Amber, 14, started her Ride High journey back in January and over the last 6 months the change in her mental health has been noticeable to herself and her family. After suffering with anxiety, and experiencing self-harm, her family support worker referred Amber to Ride High. While on the yard tacking up, getting ready to ride, Amber is smiling and laughing with fellow group members; you would never know that she struggles with self- confidence.
As we chat about her Ride High experience, she shares how time with the horses and bonding with the group has helped her – “I feel relaxed when here…it’s a happy place to be, it’s calming and being with the horses is a comfort for me. Riding takes away all my fears!” Amber admits she still has days when she feels down, but since Ride High she is much better at coping with those moments. “I have seen a big improvement in my anxiety since starting here. Ride High gets me out the house and gives me something to do instead of being upset in my room. Before everything seemed very down, but now have more ups than downs.”
We are so pleased that Ride High has helped Amber learn how to cope better with her anxiety and those down days. We are so proud of how she has changed her mind set and we look forward to seeing her continue grow more in self-confidence.
Ash, 14, was referred to Ride High by their social worker after struggling with their mental health. It gave Ash the opportunity to talk away from home, make new friends and take some time out to have fun. Ash is now in year 10 and planning to go Moulton College, with the hope to work with animals in the future. Ash has reflected on their experience and how time at Ride High has helped them.
“I was really shy and introverted at first because I was scared of what people would think of me, but when I realised there was nothing to be scared of, I started to open up and show my true colours. I felt so happy when at Ride High. Riding the horses gave me a sense of peace that I never knew I had. It allowed me to forget my struggles and focus on riding.
I think Ride High taught me to trust people a little bit more. It taught me that not everyone is bad, and it changed how I see people. Before, I would always look for red flags at the start of friendships but now I always look for the good in people throughout the whole friendship.”
Back in January, Ash attended the Ride High Fundraising Ball where they put themselves forward to present a piece of artwork created by members. Ash spoke beautifully to a room of over 200 people, nobody would have known they were previously someone who lacked in confidence. We are very proud of Ash and their tremendous growth; we can’t wait to see what they achieve in the future!
Anastasia,11 and Victoria, 16 are sisters. They left Ukraine in March when the city they lived in was bombed and it was too dangerous to stay.
After stays in Poland, Germany and France they are now living with their mum and host family in Milton Keynes. Their dad remains in Ukraine under martial law.
The girls have undergone an extremely traumatic time and find themselves in a new country with new rules, new people and a new language. They were referred to Ride High by a Ukraine Aid Charity to provide some support and stability to help them feel more settled. They joined us in September.
Two months into their membership the girls couldn’t speak more enthusiastically about Ride High. They miss the familiarity of home, family and friends, but in Ukraine, they’d spend a lot of time around animals, so spending time with the horses gives them comfort. “I love to feel the horses next to me. They are huge and powerful animals and I feel safe and protected around them”. Anastasia told us how she loves to speak to horses. They’re both very proud of how Anastasia is now trotting, and Victoria can canter.
Anastasia and Victoria are a long way from Ukraine and it could be some time before they’re able to return and be reunited with family and friends. Right now, we’re happy that Ride High is providing them with a little piece of home when they need it most.
During the summer we delivered a special six-week programme for Ukrainian children who had recently settled in Milton Keynes.
After everything they’ve been through we were pleased to be able to provide them with something positive to focus on and to look forward to. The children had a fantastic time making new friends, building new skills and finding their confidence. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who supported this project and to the Milton Keynes Community Foundation for helping to fund it
The girls have recently started school and although they’re settling in, they have challenging days. They tell us that Ride High is something they look forward to – a place they can relax, be themselves and feel happier and stronger. They’ve also made new friends and are enjoy participating in group activities in the clubroom. They are especially grateful for the friendships they’ve build with their Club Leader Mark and the volunteers.
Cameron is 13. From a young age his home life has been challenging. In the last couple of years school has also become an unhappy place as he’s been bullied and at times, has just wanted to give up.
CAMHS referred Cameron to Ride High and since starting on our programme Ride High has become a very important part of Cameron’s life.
“Ride High is amazing. It’s an escape from school and the highlight of my week”. Before Ride High Cameron felt isolated and like no one understood him, meeting new people who are experiencing their own challenges has helped him to realise that he’s not alone. “People at school say horrible things, but here I can be myself without any judgement and I’ve made some great friends”.
Cameron had never ridden a horse before Ride High so was naturally nervous, but with support and encouragement from our team, he’s overcome his fears and says that being around the horses now makes him feel a sense of confidence and calm which is helping him to open-up more and talk about his feelings – something he’s never been able to do before.
Cameron said, “I’m forever grateful to everyone at Ride High” and in turn we’d like to thank Cameron for sharing his story so far. He’s doing amazingly and we can’t wait to see him go from strength-to-strength.
Leo is 10 and is full of negativity, caused by what he calls a ‘bully brain’ constantly telling him that he’s not good enough.
Coupled with this, his parents’ separation has had a huge emotional impact on him, so he struggles at home at well as at school, where he’s very quiet and finds it hard to make friends.
Leo’s school referred him to Ride High in the hope that we can help him to become more confident and to believe in himself.
Two months into his programme and Leo entered the room eyes down. He’d not had a good day at school, but when I asked him what he’d done in his Ride High session, he immediately raised his head and with an enormous smile he said, “We stuck a thermometer up a horses bum to take its temperature”! He continued by telling me that Trelly is his favourite pony because he likes her panda eyes, and how horses’ ears tell you what mood they are in. This was the first time Leo and I had met, but the magic of the horses prevailed, and Leo came alive.
Leo told me how each week he feels a little nervous to start, but once he’s with the horses how much fun he has. “Amazing, interesting and fun” are the words he used to describe Ride High. Most importantly, Leo said that he doesn’t hear the voice in his head talking to him as much when he’s with us, and how much happier and confident he feels in himself. Leo has also built a very strong bond with his Club Leader Mark and is making strides in talking about his feelings and emotions and takes great comfort from knowing he’s not alone.
Leo has come along away during his time at Ride High and we’re now helping him to manage his inner thoughts when he’s away from Ride High and to take the positivity he feels around the horses to other areas of his life.
Grace is just 13 years old, but she’s already had to cope with challenges and responsibilities that many adults would struggle with. Grace is a young carer for her mum who has epilepsy.
In the early days of her diagnosis, she had to take care of mum who needed 24/7 supervision. It was a very scary and uncertain time and Grace would worry constantly about her safety. “I’d hear a noise and have to check on mum. One day I had to give her CPR to save her life”. Whilst home life was difficult, Grace also found school hard too.
Grace was referred to Ride High by her social worker with extreme anxiety. “I was in a low place. I love horses so I was happy to be offered a place at Ride High”.
For someone who has experienced so much at such a young age it was amazing to listen to Grace’s account of what Ride High has come to mean to her over her sixmonth membership.
Grace describes Ride High as a place where she can forget about her problems and stresses… it’s a positive distraction. Whilst many of us don’t like Monday’s, for Grace it’s her most favourite day of the week as that’s when she comes to Ride High. “I’ve always struggled to go to school but coming here on a Monday sets me up and helps me to get through the week. It’s become part of my routine and somehow makes it easier to do other things”.
Grace has built a great connection with the horses. She’s able to sense how they mirror our feelings and behaviour and so has learnt to be calm and less anxious around them. She rides well and has learnt so much about the horses. Where she was very quiet when she first came to Ride High, her self-confidence has grown and she’s happy to speak out. “At school I’ve always been anxious about what other people think, but at Ride High I don’t need to pretend. I can be myself and not worry about being judged. At Ride High I have friends and we all support each other”.
Grace has achieved so much whilst at Ride High and it’s a huge relief to her and to mum that she’s now feeling much better. Mum’s health has massively improved and during her time with us Grace has also changed school and is now in a much happier environment. Coming to Ride High has provided encouragement, comfort, routine, and the self-confidence to know she’s going to be okay. “Anxiety can still strike any time, but now I don’t let it stop me”.
We’re so proud of Grace and are humbled by her attitude and strength. We’re also very proud that we’ve been able to play a small but important part in helping to shape what we believe will be a very happy future for her.
Amelia is 16. She suffers with severe anxiety which has prevented her from fully participating in life – including school, for some years.
Like many young people, Amelia struggled during lockdown. Whilst it did give her some temporary respite from things that trigger her anxiety, returning to life after lockdown has been a huge challenge for Amelia, and she’s not yet been able to go back to school. Amelia is very quiet and talking makes her feel anxious. So, when she was offered counselling, unsurprisingly it made her feel worse, and a different approach was required.
Amelia was referred to Ride High by her doctor. She has been with us for seven weeks now and sitting chatting with her in the Clubroom you can already see a positive change. “I don’t go out very often. Ride High has become my reason to get out of bed and leave the house”. Amelia enjoys spending time with the horses – “There’s something very different about interacting with horses rather than humans. It’s easier. And I’m in a small group where I feel safe and am starting to talk to people, as opposed to school where there are lots of people and I feel very anxious”.
Coming to Ride High has given Amelia the confidence to try other activities. More recently she’s started going for walks and to the library. She’s even visited school to sit her GCSE exams – this is a huge achievement and so important for the future. And Amelia is now looking towards a much brighter future as she hopes to be able to go to college to study textiles.
“Amelia has been suffering with severe anxiety since she was 13. Although she struggled before covid, lockdown had a hugely negative impact on her life. It was so upsetting to see her having gone from a bright and lively girl to just a shell of her former self. Since Amelia started at Ride High ,I have noticed such a huge difference in her.She spends more time down- stairs and less time in her bed and she’s more talkative and enthusiastic. I am so grateful she’s had this opportunity. This increase in confidence that Ride High has given her meant that not only did we attend the college open evening, but she even attended some of her exams which 6 months ago I never thought would happen. Thank you so much for the work that you do and difference you’ve made already”. Amelia’s mum.
Ride High is helping Amelia to find to find her voice and to learn to manage her anxieties. She has a quiet determination and we are confident she’ll succeed.
Finn has just turned 16. He’s taking part in Ride High’s first ‘Portfolio Programme’ which is specifically for young people not attending school.
Finn suffers with anxiety and depression and was incredibly nervous when he first started at Ride High. He had a huge fear of people, and initially his mum would stay for his sessions. Sitting and chatting to him four months into the programme, it’s clear to see that Finn has made huge strides in his confidence and his ability to communicate with others.
For Finn one of the most important things Ride High has given him is the opportunity to make friends. He wears a huge smile on his face whilst talking about Mark his Club Leader, and another member in his group. Finn has never been to school, so these relationships are extremely precious to him. Ride High is also Finn’s first commitment – in particular, working with the horses has required him to be focused and take on an element of responsibility. This seemed almost impossible to begin with, but with support and by attending every week, Ride High has become a familiar routine – an alternative haven to home – and one which is helping him to control negative feelings and anxieties, and to adopt a more positive outlook.
But Finn hasn’t stopped there. Ride High has helped him to step even further outside of his comfort zone and to engage in other rewarding experiences he’d never imagined previously. Finn attended the Ride High Ball in January and more recently visited Newmarket for the day – these experiences challenged Finn but he gained a great sense of pride from achieving them. He has even started to express hopes and desires for the future. In the Clubroom his artistic abilities have shone and where he once never considered what might lie ahead – he is now firmly considering a creative career path. To help him we reached out to WSA – a creative agency in Milton Keynes and much to Finn’s delight (and ours) their MD Jerry is going to mentor Finn to help him make his dreams a reality.
The progress Finn has made whilst at Ride High is astounding. We’re so proud of everything he’s achieved so far and have every confidence that he’ll continue to do great things in the future.
We are delighted to share some exciting news on behalf of our member Emilija…
Emilija, 18 has recently received an unconditional offer to study music at the University of West London! She plays four different instruments no less!… She takes great strength from music and her dream is to become a Music Therapist so she can use her talents to help others. Emilija has experienced great trauma in her young life and moving to the UK from Lithuania just two years ago presented additional challenges. When it all became too much and her mental health was extremely low, she was referred to Ride High.
A couple of months into her membership Emilija now describes her time with the horses as being as important to her as her music. “To see, touch and hug the horses is so calming and is helping me to feel both emotionally and physically stronger. What I’ve been through makes it very hard for me to trust and confide in others, but by putting my trust in the horses I somehow feel like it’s becoming easier to trust people again.”
We are very proud of Emilija. She’s come such a long way during her time at Ride High – the fact that she even shared her good news demonstrates tremendous progress. She is immensely talented, and we’re pleased that she’s starting to recognise it. We wish her lots of luck for the future.
Emily 17, was moving into her final year of A’Levels when she was referred to Ride High by the crisis team at MK Hospital. It was a very stressful time, and she was struggling with her mental health and her Tourette syndrome.
As she nears the end of her Ride High membership, Emily is able to reflect on how her experience has helped her to put things into perspective and to manage her anxieties… “Coming to Ride High has allowed me a couple of hours each week to take my mind of everything, and to focus on something positive. Spending time with the horses has helped calmed me down and my Tourette’s is much better with a big distraction!”
Emily has also made friends at Ride High, and it’s clear to see that she now feels happy and relaxed when she’s with us. She’s taken part in additional trips too and we’re very proud of her for representing Ride High at our Charity Ball. What’s particularly encouraging is how Emily feels just as confident in everyday life now as she does when she’s at Ride High. She tells us how Ride High has helped give her the confidence to plan for the future – and she has just secured herself an unconditional offer to university. “I’m hoping to study psychology and I’d like a career in therapy because it’s really helped me”.
Emily is such a thoughtful member of Ride High. She’s so grateful for having the opportunity to attend and we’re equally grateful for her dedication and determination. Well done Emily!
Watch Emily’s video on You Tube to hear more about her Ride High experience.
