I was assigned to work with Jake, firstly by getting to know his interests and building a rapport and then encouraging him to get to know his RDA Horse Indi. We talked about how her body language gave us the information we needed to understand what Indi was feeling and communicating and how Jake’s body language told a story that Indi could read too.  

Initially, because Jake was cautious to even touch Indi, let alone ride her, we worked within Jake’s comfort zone, taking our time mounting at the ramp with a considered approach. 

During Jake’s first session, we enabled Jake to feel more in control of the situation by deciding how many walking steps Indi took away from the ramp before halting. We slowly moved outside the barn, and I encouraged him to look for and name the birds darting through the trees in our beautiful sensory trail. Gradually, as Indi took her steady and soothing steps, Jake breathed, began to relax, and loosened his tight grip. Over the following weeks, we played many short games, soon realising how much a bit of healthy competition with his peers helped Jake to find focus and start to really enjoy his riding time.

One and a half terms in and Jake’s RDA session is the absolute highlight of his week. He turns up eager to learn more about riding as well as how to care for Indi’s needs. He tells us he will have a horse of his own one day and bring it to RDA to meet us. 

He now watches Horse videos and brings along new facts to share, both with his helpers and the friends he has made with the other members of his group. 

These developing friendships, based on a common interest, have empowered Jake to flourish socially with newfound confidence, enthusiasm and a positivity that will no doubt have a lasting effect on his life outside of the RDA environment.