People with dementia experience joy of horses at RDA Wakefield ‘Tea with a Pony’ event

By Shawna Healey
Published 1st Sep 2022, 20:00 BST
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Horses helped trot out the smiles for people living with dementia at RDA Wakefield’s first ‘Tea with a Pony’ session.

Four guests and their carers had cake and a cuppa whilst watching horses on Tuesday.

They also had the opportunity to pet Bill, one of the resident horses at the stables.

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Carol Blake, centre manager at Wakefield RDA, said: “The event was really nice and relaxed.

Dementia suffers and their carers visit Wakefield Riding for the Disabled to have tea nad cake and watch a session take placeDementia suffers and their carers visit Wakefield Riding for the Disabled to have tea nad cake and watch a session take place
Dementia suffers and their carers visit Wakefield Riding for the Disabled to have tea nad cake and watch a session take place

"We had a rider session take place in the yard so the families had something to watch whilst enjoying some tea and cake.

"Our guests got to pat one of our horses where you could see the change in their body language and watch the calmness wash over them.

“One of the carers told us that it gave them a purpose to leave the house.

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"Sometimes it is easier to just sit at home but this gave them a reason to get the wheelchair out and come outside for a bit.”

People with dementia got to experience the joys of being around horses at Wakefield RDA.People with dementia got to experience the joys of being around horses at Wakefield RDA.
People with dementia got to experience the joys of being around horses at Wakefield RDA.

The RDA created Tea With a Pony in response to the growing number of people living with dementia, for whom horse-riding may not be suitable but might be helped by some other form of animal-assisted activity involving horses.

It is a simple yet very effective session for those living with memory loss to enjoy a cup of tea and cake at participating RDA groups, while revisiting memories from years gone by.

Tea with a Pony began at Cotswold RDA in 2018 and it found some participants had a deep connection with horses.

Wakefield RDA hopes to hold another tea with a pony session before the end of October.

To keep up-to-date, visit its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WakefieldRDA.

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