John’s story - Buy a Bale Winter Appeal

“You don’t actually ride off into the sunset but it feels like it!” John is sharing his story in support of our Buy A Bale Winter Appeal, which runs until February.  It aims to raise awareness of the impact our therapy ponies have for our participants, and to raise funds to support their care over the winter months.

John has Parkinson’s and comes for riding therapy in our adult sessions on Thursdays, supported by his wife, Jane, who very kindly helps out round the yard while John rides. He’s enjoyed getting to know not one, but three of our therapy ponies!

My initial reaction when my wife suggested that I might benefit from some riding therapy was that it was for children, not adults, and certainly not OAPs. But then she showed me an article in The Parkinson, the magazine of the charity Parkinson’s UK, in which an adult had praised the psychological and physical benefits she had enjoyed when she tried it out. A friend had mentioned MRT to us and so we set about applying to see if they would accept me and much to my surprise they did.

 

Animal communication

John’s first sessions at Muirfield Riding Therapy (MRT) were on our Mechanical Horse, our fabulous a horse-shaped, high tech piece of physio equipment,

 

One evening I found myself being introduced to Oreo, a magnificent black mechanical horse on which I was given my first lessons in communicating with the horse using the pressure of my legs and feet and steering with the reins. A wonderful instructor was on hand together with two helpers to catch you if you fell, which fortunately did not happen!

 

The benefits of riding therapy

After 5 weeks tuition on Oreo I was offered a place on a full 10-week term with real live horses and it was then that I began to realise what a marvellous place Muirfield Riding Therapy was. All the staff were more than helpful, always welcoming and always on hand. The effects were noticeable even after just one lesson. At the end of a lesson I would find that my legs were more flexible, my balance much improved and that I had adjusted to the rhythm of the horse such that on dismounting, rather like disembarking from a boat, I had to find my land legs.

 

Getting to know you

John’s sessions have allowed him to get to know two of our therapy ponies,

Getting to know the horses and their different characters was also interesting. I experienced riding two different ones, Charity and Baillie. Charity was an older horse long used to the work, very patient and very accepting. Baillie was much younger and recently introduced to riding therapy. Everything was new to him at first and his ears would prick up and scanning all directions at every new sound. Sometimes we spent the whole lesson in the arena, at others most of the time was spent outside walking through part of the farm. It all depended upon the weather. In the arena there would be obstacles to go around, over or between and you had an opportunity to learn how to guide the horse. Sometimes you had to practise your balance and dexterity by picking up rings or balls and depositing them in different parts of the arena.

 

Age is just a number

The older you are the more likely you might need help mounting or dismounting. As time passed, I discovered that I needed more help to do both but once mounted you regained your mobility. You don’t actually ride off into the sunset but it feels like it!

Support our incredible therapy ponies this winter