The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A Spalding equestrian centre is helping to bring disabled people together through a newly formed Friday Morning Club.
Four Winds Equestrian Centre is putting on non-riding sessions developed to allow disabled people to spend time with horses, while socialising and making new friends.
The woman behind the session, Kirsty Sweeney said: “I met a lady who had been around horses all her life and had even run a riding school at one point.
“About seven years ago she had a major stroke and lost movement down the right hand side of her body and it also badly affected her speech.
“All she wanted to do was to be with horses again, to stroke them and groom them.
“It got me thinking that there must be lots of other people like her out there that would like the same thing and the more I looked into it, speaking to local carers and social prescribers, the group slowly started to form.”
Four Winds is an Accessibility Mark approved centre meaning it’s approved by the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and the British Equestrian Federation.
The Friday Morning Club runs between 10.30am and 11.30am when the riding school is closed so the yard is quieter.
Two of the centre’s ponies, Jack and Soldier are the centre of attention for the session and love all the fuss alongside emotional support dog Theo.
Members of the club enjoy a range of activities including grooming and pony painting.
As well as spending time with the ponies, everyone gets to socialise over a drink and biscuit, which has proved to be an important part of the morning for the individuals and their families and support staff.
A group of ladies with autism now regularly meet together as a result while the sessions also act as a networking group for carers.
Kirsty added: “I have come to understand how socially isolated disabled people and people with mental health issues can be and this is how the social side of the group grew.
“The benefits of this session are huge for all involved, although different for each individual. For some just being around horses lowers their anxiety levels and for those with social and emotional issues, interacting with the ponies makes them feel less judged, mocked or criticised so their confidence grows.
“One of our participants is non-verbal but talks loudly and clearly whenever he is communicating with the ponies. It also helps with attention span and focus and is a great sensory experience for individuals who are deaf and blind.”
For more information contact Four Winds Equestrian Centre on 01775 640533.
There are currently 55 Accessibility Mark-approved centres across the country.
To find your nearest RDA Group or Accessibility Mark centre visit www.rda.org.uk
