Abu Dhabi: The healing power of horses is to help people with special needs, with a riding centre to open its doors next year.
The director of the centre, which is to be run by the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs (ZHO), believes horses can help people with conditions such as autism communicate more easily.
“In efforts to enhance physical, cognitive, social and behavioural skills for people who have disabilities a new horse centre will be launched in the capital next year,” Khulood Abdul Rahim told Gulf News. “The centre will be provided with around 21 horses and stables in addition to some professional trainers brought from abroad, who can assist special needs and autistic people. Trainers will focus on therapeutic riding skills and the development of the relationship between the horse and rider.”
Khulood is currently pursuing her master’s degree in special education at the Higher Colleges of Technology in the capital.
“As part of my studies in special education, I travelled to Germany and got to know the best practices used in the field of horse riding as a treatment for people with disabilities,” she said. “I thought of applying the same therapeutic horse riding facility here in the UAE.”
Horse riding can be more than a physical experience. Horses can boost communication and interaction skills by creating a strong bond with autistic riders.
“Autistic riders can immediately see and feel the results of communication and interaction when their horse reacts,” Abdul Rahim said. “Also riders will learn to communicate with trainers and instructors who are walking beside them and engaging them in constructive dialogue.”
Instructors and trainers at the centre will write daily reports on children’s progress. Parents can look at them regularly to monitor their children’s social and behavioural development.
The centre at Al Mafraq will not only provide free sessions for special needs and autistic people at ZHO but also extend its services to pupils with disabilities from different schools across the UAE.
“The centre will also run several competitions to identify unique abilities and great potentials that disabled people possess and to integrate them more into society as productive members,” Abdul Rahim said.
Additionally, ZHO has continuously supported special needs people as an important part of Emirati society.
Al Madeef Centre has opened its doors in the capital to welcome around 120 people with special needs, aged nine to 70 wit the aim of providing medical, social and therapeutic care for people with disabilities.
“Most of the patients we receive at the centre were born with genetic disabilities, while others have suffered disabilities due to traffic accidents,” said Mariam Al Ketbi, director of the centre.
ZHO is also working to set up a factory that can employ more than 170 people with special needs. The factory will offer jobs including furniture making, sewing and packing.