Why Do We Offer Horse Riding/Care For Autistic Individuals?

Working with horses and many other types of animals has been found to have therapeutic effects for individuals with additional needs. Horses have certain unique qualities which sets apart Equine-Assisted Therapy. Horses are constantly observing a person's behaviour. They give instant feedback on an individual's behaviour and body language. The benefit of this is the horse's ability to teach an individual to self-regulate their interactions. If a person becomes aggressive or anxious the horse will react instantly. In order to undertake tasks with the horse, an individual must work to communicate successfully with the horse. The skills learnt from communicating with a horse can be applied to everyday human to human communication.

Therapeutic Horse Riding - Bolton.

We have teamed up with Foxfield's Therapeutic Horse Riding Centre based in Horwich, Bolton to offer funded Equine-Assisted Therapy sessions for individuals on the Autism Spectrum.

Working with horses can improve social, cognitive and physical skills, as well as being an enjoyable activity for all ages.

Victoria from Salford

"Tommy has really enjoyed having the opportunity to go horse riding, He loves it and it has shown his caring side. He loves spending time with Smudge the horse. The girls have been fantastic at Foxfield's and it is somewhere I would definitely recommend and somewhere we will continue going to as Tommy finds his time with the horses so relaxing"

Luisa from Wigan

"Absolutely brilliant from start to finish!

We had a fabulous time at the funded therapeutic horse riding sessions. Both my children loved the sessions and were calm and they also improved upon their confidence.

Staff were so knowledgeable and were a great help to both our ASD children"

Benefits of Horse Riding

The three dimensional movement of the horse helps riders to build core strength, improve balance, develop coordination and enhance posture. It is also an activity those with limited mobility can take part in and feel a sense of freedom. All riders progress differently with some riders gaining the benefits from walking on the horse, with others progressing to trotting and cantering independently. Each rider is individual with their own personal goals.

Benefits of Horse Care

Horses rely on humans to provide a high level of care. They require carefully managed diets, exercise regimes, daily grooming and mucking out as well as regular hoof care and visits from other professionals such as vets, dentists and physios. Many of the skills used whilst caring for horses can be transferred to improve individuals own self-care and independent living. Managing a horse’s diet, measuring feeds, monitoring water intake is equivalent to an individual eating a healthy diet. Daily grooming of horses can be compared to an individual's own daily hygiene regime, in the same way the need to exercise a horse is the same as us taking part in our own daily exercise.

Effect on Mental Health Wellbeing

Working with horses can help improve self-confidence, reduce anxiety and stress and increase positive thinking. Horses respond to individuals instantly but in a non-judgemental way. Individuals can learn to trust and form a relationship with a horse with many referring to a horse as a companion. In a stable yard setting individuals don't feel the same pressure they might feel in a traditional talking therapy setting.

Who is Eligible For The Funded Sessions?