Excited youngsters gain leg-up with weekly rides
Suzie Wong is a bit bored and looking for some action. Tonto is stoic, and then there's one-eyed Baldy. All three are members of a team that provides rides for disabled youngsters at Pokfulam and Tuen Mun.
Each week the organisation Riding for the Disabled puts 200 children on horseback and takes them around a paddock with trainers and volunteer helpers. The rides help improve their posture, provide physiotherapy and, for many, give them the one trip outdoors they get all week.
Natasha Tse Pui-ting, seven, suffers from cerebral palsy and has a difficult gait because the muscles on the back of her legs are very tight.
'She likes riding and it helps with her motor development and balancing,' said her mother, Gail Siah Ai-leng. 'She's more open now with others and it's helped with her interpersonal skills. We really appreciate this organisation. Natasha liked it instantly. The helpers are really friendly and patient.'
'There are many psychological benefits,' said Nick Rodgers, the group's general manager. 'A lot of children will only go on one pony. Autistic children, who often have very little contact with other things, will bond with a pony and often scream if they are put on another one.
'There's a mental benefit from the feel and touch. The children are saying 'next week, next week' because they enjoy it so much.'
Riding for the Disabled's biggest need is for carers and helpers: one on either side of the horse and one to lead. 'We need to train these people. It's very labour intensive. If you have six children, it requires 20 adults, three people per horse plus two extra instructors,' Mr Rodgers said.
Through Operation Santa Claus, co-organised by RTHK and the South China Morning Post, Riding for the Disabled hopes to cover the cost of about 2,500 assistant sessions.
The organisation, set up in 1995, has 20 horses and borrows others from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, whose riding centres it uses. But current demand from special schools is too great for the two centres to handle, and children are limited to a maximum of two terms.
The improvement that riding gives to the children's communication, balance, co-ordination and physical strength can be marked. 'One girl came to us last year. She went everywhere in a wheelchair. By the end of a term of riding she could walk to the horse,' Mr Rodgers said.
Volunteers benefit too. Sixth-formers often join thinking they are performing a service. But after realising how lucky they are to be healthy, helping gains a greater significance for them.
Riding for the Disabled
Wishlist: Each child may require up to three specially trained assistants when riding. Riding for the Disabled needs funds to hire and train the assistants.
How to Help: Donations can be made directly by ATM or at HSBC branches into the Operation Santa Claus account, HSBC account number 502-676299-001, or by cheque payable to SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus and sent to Operation Santa Claus, Attention Marketing, South China Morning Post, 16/F Somerset House, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay. Please state the bank account number on the back of your cheque.
If you need a receipt, please include your name, telephone number and address. If your donation is made by ATM or direct deposit, your transaction receipt may be used for tax purposes.
If you would like an additional receipt from Operation Santa Claus, please fax a copy of your deposit slip to Operation Santa Claus 852-2565-2429. Include your name, address and contact details.
