Three-year-old Elias beams at his audience as he proudly sits unaided atop his trusty steed, Tolly.
There are tears at the corners of most eyes watching his achievement.
For any toddler, riding a horse solo is a phenomenal feat. But in Elias’ case, it’s a little bit extra.
Elias has spina bifida, and he finds it difficult to manipulate the lower half of his body.
But his physical abilities have grown exponentially since meeting Tolly at Riding for the Disabled Australia (RDA) in Oakford. And so has his confidence and willingness to try new things.
Elias is one of five kids currently enrolled in hippotherapy classes with accredited physiotherapist Lily Harris at RDA Oakford.
Hippotherapy is an evidence-based technique that works by using the horse’s movement to mimic the motion of a human pelvis while walking. This rhythmic and repetitive movement provides high repetitions of graded motor and sensory input that help clients improve their strength, posture, and balance.
But the results are not just physical, hippotherapy has also been shown to have psychological, speech, language and cognitive benefits.
While research is still fairly limited, there has so far been universal acknowledgment of the good it has had as a complementary therapy to treat a range of conditions from cerebral palsy, to acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and behavioural and psychiatric disorders.
And it’s proving to be ‘life-changing’ for local kids, including for four-year-old Rhiannon who was born with a type of cerebral palsy which affects the right side of her body more than the left.
Before starting hippotherapy sessions, she refused to use her right hand for anything, and would only walk while holding onto someone.
“And she was quite shy and nervous around new people,” mum, Sarah said.
“Now look at her, she gives everyone double high fives, holds the reins with both hands, and she just jokes and plays around with everyone here.
“You can notice the difference right after her session – her arm just relaxes down. It’s magic.
“I don’t know how it works, but it does. Even her regular therapist from Rocky Bay is astounded by the change in her. It’s been massive. Absolutely massive.”
In fact, at her session last week, Rhiannon was proudly wearing a ribbon she’d won for independently running a 100-metre race at her school sports carnival.
Watching her young clients smash their mobility goals is incredibly rewarding for Lily Harris.
“One of the most special moments I got to witness was watching a little girl run for the first time. I was bawling – we all were,” she said.
“And watching her face when she realised she’d done it all by herself was magical.
“I think the key is they also have a lot of fun and are often oblivious to the fact that they are actually doing therapy work.”
Lily has just celebrated one full year of sessions at Oakford, after a concerted effort to bring her dream to life.
“It’s not the most financially-profitable type of therapy – pretty much everyone is unpaid,” she said.
“I’m honestly so grateful to everyone at RDA Oakford – without them this wouldn’t be possible.”
RDA Oakford volunteer coordinator Lois Evans said it was a perfect fit; they had been looking to incorporate hippotherapy sessions alongside their regular riding programs for a while.
After witnessing a couple of sessions, it’s clear the volunteers get just as much out of it as the young clients.
“Best day of the week,” Kevin said.
“It’s just so rewarding,” Angela said. “I’m in tears every second week.”
“Watching the in-roads these kids make is just so enjoyable,” Lois said. “And some of these kids don’t get to participate in any other sport.”
“That’s what’s so great about horse-riding – everyone’s equal. Everyone sits just as high on a horse,” Yvette said.
For many of the children, having the RDA volunteers there has been a huge bonus.
“It’s four for the price of one,” Rhiannon’s mum, Sarah, said.
“And Rhiannon has made deep connections with the older volunteers – she doesn’t have grandparents around her, so watching their relationship grow has been really wonderful.
“She looks forward to coming here every week.”
Likewise, the relationship the children build with their horses is part of the magic.
“It’s so motivating having that horse with them,” Lily said. “They’re so connected to it.
“We use specially-trained horses because we’re asking a lot of them.
“Clients’ movements can often be uncontrolled, and it takes a special sort of horse that can handle that and clearly wants to be part of the team.”
Horses are specifically matched to each child’s temperament and physical needs; some horses, like Tolly, are steady and plod along gently – great for nervous riders. While other horses are sprightlier, or have more swing in their barrel, which is ideal for manipulating different muscles in their riders.
“The horses are just so intuitive. There are often these really lovely moments where the horses can quieten themselves to meet the kids where they’re at,” Lily said.
All of Lily’s current hippotherapy clients’ sessions are fully-funded through the NDIS.
And while most facilities which offer hippotherapy sessions around Perth are maxed out, Lily said there is potentially scope to take on more clients at Oakford.
“But it would depend on the person – I only take on clients where I know there is evidence that this would work for them,” she said.
Lois said there’s also room for more volunteers at RDA Oakford.
“We could do with some more on a Monday or a Thursday when our hippotherapy sessions are on,” she said.
Anyone interested in volunteering can email rdaoakfordvolunteers@gmail.com
