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Forum: General Forum
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Respond to: Ride for Autism: Avebury Stone Circle, 6-7 March 2009
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Andy B
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13-02-2001
Messages: 7001
from Surrey, UK
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|  New Message Posted!2009-02-27 13:25
[Sorry for the terrible formatting which is how I found it - AB]
RIDE FOR AUTISM : AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE, WILTSHIRE - 27 Feb 2009
“For the time we were together in the saddle there were no tantrums. It became a place of respite and joy.” Rupert Isaacson, author of The Horse Boy On 6th- 7th March 2009, Penguin author Rupert Isaacson will be riding across the Wiltshire countryside from Uffington White Horse to Avebury Stone Circle. This ride is part of a new collaboration between Penguin Books, Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and Rupert, aiming to raise the profile of the therapeutic benefits of riding for people with autism. Rupert will be joined by his own autistic son Rowan and a group of RDA riders for the final stretch of the ride, crossing Fyfield Down to Avebury Stone Circle. The ride will finish at Avebury Manor where rosettes will be presented to all riders taking part by paralympic multi-gold medal winner, Anne Dunham. Saturday 7th March, 2:30pm: big photocall opportunity with Rupert and RDA riders on horseback at Avebury Stone Circle. Autism is a subject close to Rupert Isaacson’s heart. He has written a personal memoir called The Horse Boy, about his own attempt to reach his autistic son Rowan. After discovering Rowan had a unique relationship with horses, Rupert and his wife Kristin decided to take him on a trip to the homeland of the horse – Mongolia. They rode for three weeks on horseback visiting a number of shamans, or ‘wise men’, along the way who performed healing ceremonies. Rowan returned transformed, relieved from a number of the dysfunctions of autism; his trantrumming had stopped, he was toilet-trained, and had made his first ever friend. They were advised by one of the Mongolian shamans they encountered to make at least one trip a year to a sacred place of healing, and this year they have chosen Avebury. Now a World Heritage Site, Avebury is home to one of Europe's largest prehistoric stone circles, and was voted one of the top five most spiritual places in the country. Here Rupert explains his choice: “Some time back, there used to be a shamanic tradition in England too, and it formed an important part of early British life. It is thought that Avebury used to be a hospital site, and so in keeping with our story of riding from healing place to healing place, the sacred stone circle seemed like the perfect destination. A kind of pilgrimage.” Rupert’s experience with Rowan is not unique. Extensive research shows that riding can be hugely beneficial to children with all kinds of disabilities. A horse's gait mimics that of humans, offering increased skills in balance, strength, and self-esteem and it is also thought that contact with animals can stimulate positivity and optimism. Riding for the Disabled (RDA), this year celebrating their 40th anniversary, work with over 23,000 individuals in the UK - around 10% of which are on the autistic spectrum. Volunteers work with these riders to help them reach therapeutic goals, combat social isolation, develop life skills and help achieve personal ambitions - whether that be sitting on a horse for the first time or winning an Olympic medal. Ed Bracher, Chief Executive of the RDA said of the collaboration: “RDA is delighted to be working with Rupert and Penguin on this project which will help us to raise awareness of the benefits that riding can have for people with autism. We work with many riders like Rowan, who gain in many different ways from our activity. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, this is an increasingly prominent area of work for us and books such as this help highlight what we can achieve.” About the ride Rupert will ride over two days following the Ridgeway from Uffington White Horse on day one, then riding across Fyfield Down on the second stretch. On day two, Rupert will be joined by his son, Rowan, and a group of RDA riders to ride around Avebury Stone Circle. There will be a photocall at 2:30pm and rosettes will be presented at 3pm in Avebury Manor café to riders by paralympic gold medal winner, Anne Dunham. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27, Anne Dunham has been wheelchair-bound since the age of 30. Over the past four Olympic Games, she has won thirteen gold medals and countless silver and bronze medals. In the year she turned sixty, Anne won team and individual gold as well as freestyle silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. She was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year Honours List for services to disabled sport, and was also voted BBC West Sports Personality of the year. Later that afternoon, there will be a screening of Rupert Isaacson’s film – Over the Hills and Faraway – at Mildenhall Village Hall. The film has recently returned with rave reviews from the Sundance Film Festival 2009 and will go on general release in the US later this year. All money raised from this screening will be donated to the local RDA centres.
Rupert Isaacson is British, but now lives with his family in Texas, USA. He is an ex-professional horse trainer and founding director of the Indigenous Land Rights Fund, a non-profit organisation that helps threatened and displaced indigenous tribes obtain tenure of their ancestral land. He is the author of The Healing Land: A Kalahari Journey ‘full of mystery, magic and strange coincidence’. His journalism and travel writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Esquire, National Geographic, Independent on Sunday, Conde Nast Traveller, Daily Mail and The Field. · The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson is published by Viking on 5th March 2009, rrp £12.99.
For further information visit: http://www.horseboymovie.com
About Riding for the Disabled Association · This year the RDA is proud to be celebrating 40 years of delivering opportunities for therapy, achievement and enjoyment to people with disabilities · Founded as a National organisation in 1969, RDA now has 500 Member Groups across the UK. Together, these Groups help 23,000 people to take part in riding, carriage driving and vaulting activities. · Whilst RDA was set up to work mainly with people with physical disabilities, RDA Groups now work across the spectrum of disabilities, age range, social status and urban and rural environments. · The continuing success of RDA is wholly dependent on voluntary help and donations. To find out more or to get involved, visit http://www.rda.org.uk or call 0845 658 1082
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