just read a horsey post and it has given me an idea.
as some of you know my son has adhd, his co-ordination is semi-poor and his learning skills are best with 121.
My daughter is feeling left out with all the attention her brother gets at home and school etc.
Im trying to have some quality time with her baking and girlie things but feel that maybe a joint activitie could help them both.
I was thinking about horse riding with the riding for disabled organisation? we are in barnsley yorkshire.
They both take after me loving horses 2nd to dogs and they want to go riding like they did a few years ago when i took them treking, and yes even with my physical problem i can still ride a horse great.lol.
Riding in my opinion surely would help all aspects of my boys problems and he can achieve recieving 121 and my daughter could have exactly the same.
Would love any feedback or advice and if possible a point in the right direction as to where and how.
thanks
sam

Sounds like a brilliant idea to me. Have a look at the British Horse Society site for details of BHS approved establishements :)

Sounds like an excellent idea. Go for it!
:)

my mum is a foster carer and one of the first children that she looked after was adhd, as we learnt more about it i suggested riding, as at teh time i worked at a boarding kennels/riding school he went along to my work, everything was explained to the instructors to be nice but firm with him and everything should be okay, his co-ordination and balance improved no end, on his last lesson before going to a theraputic home a year after he started he managed to do sitting and rising trot with no leader, he held on to the saddle for extra balance, but a year before he had hadly any balance and co-ordination, it helped with his schooling as well and as long as he alwasys had the same horse and leader he was happy, we also had a young girl who was hard of hearing and we explained to her leader that whatever the instructor asked the kids to do to repeat it to her and she too enjoyed riding.
i think if you explain to the riding school they will be more than willing to help out if they dont want to know then they arent that good a riding school (imo)
i wish you luck and lots of fun and bruises along the way :D
tanya

My daughter goes riding once a fortnight, all we did was sign a disclamer because of her disability and she was off!
If you get in touch with social services they should have all the info you need of all the courses/ activities available (ours did).
We were even offered free swimming classes, even for my other daughter who wasn't disabled.

thanks for the info, mygirl would we be able to get any financial help for both kids?

If you haven't got one already then please get a social worker (they are not ogre's) the majority of schemes are free or little expense.
My older daughter was offered summer camp by i think barnado's (not sure but easy to check) to get a break from her sister.

They can tell you everything you need to know. Our local council offers athletics for the disabled which often coincides with my other daughter's meetings (athletics too) but my youngest is too young yet, but they go everywhere it's fantastic for them!

make sure that the stables you go to are good with children , I took my freinds riding in the highlands it was a disabled riding school as well . the horse of one of the girls canterd into the stable with my freind on it the stable door was very low , i wasent quick enough to stop him
:(  this was her 2nd ride shes lucky she still has her head ..badly hurt her knee thou ,refuses to go again.  i was bloody mad looking back on it the horse had a dutch gag there rest had snaffels . now i wonder why , the owner cam out said aw thats a shame bye .
most stables are great with kids just make sure you check them out properly :)

I must add my daughter only has a half hour lesson, a child cannot be expected to concentrate anymore than that.
(And i stay and watch) :)

My daughter has attended riding for the disabled for a number of years. Unfortunately due to the last type of op she had wasn't able to do it last year, but I digress....

It takes place at a normal riding school but they have a special evening for the disabled... I expect formats will be different, but what ahppens with our 1 is that a number of volounteers help out... each rider has a helper that is there with the horse. Some disabled for whatever reason are not likely to be able to do much more than a walk or gentle trot with the helper at the horses head.

It isn't a 'mixed' able bodied and disabled but purely for disabled, as i say with volounteer helpers. However, I don't see why a disabled rider than advances sufficiently wouldn't do normal lessons as well... the controlled enviroment works well to set up for that, and my disabled daughter did just that with my abled bodied daughter.

If interested in horses maybe you and other members of the family could become volounteers [I went along fairly regularly but am not a errr horsey person - seaside donkeys are a challenge to me ;) ].

I think if you checked what stables there are locally and gave 1 a call they would recommend a stable local to you if they didn't do it themselves, failing that if you want me to can ask where our daughter goes. I am in the Midlands but Riding for the Disabled is a well set up organisation.

Financially... I think it costs us 50p or £1 for my disabled daughters session, all equipment provided. If other lessons would be a financial burden then maybe through helping out that could be taken care of?

Wish you luck it really is GREAT to watch those that may be at a disadvantage getting usually becoming just as able as anyone else - hard to remember seeing so many smiles giggles and laughs in 1 place as at those sessions ;).

Regards Dave xo

Try this link....

http://www.riding-for-disabled.org.uk/

regards Dave xo

link just what i needed i have made contact and will be sent two forms my gp needs to fill in a part then hopefully they can go in the summer regularly every weekend

Yes - go for it - I was secretary of the   Pembrokeshire groups for a while, and helped for 21 years altogether.    Certainly, with our group, safety was paramount, and we worked very closely with physiotherapists and carers.   Usually there were three helpers to each rider, at least for quite a time, and the results spoke for themselves.

We had autistic children communicating with their ponies, and some younsters who had never walked by themselves strengthened their leg muscles so well that their co-ordination, balance and mobility were greatly improved.

Used to be free for the riders, but dare say those days have gone!

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats