EQUINE THERAPY: Certified in the Horse Boy Method
Horse Play for children struggling with Autism, Aspergers, Neurological Disorders
This video clip was put together by the Media Studies students of Bridgewater College to showcase the finalists of the Somerset Business Awards 2011- grateful thanks goes to: Lee Gilbert, Nicolle Le Marchand, Sean Horsfield and Sian Graham
Welcome! Download our Brochure Camp Dates
Special Horses for Special Children aims to invite the magic and wonder back into your lives. Allowing children to develop that special healing relationship with horses and animals and stop the world for a while in the beautiful Somerset countryside in the heart of the South West of England.
We invite children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorders and neuro typical children who would benefit from a very special experience with some very special horses to join us on a play date. Our horses are trained in classical dressage and circus tricks to interact in a very unique way with your child.
A Little Science
Being around horses can stimulate the release of Oxytocin. This is probably where the saying comes from the “outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person. The rhythm of a horse has a very special and profound affect on the inside of a person, and has been shown to be hugely beneficial to those with neurological disorders. It is believed, that the rocking motion of the pelvis and the spine, when riding a horse opens up the learning receptors in the brain and stimulates the further production of oxytocin. This wonderful hormone released from the hypothalamus initiates a feel good factor. Levels of oxytocin can be increased within moments of touching an animal, and is released via the pituitary gland into the blood stream and central nervous system.
The knock on affect of this in Autistic children can be a range of benefits including:
- Decreased levels of stress and anxiety
- Improved Memory and Attention Span
- Greater Confidence and Self Esteem
- A Better functioning immune system
- Improved Social Contact and Awareness
- Greater Appetite
- Better Sleep Patterns
- Calmer breathing and heart rates
This hormone has a huge role to play in bonding and social attachments so increasing it’s levels can promote an increased need for social contact and interaction.
What We Offer:
We offer magical experiences to families with autistic, neurologically challenged or emotionally struggling children. We provide horse play dates and are certified in the Horseboy method that Rupert Isaacson discovered had such a dramatic change to his son’s Autism, without having to go to Mongolia. We are based in Somerset near Chard, and have created a permanent facility especially tailored to assisting families of special children to have an extra-ordinary and unique and we hope magical time with horses. Lilias Ahmeira well known for her clinical work with Autistic children for over ten years, is now working with horses in this very individual way. However what is less known about Lilias, is that she is also an experienced horsewoman and having met Rupert felt compelled to turn her attention to working in this way. Lilias believes that through this method of working we can invite the magic back into our lives, for we are only limited by our imagination, and can enable our children to go forward in a very special way.
Morning & Afternoon Sessions:
We offer either morning or afternoons slots for a family to come and be introduced to our horses. You can have a very special experience from grooming, to riding in a western saddle with a parent or one of our specialist riders and experiencing some very special moves from our horses. Be it advanced dressage moves, to circus tricks, painting or decorating a pony to just playing with our horses with a giant football.
Nothing is cast in stone we will do as much or as little as your precious child is happy to do. We work gently and quietly allowing each child to discover at their own pace the rhythm and joy of being with horses.
Full Day Sessions:
All day sessions are three hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon. We have an indoor area for you to have your own pack lunch to suit your own child’s dietary needs. We have a small supply of gluten and casein free foods for those who are caught short and wish to stay a little longer.
Camps:
We offer four day camps in the better months of the year, which offer a chance for Autism families, generally with children of 2 – 12 years, to immerse themselves in nature, away from manmade stimuli. Interacting with horses over several days can greatly assist in calming neurological trauma and seems to help promote communication on many levels. Many families find these camps to be hugely beneficial for the whole family as well as being full of fun and adventure. To be informed of our next camp dates as soon as they are released do e-mail us and we will contact you directly. They are very popular and get sold out quickly.
These camps/sessions although originally designed for families with autistic children are not exclusive to this disorder. If you have a child who has Aspergers, ADHD, who is being bullied at school, whose parents are getting divorced and somehow has lost their way then we will do our best to provide an experience that will help instill confidence, and bring back the sparkle and magic to their lives. Our facility is an inclusive facility for all children who are having a tough time who may need help and support.
Camps usually run for 3 – 4 days and are for the whole family. They do not offer respite – you cook for yourself and are responsible for your children at all times – but the experience can be joyful and very uplifting.
We use specific techniques (see the Horse Boy Method page) which Rupert Isaacson, the founder of ‘The Horse Boy Foundation’ and the inspiration behind the camps, found worked with his Son, Rowan. This story has been told in the book and film entitled ‘The Horse Boy’. The techniques that worked for Rowan seem also to work for a sufficiently large percentage of other spectrum children so much so that it seemed worth making these techniques more widely available. Hence Rupert created Horse Boy Camps.
Above all they are fun, full of fresh air and the promise of adventure.
We also include activities and riding for the non-Autistic siblings of the families that come to ensure everyone is included.
Camps are arranged throughout the year for four days for up to four families at a time. We will be providing equipped Yurts with simple cooking and shower facilities. You may also bring your own tent if you would prefer.
Camp fires with marshmallows and baked potatoes will be a regular evening occurrence with time to wind down and relax before another day of fun commences.
Taster Sessions:
If you are not sure whether your child would be happy for a full morning or an afternoon session we can arrange to meet you and show you and your child round for half an hour to get a feel for our establishment by arrangement.
Somerset Council:
We are now registered with Somerset Council as an official carer so we can now offer our services to schools and local government body’s.
Give It A Go is another organization who will offer funding for any child who is eligible for free dinners within Somerset to come and enjoy our facilities. We look forward to meeting you.
