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Special Horses for Special Children is a charity no.1147898

Do you have a child who is very withdrawn or non- verbal, hypersensitive or in meltdown ?

Are you a foster carer/relative dealing with the abused,bullied or bereaved?

Has your child been statemented or is showing signs of austim or Asperger's?

Do you long to take them to a place where no one stares and someone listens?

We give magical experiences, providing horse play dates and sensory therapy to families with autistic, neurologically challenged or emotionally struggling children and young adults.This is a unique experience,embracing whole families who travel from far and wide to find us.

There have been some phenomenal results; read our testimonials.

This video clip was created by the media studies students of Bridgwater College to showcase us as a finalist of the Somerset Business Awards 2011.

Grateful thanks to;

Lee Gilbert, Nicole Le Marchand

Sean Horsfield and Sian Graham.

Somerset Business Award

What We Offer

We are proud to announce we can now offer ASDAN educational courses for Special young people and volunteers.Click here for more details.

Based in Somerset near Chard,we have created a permanent facility especially tailored to assisting families of special children and young adults to have an extra-ordinary, unique and we hope magical time with horses.

Founder Lilias Ahmeira

is well known for her clinical work with autistic children for over ten years and as an experienced horsewoman,she felt compelled to use her knowledge to help families in this way.

We are not just about Autism

During the morning or afternoon sessions a family can come and be introduced to our horses and have a very special experience;

from grooming and decorating the ponies,to riding in a western saddle with a parent or one of our specialist riders .

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 and the activities are led by as much or as little as the children are happy to do,working gently and quietly allowing each to discover at their own pace the rhythm and joy of being with horses and their own sense of achievement by doing so.

Please contact us for options and prices

At Special Horses we are a family and appreciate the need for the whole family to join in; if your special child or young adult has siblings they can benefit from time out as well.

Parents too have also learned to play again and found their smiles...

so why not join us for some fun and special times.

**GIFT VOUCHERS** ***AVAILABLE***

Do you know a special family who would benefit

from our unique therapy?

Why not buy them the gift of Special Horses .

Call us for details.

There have been little miracles every day,

amazing things happen on horseback.

We have heard children speak for the first time

and seen smiles and laughter

where there had been tears and anger...

...or no emotion at all.

Click here to listen to what Heart Radio Southwest had to say about us

Please click on the press/media tab for more video clips from TV

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 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.

Special Horses for Special Children; Registered charity No.1147898

If you would like to help with our fundraising, you can make a personal donation in various ways via our donate page.

If you are planning to help by requesting others to sponsor you please use BT MyDonate ,unlike some online sponsorship sites, they will give us 100% of your donation, no fees.

or if you would like to hold a fundraising event and/or need to send us a cheque,please click where it says 'gift aid it' to download a form.

The Gift Aid scheme allows charitable and non-profit organisations to reclaim the basic rate income tax from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.
As a rough guide this means that for every pound donated to charities an extra 25 pence can be claimed.
Am I eligible to Gift Aid my donation?
Firstly, you must be a resident in the UK. (You also qualify if you are Crown servants or members of the UK armed forces serving overseas.)
You must pay enough UK income tax and/or capital gains tax to cover the amount of tax the charity will reclaim.
You must also provide us with a gift aid declaration. This happens automatically when you donate to using PayPal.
.
How can I Gift Aid my donation?
When you donate via PayPal, we receive your details from PayPal and these details form the Gift Aid Declaration. You need do nothing else,we claim the tax back from the HMRC.

For more information on Gift Aid, please visit the HMRC site.

Thank you for your support,you are special too

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