Pupils to ride high with equine therapy
ZARA, an Asil Arabian horse, is the latest addition to the teaching staff at The Special Needs School in Rydalvale, Phoenix.
The horse was donated to the school by Camperdown horse breeders Tommy’s Arabians and will form part of efforts to introduce equine (horse) therapy to pupils with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, muscular dystrophy, brain injury and cerebral palsy.
The school, which operates from a block at Swanvale Primary School, runs independently and serves 40 children from the ages of 4 to 16. It also has branches in Verulam and Chatsworth.
Principal Bilkees Musthafa stumbled upon the idea to introduce equine therapy while doing research on the effectiveness of using animals to help children with disabilities.
“Children with learning disabilities or those who suffer with disorders are often withdrawn and they lack confidence. Riding horses targets these challenges by improving concentration, self confidence and self-esteem,” she explained.
Musthafa said equine therapy could be tailored to individual needs, such as developing specific exercises to target specific muscles.
“The rocking motion of a horse’s gait mimics the natural movement of the pelvis during walking, so riding trains the body to move in the correct way and to develop muscles and co-ordination that will assist in standing and walking.
“Children who do not speak are encouraged to use words to tell the horse what to do.”
She said once children began to use the appropriate words, including the horse’s name, they gained confidence, which led to further speech development and development of social skills.
Musthafa said a horse like Zara cost around R50 000 and to keep her on the school’s premises they have been given approval by the eThekwini Municipality, SAPS, metro police and the SPCA.
“We have erected a stable on a vacant piece of land on the school’s property, raised the height of the fence, and together with my son Abdul, we spent six months learning about Zara’s breed and how to take care of her.”
Musthafa said lessons would begin shortly, with children first learning how to interact with the horse followed by walking around the field with Zara and at a later stage riding.
Horse breeder Mohamed Jamaloodeen, who donated Zara to the school, described her breed as being very intelligent, dependable and loyal.
“The breed is similar to dogs and can make decisions for themselves and will do anything to protect and care for their rider and family. She will be a great benefit to the children,” he said.
The principal of Swanvale Primary, Nash Singh, welcomed the idea, saying that new, innovative and creative ideas were needed to further develop children with special needs.
The chairman of the school governing body, Mohammed Shah, said he was in favour of the idea because it was helping children with disabilities.