reach the markers in order in walk / trot .. So they are steering and riding without any pressure .. They love silly games like that .. But what most kids find hard is balance so doing the handy pony .. And things like popping and strap from d ring to d ring ..and getting them riding and hold on to that with one hand and the other hand doing ' Simon says' I also tell them about trot diagonals early on and they love workin on am I right or wrong .. Also with the turning in trot i get them to ride diagonal / corner to corner.. They do the first turn in walk then trot at x and do the second corner in trot as the pony helps out as the knows the turn is coming ... ;)
 
i am guessing that your pony is very good and quiet, one option might be to go along to an RDA, first without the pony and see for yourself what they are doing and maybe if it is possible to bring along his pony. if not at least they will be able to give you ideas and support.
 
I semi agree with Booboos - RDA will welcome him with open arms and he has a true need for RDA, there's no way you and your son would be monopolising the resource. Far worse cases of that going on but that's another story relating to ethics (I'm a RDA volly and have heard some stories). Some groups are full and run long waiting lists but you won't know until you try.

OP - what are his other interests? Does he like cars/tractors for example? As you could teach him to ride in a way that links to other interests. A friend used to teach an Austitic boy who loved Top Gear and cars so everything she did with him related to how a car would work and he progressed much quicker. So it was steering instead of changing the rein, changing speed/faster/slower than asking for trot etc.

Lots of pole work, google the 'RDA countryside challenge' which is basically a handy pony course to give you some ideas as well. Anything that keeps him interested rather than 'do another circle'.
 
the special needs school i work at takes children/young adults to rda. i find the autistic children are better at focusing when there is a clear task e.g. go from letter A to C (although they also have pictures on the letter cards if the child doesn't know letters), or things like steering around cones or weaving threw poles. also just makes it more interesting. a lot of them also find the colored reigns useful as they struggle to remember what length to hold them at, so easier to say what colour part to hold (obviously don't know if your son has that problem). RDA happily accept donations for their time! so sure they wont mind you asking for advise or even just watching their lessons to get ideas. i think with any child there comes a point they get a bit bored in the school or lose concentration
 
A few people here have mentioned Horse Boy, as well as RDA.

I've no idea where you are based, but we are hosting a demonstration by Rupert Isaacson, the founder of Horse Boy on 3rd November at our RDA Centre at Wilton (nr Salisbury, Wiltshire). He'll be showing how he works with kids and horses, and different methods that they have developed. You'd be very welcome!

HorseBoyDemoAdcopy.jpg
 
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I am on the autism spectrum (high-functioning end), so I have an idea of some of the problems you encounter - my poor instructor has moaned about me for years! I'm very lucky in that my instructor also happened to be an RDA instructor, but I never did RDA myself - and I found this difficult as I took so much longer to grasp things than my friends and found I was left behind.

I found the concentration thing totally true - I learnt best as a child in a group lesson, where I only had to concentrate for my 'turn', and my leader would bring my attention back when it was required rather than me over-using it. Repetition is great, and always trying for one more stride or one more repetition was great. Any kind of games, small challenges, all were great.

I was never brave, though, as I struggled with balance, so anything going wrong really affected me. Horses refusing was what put me off jumping for most of my teens, and trying new things, like cantering for the first time, or trying to take my hands off the saddle in trot when I was learning to post, or going no-stirrups, was a huge thing for me to do. I needed baby steps, and tbh I can still be a massive wuss when things go wrong. When I was a kid, I guess I thought horses were like machines, and them doing anything unexpected would shake me, even as simple as a horse bending down to scratch would really worry me. I needed very quiet and well-behaved horses for a long time.

It was toughest for me as a child - I am still not brave in new places/trying new things, my balance, whilst you wouldn't be able to tell now that I had a real balance problem when younger, is still probably not as good as it should be for the hours of riding I've done, and when things go wrong my automatic reaction is to blame the horse. When rational I know that's not the case, but when upset I can't help it. I also still struggle with simple things like remembering my left from right - my instructor has been taught to use 'inside' and 'outside' otherwise I don't react quickly enough. And I need a very specific instructor style - anyone who is abrupt, gruff or blame-y doesn't last long as I take things very to heart and get upset easily. However, as an adult I find progressing with my riding much easer than I ever did as a child, mostly because I think I understand to a degree now how my own mind works, so I can adapt better rather than struggle along.

I would second going to your local RDA - I'm a vol at mine and it's fab, just what he would benefit from. If the waiting list is long, try speaking to one of the instructors about private lessons - the fact you have a pony at home extra lessons wouldn't go amiss from someone who knows how to help him learn.
 
teapot said:
I semi agree with Booboos - RDA will welcome him with open arms and he has a true need for RDA, there's no way you and your son would be monopolising the resource. Far worse cases of that going on but that's another story relating to ethics (I'm a RDA volly and have heard some stories). Some groups are full and run long waiting lists but you won't know until you try.

OP - what are his other interests? Does he like cars/tractors for example? As you could teach him to ride in a way that links to other interests. A friend used to teach an Austitic boy who loved Top Gear and cars so everything she did with him related to how a car would work and he progressed much quicker. So it was steering instead of changing the rein, changing speed/faster/slower than asking for trot etc.

Lots of pole work, google the 'RDA countryside challenge' which is basically a handy pony course to give you some ideas as well. Anything that keeps him interested rather than 'do another circle'.
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That is a great idea thank you! He loves X Box so I can try and play x box games in real life on his pony ;)
 
Looks fantastic! we are no where near Wiltshire im afraid but will read all the horse boy info, it looks amazing!
irishcob said:
A few people here have mentioned Horse Boy, as well as RDA.

I've no idea where you are based, but we are hosting a demonstration by Rupert Isaacson, the founder of Horse Boy on 3rd November at our RDA Centre at Wilton (nr Salisbury, Wiltshire). He'll be showing how he works with kids and horses, and different methods that they have developed. You'd be very welcome!

HorseBoyDemoAdcopy.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! Its lovely to hear from someone who understands what its really like :)

khalswitz said:
I am on the autism spectrum (high-functioning end), so I have an idea of some of the problems you encounter - my poor instructor has moaned about me for years! I'm very lucky in that my instructor also happened to be an RDA instructor, but I never did RDA myself - and I found this difficult as I took so much longer to grasp things than my friends and found I was left behind.

I found the concentration thing totally true - I learnt best as a child in a group lesson, where I only had to concentrate for my 'turn', and my leader would bring my attention back when it was required rather than me over-using it. Repetition is great, and always trying for one more stride or one more repetition was great. Any kind of games, small challenges, all were great.

I was never brave, though, as I struggled with balance, so anything going wrong really affected me. Horses refusing was what put me off jumping for most of my teens, and trying new things, like cantering for the first time, or trying to take my hands off the saddle in trot when I was learning to post, or going no-stirrups, was a huge thing for me to do. I needed baby steps, and tbh I can still be a massive wuss when things go wrong. When I was a kid, I guess I thought horses were like machines, and them doing anything unexpected would shake me, even as simple as a horse bending down to scratch would really worry me. I needed very quiet and well-behaved horses for a long time.

It was toughest for me as a child - I am still not brave in new places/trying new things, my balance, whilst you wouldn't be able to tell now that I had a real balance problem when younger, is still probably not as good as it should be for the hours of riding I've done, and when things go wrong my automatic reaction is to blame the horse. When rational I know that's not the case, but when upset I can't help it. I also still struggle with simple things like remembering my left from right - my instructor has been taught to use 'inside' and 'outside' otherwise I don't react quickly enough. And I need a very specific instructor style - anyone who is abrupt, gruff or blame-y doesn't last long as I take things very to heart and get upset easily. However, as an adult I find progressing with my riding much easer than I ever did as a child, mostly because I think I understand to a degree now how my own mind works, so I can adapt better rather than struggle along.

I would second going to your local RDA - I'm a vol at mine and it's fab, just what he would benefit from. If the waiting list is long, try speaking to one of the instructors about private lessons - the fact you have a pony at home extra lessons wouldn't go amiss from someone who knows how to help him learn.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you so much everyone for your replies. I have lots of ideas to try now and am going to get in touch with the local RDA :)

his pony is a saint! she is a welsh section B who i bought as a 3 year old, she will be 6 nextyear so they have known each other a long time! the bond they have is amazing! i never thought a young pony would suit him but they are amzing together, and she is so kind and gentle with him and at least cos i have broken and schooled her myself, I trust her completly with him :)
 
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