Testimonials

"Our experience at RDA

Our experience at RDA has been a long journey. Both my children started at the stables 4 years ago when they had a taster session with the Bristol Autism Project for Horse Care. It was a one hour experience that changes their lives. My son R fell instantly in love with a Shetland Pony called Beau. The pony seemed to also has an instant connection with R and was very loving with him. My daughter was delighted with ponies and brushed and stroked them with such love. They didn’t want to leave and R was so upset at having to leave them. They gave them heart hugs in floods of tears. It was noticed by the volunteers and they were both quickly given weekly lessons on Horse Care with the Shetlands because they could see the bonds. These lessons created a calm and undemanding space for the children that they had never had before. They lovingly brushed them, walked them, picked up their poo and gave them heart hugs. It became a place of belonging that they hadn’t had before. Both children would leave less stressed and calm. J would walk on her tippy toes whilst leading the ponies which indicated pure joy.

 

They moved on to riding lessons after about a year and a half. These lessons gave them such confidence and a deep connection to the horses. You could see the benefits after every lesson as they came away more relaxed for their week. If a lesson is ever missed the next week you can see a marked difference in temperament and huge anger outbursts would happen a lot as they hadn’t had the space to regulate with the horses. They breathed in time together.
J progressed through the grading and this year competed for the first time in the Regional Championships. She was filled with such pride and confidence. She placed second in her group and is now going to the National Championships in July.
I personally don’t know where we would be as a family if it wasn’t for all the team at RDA. They have been there through a really tough time for the children at school and every week has been a place of refuge for two children on the spectrum struggling to cope in that environment.

 

Kim and the team has been there every step of the way supporting and encouraging the children in a really understanding way.
I am ever grateful for this place."

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"Therapeutic horse riding has truly changed our lives; the skills gained by riders can be transferred to varied settings and areas of life.

 

A started riding at Avon RDA in 2017. At that time he was highly anxious and disruptive in all aspects of life. At school, he wasn't even able to access education and was spending his days in a quiet room with one-2-one support. At home he would experience frequent meltdowns and anxiety that affected our family life to the point that we weren't able to spend quality time together. 

 

Since he started riding, I have seen many changes in him, all of which make him happier and more confident. These include:

- Confidence building - suffering with any form of disability means you lack in some areas. Not being able to fulfil yourself can lead to anxiety and even depression. Horse riding provides children with easily achievable goals that are assessed frequently and expanded at the pace suitable for the rider. All this is achieved by a team of friendly volunteers that dedicate their time to coach and guide riders. Children leave every session with a sense of achievement. Being limited doesn't have to be a sentence. They learn that with practice they can reach professional levels of skill. As a result their confidence is hugely boosted. 

 

- Educational performance - skills acquired during horse riding translate to educational performance. Children already know that through regular practice they can reach goals that are challenging for them. 

 

- Physical exercise - riding a horse is a physical sport. Many disabled children are not able to access physical education. Horse riding allows them participation in weekly exercises carefully tailored to their ability. For some this is the only form of physical activity they get. 

 

- Self-control - children also take from the class self-control. In order to control the horse you have to be able to control your body. Once learned, children are aware of their impulses and behave better in class and in home environment.

 

- Sense of belonging - having regular group of people that they can meet with has also huge impact. They learn that they are not alone in this situation and that there are different challenges for all of us. It's difficult enough to find like-minded people that you can relate to. Horse riding class creates an environment where they can find sense of belonging and sometimes friends too. 

 

- Dealing with change and crisis - horses are animated creatures and although RDA horses are carefully selected there are some situations that can't be avoided. Horse might be spooked or might need to scratch itself. Being exposed to those, children learn that the change is unavoidable and that unexpected situations can arise any time. This also teaches them that everything can return to normal and that unexpected doesn't have to be feared. They take those skills and bring with them to variety of different life situations.

 

Today A is attending mainstream secondary school. He works independently in the class setting. He is confident to make friends and performs well at his academic work. His behaviour at home is also hugely improved. We use horse riding as a reference in many situations. Teachers at school noticed the difference when horse riding classes restarted after the pandemic which indicates that best results can be achieved by regular repetition and continued learning.

 

Thank you for all your hard work and time put into making the activities accessible for children. Know that you make a difference."