UAE counsellors using horses to help children with disabilities

Equine assisted therapy is the latest tool to improve the lives of those suffering with attention deficit disorder and autism, by helping them become more socially aware and improve communication skills.

Debbi Hutton and her son Timothy, 22, at their home in Dubai. He has chromosome translocation, a rare genetic disorder that makes him unable to speak. Ravindranath K / The National

Young people with learning disabilities are starting to adjust to their daily challenges with the therapeutic help of horses, a form of therapy recommended by counsellors.

DUBAI // Horses are helping children and young adults with learning disabilities to overcome their everyday challenges.

Counsellors are adopting equine-assisted therapy to improve the lives of those with attention deficit disorder and autism by helping them to become more socially aware and improving communication skills.

Timothy Hutton, 22, was born with chromosome translocation, a rare genetic condition. He is unable to speak and has difficulties learning.

It affects about one person in 600, with symptoms such as autism, intellectual disability and congenital anomalies.

Timothy moved to the UAE with his family last year. His mother Debbi, a South African, said he had improved since starting equine therapy a few months ago.

“Doctors have never been completely sure about the extent of Timothy’s disabilities, or if he will recover some ability,” she said. “We began the therapy because there was nothing else for him here. It started with visits to the stables to meet the horses.

“He loves the horses and is gentle with them and gets excited when he knows we are going for a session.

“He knows what day we are going and he will take out his cap and get an apple for the horse.”

Before he had equine therapy, Timothy was hyperactive or irrational. Today he is a lot calmer and his moods have stabilised.

Techniques used in horse therapy also help to dismantle psychological barriers and social stigmas attached to mental health problems.

Counsellor Pia Ault understands the impact of such conditions. Her husband and two sons have had various disorders diagnosed. She said equine therapy could be used alongside psychological treatment and, in some cases, was preferred to medication. “Ever since my sons were 3 and 4, we struggled to control their conditions. Both are very creative and intelligent but struggled to sit still and could not concentrate on tasks.

“Children do not always speak about these kinds of problems or know how to explain them, so teachers and parents find them hard to address.”

Psychologists working with children and horses is unusual in the UAE, although it is more common in the US and Europe.

Mrs Ault, who works with clinical and occupational therapists, has access to 20 horses suitable for children at Elite Rangers Equestrian Centre in Ruwayya.

Sessions last between 45 and 50 minutes, and it takes about six sessions to bring about a change in behaviour.

Counsellors work with the children around the horses so that they are more aware of the physical space, their boundaries and what is socially acceptable.

“When my children were living in the UAE at high school, we had a psychologist and a psychiatrist,” Mrs Ault said.

“Neither of my children did well with them, so I started looking at other ways of helping them cope with their condition.

“Many families who I speak with are unaware of the resources that are available to them for this kind of work. If they go to a psychiatrist, they will usually be put on medication immediately.

“That creates another dilemma as it can lead to over-reliance and associated side-effects.

“Local families don’t want to come forward to admit there is an issue that they may need help with. Often, they don’t know where to turn.”