Gift horse for riding therapy

Students Wiki Matiu (17), Jesse Nathan (15) and Tyson the horse meet Jan Frazer from Auckland Airport. Photo / Dean Purcell

Horses are the key to helping children learn and develop at Ambury Park Centre for Riding Therapy.

Ambury Park was established in 1983 as a riding centre for people with disabilities. It offers a number of services including a high school and a full-time vocational training programme for adults and is the only full-time riding therapy centre in NZ.

A team of volunteers and full-time staff run programmes that include physiological and psychological therapies and educational, work training and social development.

Ambury Park Centre uses 27 horses to provide riding therapy to young people with a range of disabilities including behavioural problems, autism, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome.

Caroline Grove is a secretary and long-time volunteer with Ambury Park. She said the centre works with three main groups of children. First are the students who attend the centre's high school.

Most of the school's 25 students aged 13 to 18 have not coped with mainstream education. The goal is to get students back into mainstream education, on to tertiary study or into the workforce.

"They're at school full-time, they learn to look after the horses - there's lots of physical exercise. It's an animal to relate to which is the key to the magic."

The second group are young adults over 21 years old with special needs who work with the horses and complete vocational training.

The third is a group of children from special needs schools who come in once or twice a week to ride.

"The horses are the key - not only is it a kind, tolerant animal, it's big and impressive."

Every child who attends the centre is assigned a horse. Mrs Grove said the students form a special bond with their horse and will often talk and share secrets with the animal.

Sadly, earlier in the year one of the park's much loved horses, Nui, died and another is due to retire after Christmas.

The $10,000 from the 12 Days of Christmas will be used to buy two new horses. The park's equine manager is already on the lookout for suitable candidates.

"It has to be a special kind of horse. Excellent, calm temperament. It must be solid, reliable and well trained."

* Keep the change

This Christmas, the New Zealand Herald is featuring 12 hard-working charities which have been selected for a $10,000 donation from Auckland International Airport.

The winners were chosen by an independent group of advisers for the company, which collected the $120,000 from change left by travellers this year.