'Once they sit in a saddle, it is the start of a lifelong passion'

‘Little Horse Trust, which is run by husband-and-wife team John and Margaret Kidd, has been quietly introducing all types of people with all types of needs and backgrounds to the joys of equine therapy for nearly three years.

It is a purely altruistic project, with the aim of affording individuals, school groups and families the opportunity to learn more about horses through talks, grooming demonstrations and the chance to ride the Trust’s own pony, Connor, around the indoor arena at the stables.

The existence of Little Horse Trust has generally been spread by word-of-mouth and through awareness stands at various agricultural shows, but the trustees feel there are still many in the district unaware of its work, not just with under-privileged children and adults, but with those who just want to de-stress by mucking out a stable or two.

Now, to help raise awareness, an Open Day is being planned for Saturday, October 9, and Margaret, who holds a Degree in Equine Studies and is a qualified riding instructor, is hoping visitors from throughout the district will drop in and get a glimpse of what goes on behind the hedges of the Hunter’s Hill Road property.

“Everything we do here is free and I think people don’t know what to make of that sometimes,” she says. “They think, ‘What is the catch?’ but there isn’t one. The Trust is a registered charity and we have sponsors, volunteers who help out when we’re busy and we also do some fund-raising throughout the year. Bascially, the only running costs we have is the cost of feeding the pony.”

Margaret decided to set up the project because so many people were sporadically dropping into the stables just to see the horses - particularly the miniature breeds. “I’ve always wanted to keep a pony in the yard for this purpose, as the stallion and brood mares are not always that friendly when people pop in on spec for a visit,” she adds. “We decided to set it up as a proper charity and go through the whole registration process.

“There were so many things to get sorted, not least of which was insurance, and health and safety is obviously a big concern. We were careful in choosing the pony as its temperament had to be exceptional for dealing with kids who wouldn’t necessarily know how to act around a horse or pony.”

Luckily, Connor ticked all the right boxes and is able to cope with whatever situations come his way - he once had a broom thrown at him by a visiting child and didn’t flinch, so Margaret and John feel he has more than passed the ‘patience’ test.

“Connor is lazy and has a one-speed setting, so he is ideal,” said John. “He was purchased from a local teenager who felt he didn’t quite have the ‘oomph’ needed for showjumping, but he suits us perfectly. He is absolutely brilliant with the children, but of course, no matter how gentle he is, he is still an animal and all animals can be unpredictable at times, so that is something we always bear in mind.”

At the moment, Connor’s thunder is being stolen by an impossibly cute miniature foal called ‘Squeak’, born four weeks ago to its miniature mother, Crystal. “The miniature ponies are hugely popular with visitors here, although they are directly not linked to Little Horse Trust, as we keep them for breeding and showing purposes,” added John. “But when visitors come, they usually want to see all the animals, including the stallion and mares, and even the Great Dane and Irish Wolfhound which are bigger than the miniature horses!”

The reasons people come to the stables in the first place are many and varied - Margaret says autistic children have benefitted from ‘connecting’ with the animals, while many town and city children who have never touched a horse before are fascinated when they get the chance to interact with them for the first time.

At the other end of the spectrum, adults often come simply to de-stress and they have included everyone from a single mother going through a difficult divorce to a pensioner in her seventies who simply fancied mucking out stables in her spare time!

“Horses are amazing animals when it comes to interpreting body language and it is always very rewarding when you see someone benefit emotionally and mentally after being in their company for even 10 or 15 minutes,” said Margaret. “We once had a three-year-old autistic boy come to visit and his family were desperate to see if horses would help him connect socially, as all he was interested in was repetitively opening and closing doors.

“He did not communicate very well and at first when he was held up to the pony he was unresponsive. We kept working with him despite the fact he didn’t seem to be paying attention, but later he came back to hug the pony and it was a huge breakthrough for his parents. On another occasion, a young boy with special needs didn’t want anything to do with the pony, but he ended up riding Connor and going home with a real sense of achievement and a much-needed boost in self-esteem.

“I have always been interested in this therapy aspect of horses and would like to look into it in more depth. There are many equine-assisted learning projects in England, but they are all run as businesses and not as charitable enterprises like Little Horse Trust.

“I would also like to develop visits from professional adults for team building and leadership exercises, but at the minute we are happy making people happy by gently introducing them to these magnificent animals.

“We teach how to groom, how to feed and how to look after them and for many people that is enough. For others, once they sit in a saddle, it is the start of a lifelong passion. Once the ‘bug’ gets into your system, it can be difficult to get rid of it!”

The open day on October 9 starts at 1pm and runs until 4pm and anyone who would like further information can contact Margaret on 028 38 832353.