Therapeutic Riding Coaching Training Programme gets underway…………
Festina Lente Riding School has been providing therapeutic riding lessons for over 5 years – our youngest rider being two years of age. Therapeutic riding is an intervention which is used for people with a variety of physical, cognitive, emotional and developmental disabilities. Horses provide sensory input through movement which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive, with the three dimensional movement of the equine’s hips, pelvis and shoulders at walk facilitating a movement response from the rider, under the instruction of the therapist or coach. The walk of the equine mirrors the walk of a person hence providing transfer movement patterns to the rider’s lower spine and pelvic regions. For example, a large horse transfers 110 multidimensional swinging motions in the walk to the rider each minute. By being astride the horse – with the therapist or coach giving specific instructions the horse naturally helps to increase ‘body strength, control and balance’. As the horse walks, the rider makes subtle adjustments to his/her body position in order to try and maintain stability. It is this change that the rider has to make when a horse walks that is the base of therapeutic riding.
There are many elements associated with Therapeutic Riding sessions. Once mounted, the session will include physical exercises to help improve co-ordination, posture and balance. A variety of games and other learning aids are used as part of the sessions – all of which are used to stimulate the physical, cognitive, and emotional and development of the young person or adult. The exercises are done in a fun and varied way and include many learning aids. In addition, the Therapeutic Riding Sessions can include the sensory trail which has been specifically designed to provide both sensory stimulation and sensory integration. This also includes a water feature, woodland area, purposefully created mounds, mounds with different surfaces and a variety of games. Sessions are provided both in the indoor and outdoor arena and also along the sensory trail. For insurance reasons, children under 4 years have lessons in the indoor arena.
How horses learn was received with great interest as Orla Doherty, founded of the Animal Behaviour Clinic www.animalbehaviourclinic.ie gave a well received 1½ days of lectures and practical sessions on how horses learn. Of particular importance from Oral’s presentation was the emerging science of how horses learn. There was a lot of discussion around how domesticated horses have developed stereotypical behaviours (otherwise referred to as ‘vices) in response to their environment. The need to try and replicate, in as much as possible, a natural environment for horses was highlighted.
As this programme is accredited at a FETAC level 6, there are exams and assessments. Our group of students went away after day 3 with their first assignment which was to prepare either a demonstrated or presentation related to one aspect of the three days, with some super examples already submitted.
Progarmme overview Therapeutic Riding Coach 2012 / 2013
For further queries, contact Jill Carey at jillcarey@festinalente.ie
