Some physically or mentally handicapped children have trouble opening up to the world and fall back into themselves. Their feeling of solitude is added to the long list of difficulties that they encounter. And on the other side, many horses unfortunately suffer from ill-treatment caused by brutality, ignorance or laxity. Loyal service to men does not protect them from blows nor from the knacker’s yard.
A woman with a passion for horses and always interested in handicapped children has reconciled these two causes by creating the association Cheval Dire. Installed in a private estate of the Yvelines district near Paris, this association gathers together a dozen horses saved from an unenviable fate and specially trained for contact with “different” children. The gently rehabilitated horses gradually build up a relationship of trust with man. After this apprenticeship, they are ready to make these fragile children discover the joys of riding, in complete safety.
Man’s Finest Conquest among Handicapped Children
A Major Encounter
In the center, the installations and equipment (saddles, harness, reins, electric mount, access ramps) is specially designed for seriously handicapped children. The staffing is entrusted to professionals in adapted horseback riding, also called “equitherapy”. Thanks to this organization, the alchemy works wonders quickly between horses and children. The families and educators unanimously observe a genuine response from the children. Some of them discover new feelings and form very close relationships with the animal: they blossom and emerge from their silence. Results have also been observed by the medical staff in the area of psychomotor behavior. Many medico-teaching institutes have therefore decided to work regularly with Cheval Dire. The price of a session is deliberately kept low (8 euros) to be accessible to the maximum number of applicants.
Faced with this success, the General Council of the Yvelines decided this year to take charge of 30% of the operations of the center for the next three years. But in order to open its doors to even more children, it is necessary to build a new riding school. This will help to increase the number of sessions available fourfold. On the whole, four times more opportunities for the little pupils to live an exceptional and gratifying adventure.
