Article: No horsing around

Thursday June 4, 2009

SIX-YEAR-OLD visually-impaired Muhammad Aiman Mohd Nizam was a picture of joy while riding on Julie, his favourite pony, at the Penang Turf Club Equestrian Centre (PTCEC).

The cool and confident boy is no stranger to horses, as he had been riding every Thursday at the Malaysian Armed Forces Equestrian Centre (MAFEC) in Kuala Lumpur for over a year under the Malaysian Association for the Blind.

Muhammad Aiman was among 17 disabled children, smartly attired in equestrian outfits, who took part in the Penang Riding for the Disabled Competition yesterday, jointly organised by PTCEC, Penang Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and parents of the participating children.

All ready: Lee Wei Min (right) and Muhammad Solihin Abdullah sitting on their horses while waiting for their event to start during the Riding for the Disabled Association competition at the Penang Turf Club Equestrian Centre yesterday.

The children's smiles of joy and shouts of delight were priceless as they were enthusiastically cheered on by their parents and volunteers.

The riding competition was the first ever for the children aged six to 18 from the Penang and Kuala Lumpur RDAs.

Some of the children had Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism while others were slow learners or visually impaired.

They were divided into three classes for the competition and were accompanied by volunteers who walked the horses while they rode.

Steady hands: Yoong Lee Soon, 13 riding at the competition yesterday.

Penang RDA coach Nicole Tan said: "We organised the competition to provide an opportunity for the children to be competitive and for them to socialise with one another. It is a chance for them to let go and enjoy themselves."

MAFEC instructor K. Muthusamy said that disabled children who rode horses were able to improve physically and mentally as a form of hypotherapy rehabilitation.

"Initially, they are afraid of the horses but we encourage them to stroke and pet the gentle creatures. They then gradually get used to the horses and will be ready to ride them," he added.

Muthusamy came to Penang with seven helpers, three disabled children and three ponies named Julie, Sultan and Caramel for this competition.

SMK Tun Hussein Onn vocational class student Eunice Tew Xin En, 18, said that it was fun and nice to ride horses and she wished to do more riding in future.

Nur Shahirah Abdul Rahni, 10, was eager to ride on a pony and her mother had to hold onto her before her turn came.

The children also participated in telematch games after the riding competition, including "Ping Pong on the Spoon", "Zig-Saw Puzzle" and a treasure hunt.

The prizes were rosettes for four children from each group, donated by the PTCEC. The other participating children also received gifts.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 4 June 2009