MARCH/APRIL 2011 THE RIDER /47 OnTRA Continued from Page 46
hosting a Gold Level Dressage Competition. The afternoon will see the Entry Level Dres- sage as well as the Prince Phillip Games. Be sure to reg- ister early as either a partici- pant or a volunteer.
www.ontra.ca has all of the details and the links to register with ParaSport.
Youth Assisting Youth
The Youth Mentoring People 401 – 5734 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4E7
“Saddle Up and Eat Right” Boosts Self-Esteem For At-Risk & Newcomer Young People When it comes to build- ing a child’s self-esteem and self-control, there’s nothing like horseback riding.
That’s why Youth Assist- ing Youth (YAY) and the Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF) launched the “Saddle Up for Success” therapeutic horseback riding program almost a decade ago – and why Saddle Up continues to report a remarkable record of positive results for marginalized young people who were referred to YAY as being on the brink of involvement with gangs, drugs and violence..
YAY has a 98% rate of success in keeping at-risk and newcomer children in school
and out of the juvenile justice system.
In fact, the demand for therapeutic riding is so great that YAY is planning a second Saddle Up program, “Saddle Up and Eat Right” at Win- dridge Acres in Uxbridge, to serve marginalized young peo- ple in the north and east sectors of the GTA. YAY is currently seeking appropriate horses and tack.
YAY is a prevention organization, based on peer mentoring. Youth volunteers aged 16 to 29 are matched with a child aged 6 to 15 and com- mit to spending three hours a week with that child for a year, becoming a positive role model and enhancing self-esteem. The demand is so great that newly referred youth must spend 2 to 12 months on the
waiting list for a Match, creat- ing the need for group mentor- ing to keep them engaged. Saddle Up is a wildly suc- cessful therapeutic program for these waiting list children. The new “Saddle Up and Eat Right” program will incorporate rid- ing, stable management, gar- dening and nutrition into the curriculum.
The combination of group mentoring and horses provide youth with a positive outlet for their energy, a focus to their actions and an opportunity to experience the benefits of men- toring. What’s at stake is huge, and can amount to salvaging a youth’s sense of belonging and raising their self-esteem and self-confidence. As an added bonus, positive recreational activities help keep them physi- cally fit and allow them to
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develop new activity-based and social skills, such as non-vio- lent conflict resolution abilities.
Real-life Anecdotes tell the story best:
A Mother’s Story: The moth- er of one young rider reported that her daughter was bullied to the extent that she had to eat her lunch in the school custodi- an’s office. She gained so much self-confidence and self- esteem during Saddle Up that she confronted the bullies and now happily eats her lunch in the school cafeteria.
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