Henderson Riding for the Disabled is eager to expand, writes Joanna Davies.
Six children wait on the bench, unable to remain still while the grown-ups check that their helmets fit properly. Once a week, these children come to Henderson's Riding for the Disabled sessions from Arohanui Special School. Often, it's the highlight of their week.
Each child lines up and waits to take the reins, helped by two volunteers.
"These children wouldn't be able to go horseriding under normal conditions," says their teacher, Vicki Dunn. "But riding gives them a lot of sensory feedback and it's very calming. It doesn't just help them with emotional development, it helps them with literacy and giving instructions, and it improves their bilateral co-ordination."
Every week, 37 children with disabilities come to meet and ride the horses, and the waiting list is growing. Volunteer Erika Bouwmeester says the group is at the point where it needs to build an all-weather riding arena and expand its programmes.
"Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of the weather," she says. "We don't run any programmes in term three because it's too wet. We work very hard to provide this service because it is very enriching for the children, but we are always up against obstacles like the weather."
Club president Norma Hayward hopes to raise enough money for the group to buy or lease more land in Henderson Valley, and build an arena for year-round use.
"We share land with the Henderson Valley Pony Club, but we are constrained by space. Buying land could cost up to $1 million, and building an arena would cost $600,000," she says.
The group is applying for funding to complete a feasibility study on the project, and has already raised $110,000 for the arena.
"It's a very ambitious project for us but we feel we need to take this journey now before there is no suitable land left and it all becomes too expensive."
Mrs Hayward says there is a huge demand for the service in West Auckland. "Every week, I get at least one call from people asking about programmes for adults, but we don't have the capacity to offer them."
Last year, the group's committee looked into building an arena on its site at the pony club, but after talks with Waitakere City Council it decided to look for a larger property. "Ideally, we'd like to find somewhere in Henderson Valley that we could lease or buy," says Mrs Hayward who hopes the feasibility study will be completed by the end of
the year.
Horses for courses
Henderson Riding for the Disabled helps children with a range of disabilities, including autism, Asperger's syndrome, Down syndrome and developmental delay.
Call Norma Hayward on 813 3030 for more information.
