Video: Riding for the disabled

Jeremy Hulme SPANA's Chief Executive  writes from Mali

I always find it moving. I’m talking about our little riding centre for disabled children in Bamako, Mali. I was there in December.

One of the poorest west African countries with huge medical problems (malaria, TB, a mass of tropical diseases, and of course no health service), it’s perhaps no great surprise that it has more than its fair share of disabled children – many profoundly so.

So it’s wonderful and very moving (I know, I know, I’m an old softie really), to see the pleasure and huge progress these youngsters make.

It’s all a bit basic – a couple of SPANA rescue horses  in a little walled garden with a shelter from sun and rain, and lots of toys, crayons and paper to play with while the kids are waiting. We’ve got a proper physio though – and the children make huge steps forward (often literally) – both mentally and physically. 

One mother spoke for so many when she spoke of her little son, Ratiaj: 

“ Before he started here he said nothing – now he wants to tell the family what he’s doing with the horses. He used to sleep all the time now the night before he comes here,  he doesn’t sleep at all. He has so much better movement these days, and can even pull himself up on his own.  Every day, he asks if it’s riding day yet.”