Children with disabilities find joy and support through horse therapy in Taiwan

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) — The young woman smiles widely as she prepares to get on the horse for her weekly ride. She laughs as the horse takes its first steps.

“The first time she got on a horse, she was happy,” said Hector Chen of their initial visit. His daughter, Chen You-ching, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy more than 16 years ago. Since then, he has brought the now 18-year-old to horse therapy.

At the Therapeutic Riding Center of Taiwan in Taoyuan, a city in the island’s northern region, children with cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD and other conditions find companionship and therapy through riding and interacting with horses.

Animal-assisted therapy is gaining popularity across the world, whether it’s working with children with intellectual disabilities or veterans dealing with trauma.

Abigail Liu said her 5-year old daughter has benefited from the therapy immensely. Her daughter, Ayah, has Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes delayed development.

She said her daughter “started to be less scared about things she doesn’t know and is willing to try (new things). All this started after she rode horses here.”

The horses need special training to deal with the movements of a child or to stay calm when multiple people surround it, said Chan Shu-ya, a horse therapist.

Sometimes, the children just want to hug a horse for a long time or listen to its heartbeat. The horses will stand still with them.

“They feel very at ease, because the horse doesn’t show annoyance even if they keep talking to it,” said Alain Chang, who works at the Fang Hsing-Chung Social Welfare Foundation for Horses in Education and Health as a horse riding coach. “For them to come here to touch them, to observe them or even to hug them, this is a very special experience.”

“Many of these students that I meet they look forward to coming to this every week, rain or shine,” he said.