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Harry: an Extraordinary Therapy Horse
Britta Francis
In 2003, I did my dissertation and
final year research project on the impact of equines on communication
used by autistic children. I based my research on a group of children
with severe autism, recording their communication in
the school environment and then at the riding centre. My research showed
that the children used significantly more communication at the riding
centre; one even used speech for the first time whilst riding!!!
....
I did this as a final part of my degree in speech
and language therapy.
I've ridden more or less all my life and knew horses could be very
powerful and help emotionally, so I wanted to look into this further,
hence my research.
Unbeknown to me, it was to take a whole new twist, for during my degree
I became very unwell, I was eventually diagnosed with severe m.e / CFS,
and although I tried to continue with my degree, I collapsed during my
final
clinical placement, got rushed to hospital and ever since then I have
been too unwell to continue, having to move home where my parents act as
my caretakers as my symptoms worsened. The muscle spasms and tremors and
cognitive problems mean I am unable to look after myself anymore. I
really struggle with the dyslexia and dyspraxia elements of the illness
and have difficulty typing. I have had to give up my training and my
career, my independence and all my hobbies and sport.
It
was around a year ago my friend had an elderly horse she was about to
bring back into work following a tendon injury. He was 20 years old
then. She suggested I have him on a free loan; she would pay all the
bills and keep and I could just ride him. He couldn't do any more than
5min steady walk and I couldn't cope with any more, so we seemed well
suited. So it was that Harry entered my life!
He
totally changed and adapted into his new role as a therapy horse.
Usually very fast and a bit on the wild side, he learnt to recognize
when I was really unwell and goes so steadily. He will still put in a
few very slow motion spooks because he knows they make me laugh, but
it's so slow motion there is no way I can fall off; he just knows how to
look after me.
If
I'm feeling a bit better he is more active and lively. He totally
changes the way he goes according to how he senses I am feeling. I don't
know how he knows, but he just does and adapts to it.
Also, he had to learn to ignore my legs in spasm. He was an advanced
eventer and affiliated dressage horse, trained to respond to the
slightest aid, so initially when my legs went into spasm he went
forwards faster! He quickly learnt, however, that spasms were different
than aids, and now totally ignores my legs in spasm. Yet, if I ask with
the lightest of aids,
he does what I ask for instantly, it's like he is telepathic and just
seems to read my mind.
I
can no longer walk very far but now, on him, I can go the places I used
to love walking to, for he carries me there. He has become the
light in my life, my focus, my hope and most importantly my strength.
There are times when the constant, severe pain and feeling so unwell do
get a bit too much to handle. When I've hit rock bottom a few times, I
have considered ending it, but Harry is always there and always totally
changes how I feel.
I can go from crying my eyes out to smiling and laughing because he is
there. He has a magical way to just make me forget all the pain and
illness, just to totally escape and have the courage to be me again, for
I have lost
all my confidence. I can no longer go out in the evenings due to a lot
of my friends leaving me when I became too ill and therefore too boring.
He gives me confidence- when I'm on him I talk to people I meet, when
I'm not I'm too shy and daren't even look at other people.
Everybody says what a change he has made in me. Every time I talk about
him I'm smiling. When I'm hypnotized (a treatment for pain management),
I picture him and apparently I
even smile while I'm "under". When I've had the painful injections I
have to have fortnightly, I'm in too much pain to ride him, but just
cuddling him makes the pain easier. I've developed sudden, horrendous
migraines and he has just stood patiently. When I get off he puts his
nose in my lap to look after me.
He
is such an incredible horse. I wanted to share how Harry is helping me
with a very physical illness, and how much he helps me
deal with it mentally and emotionally. There is always a dark side to
these illnesses that nobody else sees. It is always Harry who gets me
through them and out the other side.
Because of his wonderful nature, and
with enormous help from my friends and family, we lived out our dream
and competed last summer in the ridden veteran classes. We went to our
first county show, Harry looked after me, we were 2nd and 3rd, qualified
for the
area and regional championships, and the shows' championships. In
September, we
were 2nd at the regional championships. I could never have achieved this
on any other horse. I couldn't have ridden any other horse for that long
or at that level (as it was I was left bedbound for nearly a week
afterwards). Harry just knew this and just did it all for me, I didn't
have to use my legs on him at all. He just knew what I wanted and
performed incredibly, and
as a result made every dream come true and has given me the happiest of
memories.
I'm
trying to write a book about our journey together but with the cognitive
trouble it is taking a long time to do. We haven't had any training in
EAT/RDA at all. I have what I learnt from my project, although it was on
a unrelated illness and situation, and we are basically just picking it
up as we go along. I would dearly love Harry and I to maybe have
somebody come and help us on our path with him as therapy horse and to
help us both move on further, but for now we are muddling along. Harry
continues to get me through each day and each low patch and is there to
bounce and spring with happiness for the highs.
Contact Britta at
brittafrancis@hotmail.com
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