What Do We Do?
Our therapeutic Riding and Horse Care Sessions for children with disabilities take place over a 32-week school year at Muiryhall Equestrian Centre (in Miltonduff near Elgin). We gather here every Monday where there is a large all-weather outdoor arena, an indoor barn for pony grooming and 30 acres of woodland, with safe tracks for hacking. So, irrespective of the weather, our programme of activities still goes ahead!
A short ride through the woods is a delight for the children who can listen to the birds, see squirrels bobbing about in the trees or follow the “interactive trail” looking out for carefully positioned objects – garden ornaments, wooden animals, coloured flowers – actively engaging them with their surroundings.
Children’s needs vary; whilst some like to chatter, others can be non-verbal. Our volunteers take their lead from the children, offering interaction as or when the child requests it.
For more information on what is involved, please click here.
Riding Sessions
Our ponies are specially trained to accommodate the needs of each child. Two highly qualified, experienced RDA UK instructors structure the rides, matching riders with ponies.
Each child is accompanied by two volunteers – one as a side-walker and one to lead the pony. All volunteers are Reference and PVG-checked, Safeguarding trained and equipped with the skills to support the riders and to maintain a high level of health and safety standards.
Exercises are tailored to the individual rider’s needs and their ability to ride safely and independently.
Riding lessons typically include the following:
- Supervised mounting and dismounting and correct positioning in the saddle to ensure comfort and safety.
- Instruction on how to use physical and verbal aids to stop, start and manoeuvre the pony – involving using their legs, back, shoulders, hands and voice when appropriate.
- Stretching and bending, standing up in stirrups and touching different parts of the pony are “fun” tasks that develop balance, flexibility and suppleness.
- Verbal commands from instructors and demonstrations of how to sit and position themselves correctly.
- Specific tasks that require the children to engage with their pony and perform physical exercises e.g. moving pony from A to B, stopping to pick up or drop a soft object, walking and trotting over ground poles, manoeuvering their pony to keep a distance from other riders, answering questions (when able to) about what they have learned.
- Ground-based work involving patting and grooming ponies as touch is a very effective method of communication especially for children who are non-verbal.
- Riding through the woods involving an “interactive trail” where riders are asked to look out for carefully positioned objects – garden ornaments, wooden animals, coloured flowers – to actively engage them with their surroundings.
- Walking and trotting over poles and around obstacles develops physical abilities, while concentrating, listening to and responding to instructions increases their communication skills.
All of these activities provide suitable challenges and rewards for children where even very small achievements are a measure of progress.
Running from March to October, Tea With A Pony involves non-riding equine therapy for people living with dementia and other cognitive impairment. The participants enjoy a cup of tea and cake before grooming or stroking the ponies, depending on how comfortable and confident they feel. Our qualified RDA instructor tailors activities to meet individual needs.
Part of a national, RDA UK initiative, we were the first group in the Grampian and Highland Region to run a Tea With A Pony session. The initiative has the full support of the professionals caring for people with dementia. We regularly liaise with the Moray Dementia Advisor for Alzheimer Scotland (who is also one of our Trustees).
If you know of someone who could benefit from Tea With A Pony, please e-mail us for more information.
