The South African Riding for the Disabled Association (Sarda) Gauteng welcomed a number of potential volunteers at a beginners’ training morning.
The morning started with the centre’s equine coordinator, Natalie Stobäus, demonstrating how to correctly attach a lead to a horse and how to lead a horse and explaining the role of side-walkers.
One of the most important points made on the day was how to use body language and touch to lead a horse. This was practised by the group of volunteers who paired up to take turns to role-play as the horse or the leader.
Leader training involves getting to know the ponies and learning how to work with them in lessons. Side-walker training focuses on how to support and encourage the riders during lessons.
The group of about 15 individuals enjoyed the free training on 17 July, some using the session as a refresher course while others were completely new hands.
The next session will be an intermediate leader and side-walker training session on 20 July.
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