Celebrations are starting early here at Muirfield Riding Therapy with our Festive Open Week.  We are celebrating being able to open our doors to the community again, with our Festive Open Week. The annual event, cancelled for the last three years due to the pandemic, allows the public to visit and see riding therapy in action. Starting on Tuesday 29th November and running until Saturday 3rd December, each of the daily sessions will present a festive-themed therapy ride, which visitors can enjoy from the Viewing Gallery, along with a mince pie or two!

 

Drop in during these times, mince pies on us!

🎄Tuesday 29/11 10am – 12noon and 1.30 – 3.30pm

🎄Wednesday 30/11 10am – 12noon and 6.30 – 8.30pm
🎄Thursday 1/12 10am – 12noon
🎄Friday 2/12 1.30 – 3.30pm
🎄Saturday 3/12 9.30 – 11.30am

 

Each of our sessions is different and will be presenting their own ride with a festive theme! For example some of the participants in the Wednesday evening Teens and Young Adults session, and children in the Saturday session, have been learning dressage skills.
Saturday Coach Caroline Bacigalupo has been taking some of her young participants to RDA dressage events this year, and the team have had successes. They’ll be celebrating their successes at the Festive Open Week.

Based in West Fenton, the Centre, a member group of Riding for the Disabled (RDA), offers equine facilitated therapy which involves activities with horses to promote participants’ physical and mental health. The service is in demand now more than ever with both adult and children’s waiting lists and an increase in mental health enquiries.

 

The charity’s chairperson, Michelle Sutton said,

“We continue to develop innovative ways of including people with various and complex mental and physical disabilities, and we want to encourage the wider community to come and see what we do for themselves.”

Each of the sessions is different; some of the participants in the Wednesday evening Teens and Young Adults session, and children in the Saturday session, have been learning dressage and show jumping skills.

Saturday Coach Caroline Bacigalupo has been taking some of her young participants to RDA dressage events this year, and the team have had successes. They recently took part in RDA’s Virtual Championships and they’re going to celebrate their successes at the Festive Open Week.

Eilidh loves coming to MRT Saturday sessions,

“It is always a real highlight of her week, and she bounces out of bed on a Saturday morning eager to join in the fun,” says mum Michelle, “Having such facilities near to home is brilliant and we are very grateful to all the helpers who give up their time to help the kids learn, grow, develop and have fun.” 

 

Eiligh has enjoyed taking part in RDA’s dressage competitions. Learning Dressage is one of the equine facilitated therapy activities our participants can get involved with here at MRT. The objective of Dressage for our participants is to improve balance, control, mobility, memory and freedom.

Dressage is taught as part of several of our sessions, as it is just basic schooling. At all levels it has been found to raise confidence and self-esteem in the participant. RDA competition dressage tests range from being led by a helper at walk, to independent riding tests with lateral movements. The challenge of learning a test, riding it accurately and performing to the best of the horse’s and participant’s ability has many positive benefits.