Horse project for children with special needs changes lives 

A Namibian equestrian project focusing on children with special needs has been nominated for an international award.

The Enabling Through the Horse project, developed by the Namibian Equestrian Federation (Namef) under the tutelage of Susan de Meyer, has been nominated for the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Inspire Awards 2024 for outstanding contributions to equestrian sport.

The awards celebrate projects that use the power of sport to promote inclusion, inspire communities and redefine what’s possible.

Namef in a media statement describes the para-athlete development programme as creating life-changing opportunities for differently abled children in Namibia.

“By starting at therapeutic riding level and progressing towards para-athletic development, we aim to empower participants, build confidence and unlock potential through the unique connection between humans and horses. This programme is currently making a significant impact in five schools in the Khomas region, with 30 young participants already showing incredible progress,” notes Namef.

De Meyer, a former teacher at Dagbreek School for the Intellectually Impaired, retired two years ago but decided to continue living out her passion.

“I am passionate about working with children with special needs. All they want is to be seen as normal children and to fit into society and be accepted, but a lot of people don’t do that. There’s quite a lack in our society of empathy and acceptance of people with special needs,” she says.

De Meyer’s love and knowledge of horses started from an early age.

“I’ve been working with horses throughout my life, I was basically raised with horses since I was born. I have three horses and I’ve been an international FEI Level 4 judge since 2007,” she says.

She also did a course in horse therapy a few years ago in South Africa, she adds.

“And when I was still teaching at Dagbreek, I used to take two of my horses to the school to introduce the children to horses and horse care.”

De Meyer and Namef president Richard Frankle came up with the idea of a specialised programme for children with special needs at the beginning of last year.

“We developed and refined the programme over many months of research and planning, and it also had to be approved by the education ministry. We did the whole project through Namef and got support from the main sponsor FNB, as well as the FEI Solidarity Fund,” she says.

Five schools were chosen to participate in the programme, and 30 children passed an assessment undertaken by occupational therapists, physiotherapists and educational psychologists.

A few years ago, De Meyer rented a plot at Bergheim Country Estate, about 10km south of Windhoek, and developed a riding arena, where the programme got underway in January this year.

“The children come out once a week to experience farm life and get to know the horses. We walk with them, they also do some exercises and if they are comfortable, they start with a sitting trot.

“It’s basically therapy on a horse, which is non-judgemental and enables them to do a lot of things they couldn’t previously do. It helps improve their concentration, their balance, their decision-making and self confidence, and it gives them a chance to just be themselves on a horse,” she says.

The programme caters for children with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome and intellectual impairment.

De Meyer says the children’s progress has been amazing.

“I have children with cerebral palsy, whose hands are closed because the muscles contract, but on the horse they relax and start opening up. I have children who can hear but are non-verbal, but the horses stimulate their brains to develop speech. One of the girls has Down syndrome, she talks but one usually can’t understand what she’s saying. But yesterday we could understand her for the first time, it was amazing and very stimulating for me as the instructor to see. She was beaming and said ‘I love this horse’.”

De Meyer says it gives her much joy to see the children’s smiles when they come to the farm, and how they develop and open up. “They really look forward to it and it’s the highlight of their week,” she adds.

De Meyer says they are very excited about the possibilities to come from the FEI Inspire Awards nomination.

“We didn’t think we’d become a finalist but now we are so proud to be there, so if anyone can, they must please vote for us. The votes count 50% of the final judge’s count, so that will be very helpful.”

Voting closes on Sunday, and the awards ceremony is due to be held in Abu Dhabi on 13 November.

Go to fei.org/awards to cast your vote.