RDA - Kaikorai students get a therapeutic experience from horse riding!

By Kristen Ferguson | Posted: Wednesday March 8, 2017

Three students at Kaikorai are experiencing a great opportunity to learn independence, gain confidence and have a better sense of well-being. 

Each week, students attend Dunedin's Riding for the Disabled. It is a voluntary, non-profit organisation that is run by a small staff and many volunteers. They aim to provide a therapeutic experience for people with special needs. This is the first year Kaikorai students have been involved and it is a hit!

Students engage in activities that enhance fine and gross motor skills, balance, hand-eye coordination and concentration. In addition, tasks involve using their colour, number, shape and letter knowledge to make their horse riding session an overall learning experience. Students also learn how to safely get on and off a horse, and how to properly care for them.

All of the horses have names, and the students ride the same horse every week, which allows for a trusting relationship to develop. This familiarity and predictability will also help gain confidence in the rider, which will progressively allow the tasks performed to become more difficult. This experience has transferred beautifully into the classroom, where they have engaged in conversations and written stories about their time at horse riding. 

If you'd like more information, visit their website at https://www.rdadunedin.org/

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