Horse-riding can be theraupetic for cerebral palsy sufferers

Text Wyn Lyn Tan

For nine-year old Janice, she can't seem to get enough of horse-riding. Every week she looks forward to trotting around on Robin, a lean, mild-mannered chestnut pony. Says her instructor, Claire Forbes, "She really likes being near the horses, and when riding, she often reaches to stroke Robin's fur."

Claire has been Janice's instructor for almost two years and she's got nothing to say but praises for her young charge. "She is an extremely eager student. She wants to impress and please and do a good job, and she puts a lot of effort into what she does."

This feat is all the more commendable because Janice was born with cerebral palsy. Her condition means that she has limited motor skills and problem controlling her arms and legs. 

Janice can thank her parents, Thomas and Jolene, for exposing her love for horses. They had heard about the Riding for the Disabled Association from Rainbow Centre, and decided to give it a go for her animal-lover child.

Horse riding gives Janice a sense of achievement and pride. Once a week, for up to 30 minutes each session, Janice literally feels on top of the world as she towers above the ground on the back of the trusty Robin.
 
A form of therapy
Horse-riding is also helpful physiotherapy for Janice. She has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, so the muscles in all her limbs are very tight. Having to straddle over the horse naturally stretches her legs, while the rocking movement of riding requires her to gain balance and self-confidence.

To encourage greater flexibility, each riding lesson begins with simple stretching exercises. "Reach for the doggie, Janice," instructs Jillian Ong, another instructor, as she holds up a Beanie soft toy.

Teaching techniques vary from kid to kid. For a cerebral palsy child who is "very floppy" and has no control while sitting up, he or she will need a back-rider sitting behind on the horse.

But regular swimming has given Janice "very good arm strength", observes Claire, and she is able to support herself on the horse with just a rolled-up cushion in front of her while riding. For extra safety measures, one leader leads the horse and two side-walkers flank Janice durin her rides.

"For Janice, her greatest challenge is to straighten her upper body," says Claire. On her first day of riding, she was unable to sit up and could only drape herself forward in a horizontal position over the horse's back. "She would also tend to slip from side to side, and would hold very tightly to the horse," Thomas recalls.

Today, after four years of riding, she has made amazing progress. Not only does she sit a little more upright, she has become increasingly confident and can even raise one hand up in mid-air while riding.

The domino effect
The benefits have spilled over into other areas of her life. "She used to be hunched all the time. But with better posture and developing trunk muscles from horse-riding, her sense of balance and other functional skills come in as well. For instance, she can sit on an armless chair and not topple over anymore," says Thomas.

At the same time, Janice has also become more independent physically, doing away without a wheelchair and relying on a cane walker instead. "We're trying her on crutches soon," says her dad. 

Janice's parents and her horse-riding instructors have also noticed a social improvement in Janice, who's in Primary Four at Methodist Girls' School. "She used to be really shy, but now she talks to us about school, what she did, her holidays," smiles Claire.

"When Janice was younger, she would cry when anyone, especially strangers, touched or came near her. Now, she's chattier," Thomas agrees.

Thomas is especially appreciative as RDA provides this service for free. The normal cost of a riding programme at Bukit Timah Saddle Club, for instance, can easily run up to about $40 per lesson, not counting a requisite membership fee of $1,300 a year and the monthly subscription of $80. "They're very passionate about helping people," he says of RDA.

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