www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Lifestyle
Home / Lifestyle / Paper's Digest

Finding their feet

By Chitralekha Basu | China Daily | Updated: 2011-01-06 07:56

 Finding their feet

Guang Hao (on horseback), a 15-year-old Chengdu boy suffering from cerebral palsy, could barely stand before joining the riding therapy program. Photos by Chitralekha Basu / China Daily

 Finding their feet

(From left to right) Hilary Bowen, Kathleen Weidler and Ren Siyan, who work with the riding therapy program in Chengdu that helps kids with cerebral palsy.

Kids with cerebral palsy and other disabilities are being helped by a riding therapy scheme in Chengdu. Chitralekha Basu reports.

Guang Hao flashes a victory sign and breaks into a wide grin, nuzzling his own shoulder to indicate he is deliriously happy. His rapport with Xiaoshue, the pony he is riding, is obvious. Guang does not look his biological age of 15 and walks like a toddler.

"When I first saw him, he was all hunched up and could barely stand on his own," says Kathleen Weidler, whose riding therapy program in Chengdu helped Guang find his feet.

"A kid affected by cerebral palsy has very tight muscles. The motion of the horse helps his body loosen up in a way he would never have experienced naturally," she says, positioning Guang's right leg carefully against the horse's flank.

She and her team of volunteers have been a part of Guang's amazing journey, from a brain-damaged child who could barely stand, to one who can now walk with a near-erect spine and respond with a smile when he is being talked to.

Weidler was always passionate about riding. She got into therapeutic riding during her stay in Singapore, before she arrived in China in 2007. The magic of riding a horse, "whose front legs mimic the motions made by human walking" can instill an idea of balance and symmetry in the movement of people with special needs, she says.

Weidler honed her skills as "a leader, side-walker and instructor" in Singapore.

Once she had settled down in Chengdu, this English teacher's enthusiasm for horses brought her to Hope Equestrian, in Tianfu Dadao, 17 km west of downtown.

Here she met Ren Siyan, who, with her husband Xiao Hong, co-owns the stable and riding area, which is primarily used to train horses for the pentathlon. When she suggested they start a riding therapy program, Ren was happy to offer the facility free of cost.

"It's the least we could do as this was for the benefit of our children, considering the expats were being so generous," Ren says. "In any case, it's just a shoestring operation with eight kids and a couple of horses."

Chengdu Riding Therapy Group, started by Weidler in March 2009, is only the second in China after Shanghai. The children come from Holy Love School, for kids with disabilities.

The volunteers - writers, professionals and students - come from Chengdu's energetic and close-knit expat community who help out a few morning hours twice every week. The funds, usually, come from their own pockets.

"The progress is so dramatic that it's obvious in less than two months," Weidler says. "Their backs straighten, the gross motor skills are activated."

Hilary Bowen, who has just graduated from high school, and has served as a volunteer since the program's inception, agrees.

"It's a joy to watch the progress of the children. We want them to be able to lead normal lives, after taking the course."

While Ren is looking for bilingual (Chinese/English) volunteers, Weidler would like to give the program a more world-class character.

She is seeking talks with North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) in Denver, Colorado, about the possibility of certifying interested Chinese candidates as instructors.

"The test could be taken online, but one also needs to go through 25 mentoring hours under a NARHA instructor," Weidler says, hoping there can be a solution to bridge the physical distance. "Eventually, I hope there will be a more organized program, run by qualified Chinese instructors."

Ren has promised sustained support. "I definitely want to expand the program and invite more bi-lingual volunteers to be a part of this amazing experience. The transformation a kid goes through in every possible way is amazing," Ren says, referring to a child's bonding with the horse that can inspire him to try and connect with people.

"Most riding activities in China are geared toward competition," Weidler observes. "We have to find more people who love kids, horses and teaching and get more women involved. I would love to see it happen."

(China Daily 01/06/2011 page20)

Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 怡红院在线视频观看 | 久久99热久久精品91 | 国产亚洲精品久久久久久 | 欧美人成在线视频 | 女人野外小树林一级毛片 | 久久99精品久久久久久 | 九九香蕉视频 | 中国美女一级黄色片 | 久久这里一区二区精品 | 国产精品特级毛片一区二区三区 | 草草视频免费观看 | 国产第一页在线观看 | 男女超猛烈啪啦啦的免费视频 | 久久综合香蕉久久久久久久 | 美女张开腿让男人桶的 视频 | 99j久久精品久久久久久 | 欧美亚洲国产激情一区二区 | 久久精品国产一区二区三区不卡 | 一区二区三区日韩 | 亚洲视频成人 | 欧美亚洲午夜 | 欧美成人高清 | 精品亚洲永久免费精品 | 男人添女人下面免费毛片 | 色成人亚洲 | 久久精品a| 中文字幕在线视频观看 | 一级毛片观看 | 欧美白人最猛性xxxxx | 欧美日韩一区二区三区高清不卡 | chinese耄耋70老太性 | 在线毛片一区二区不卡视频 | 日韩一区二区视频在线观看 | 99久久精品久久久久久婷婷 | 午夜mm131美女做爰视频 | 黄色三级毛片网站 | 成人在线第一页 | 中文字幕曰韩一区二区不卡 | 日本红怡院亚洲红怡院最新 | 久久中文字幕久久久久91 | 亚洲国产日韩欧美 |