Miracle horses help heal autistic children

The Navy Wives Association of Sattahip organized "Horse Autism Therapy" sessions for children with disabilities. Pornchit Runreungrom, president, together with Lieutenant Colonel Pratchaya Harntiam announced that in the past two years the association has set up a therapeutic riding program for young children and now have plans to expand. There are already 29 children aged 2 to 10 taking parts in the programs.

A student who interacts with his or her horse may extend this interaction to others and form meaningful relationships with people. Building a relationship with an animal is very rewarding in many respects. For a person with an emotional, social or psychological disability, the trust and loyalty of an animal demonstrates to the student how important he or she is; they may then apply this newly-acquired self-esteem to personal relationships.

Currently there are only three horses to help these children; each child rides from 30 minutes up to one hour. The horses have helped the children feel control of their situation, since in dealing with horses there is a direct relationship between action and reaction. To learn how to care for (and ride) a horse, a student must be able to communicate effectively with both horse and instructor. Riding also empowers a child, enabling him or her to connect with others on a personal level. The sometimes-unpredictable nature of animals and situations also creates a real-life environment in which students can confront his or her fears and adjust to situations beyond their control.