Gulf News visits the Riding for the Disabled Association of Dubai.
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00:00R.D.A.D. offers therapeutic riding, so with the horse's help, we rebalance the student's
00:11impairments.
00:12So, we help to maximize their full potential and to strengthen their abilities.
00:20Our mission is to offer this very special and unique kind of therapy to children and
00:26teenagers of different nationalities and with different types of disabilities.
00:31We have a broad spectrum of different kinds of disabilities, but just to give you some
00:36samples like physical disabilities, like cerebral palsy, we also have autism, Down syndrome
00:45children, children just with developmental delays.
00:51I was small and I was born like this.
00:58My legs were like this, standing inside.
01:04I didn't know how to walk.
01:06Then I started to do physiotherapy and to learn how to walk and rebuy support.
01:19The therapists, they are so good with me.
01:28Actually children usually connect easy with horses and build up trust quickly.
01:34Horses have a strong power of attraction, so most people love horses and admire horses.
01:40They are beautiful creatures, you know, big nose, big eyes, fluffy coat.
01:47They look a bit like big soft toys, but they are also big, you know, the size and the strength.
01:53So this all makes them very attractive to the most humans and children are in general
01:58less scared than adults anyway, so they actually bond pretty easily with the horses.
02:04I feel a little bit scared, but then I start to be comfortable with the horse and the place.
02:14I start to be so good in riding and not scared.
02:20My horse's name is Papita and she's so good with me and I'm so good with her.
02:29Yes, there are definitely scientific evidences that horseback riding, therapeutic horseback
02:35riding, improves the children's conditions a lot.
02:39To give you some examples, because it's a holistic method of therapy, this makes it
02:44also so special.
02:47It covers physical, mental, social, emotional areas.
02:51For example, the physical benefits, it increases flexibility, it relaxes tense muscles because
02:57of the warm body temperature of the horse.
03:00It improves the balance, coordination, improves the walking itself, fine and gross motor skills
03:06improve, it strengthens muscles as well.
03:12Due to the child's posture on the horse, respiration and speech will improve as well.
03:20There was this guy called Khaled, I've been with him for about three months, in a row
03:24every Monday.
03:25So at first he had this problem that he couldn't walk, he was disabled from the lower body.
03:30At first he could stand for 7 seconds, but then 3 months later, 4 months later, he could
03:36stand for a good 20 seconds all by himself.
03:39So it does improve their condition.
03:41And when you're on top of the horse, you feel like you're controlling something.
03:44It's like driving a car, it's like you're doing something on your own and nobody's doing
03:48it for you.
03:49So it does benefit them physically and mentally and as well the entertainment.
03:54Well, it improves their self-confidence and also their self-esteem.
03:58The children are braver.
04:00So they also develop a body awareness.
04:03They will accept their own impairments better and learn how to live with these impairments.
04:10The children get an emotional balance, so the children will get happier.
04:15And the children also, they look forward to spending time with the horse.
04:19For them, it's an outdoor activity in a beautiful environment.
04:22And for some children, it's the highlight of the week.
04:26I was riding the horse for 4 years and learning about how to ride the horse.
04:34I want to be a good rider and teach who doesn't know how to ride, riding the horse.
04:43This is Shelly.
04:45She's been with RDAD quite a while and she's a great little pony for the therapeutic riding sessions.
04:51Yeah, she's a very sweet pony.
04:53Very, very sweet pony.
04:54And the children love her, yes.
04:56There are a lot of different animals you can use for therapies.
05:02But I think the therapeutic riding is very unique,
05:06as the children have very close contact with the horse and sit on the horse.
05:10And it also depends on your goals and the kind of disabilities,
05:15so which animal you will use or which suits the child best.
05:22I'm so happy and I thank my parents for bringing me here.
05:27I would like to be a policeman like my father.
05:31And save people from being bad and help them when they need help.
05:46Safety is very important to us,
05:49so we have quite strict rules to always ensure the student's safety.
05:54That's why we have the waiting area.
05:57The children will wait in the waiting area.
05:59The horses will wait before the lesson in this area.
06:04So the horse will go first up to the mounting ramp and then the child will follow.
06:09So that's also why we are very focused on the gate.
06:13The gate will be always closed behind each horse.
06:17And that's also the reason why we use volunteers,
06:21to always ensure the student's safety.
06:24We always are in need of volunteers,
06:27also horsey people that can lead our horses.
06:32I would definitely recommend people to come and volunteer here,
06:36because it's really easy to sign up.
06:38You just come here and you walk either sidewalk,
06:44which is when you just hold on to the kids slightly and you walk with them,
06:48or you can walk the horse.
06:50And it's just, it's amazing seeing, as I said before,
06:54it's amazing seeing the children smiling.
06:57In other words, it's a responsibility. All you need is to be responsible.
07:00You don't skip sessions, you know,
07:02because then who's going to help the kids if you don't.
07:04So you need to be committed.
07:06And that's all. And signing up is easy.
07:08You just say you want to volunteer and there you go.
07:10I mean, everybody needs help and their happiness depends on you.
07:12So if you don't stop, they don't ride.
07:14Even if you're just walking the horses, you can, you feel like really relaxed.
07:19And then when you see the child smiling and laughing,
07:22it just makes you, it just breaks your heart.
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