At the Royal Selangor Polo Club not far from our condo I found a volunteer opportunity just a couple weeks ago. RDA (Riding for the Disabled) is an organization that works with children suffering from autism, Down's Syndrome and cerebral palsy by teaching them to ride horses. In the picture above the horse is led by a leader and is accompanied on either side by a walker. So far I have mostly been used as "a walker."
As the horse is led around the covered riding arena children are encouraged to hold the reins properly and also use the reins to instruct the horse to turn either right or left. Also in the arena are large letters of the alphabet to identify as well as other objects which the child can lift out of a bucket and identify. I have most often accompanied a horse named Cochise and have just as often worked with Lisa (pictured with Cochise) as a leader.
Occasionally, if a child first needs to get an idea of what's it like to be on horseback, they are placed on a "peanut" (like yellow one pictured) and bounced up and down! As one might imagine, some kids are not very responsive at all while on horseback and thus are difficult to work with. Others are a real delight! - rw
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