Hi,

I’m a ten year old child with a disability. It doesn’t really matter what my name is or what my disability is but, so you know, I’m Caitlin Brown and I have something the doctors call Legg Calve Perthes Disease. I just say I have Perthes…it’s easier. I’ve had it since I was five.

Perthes is an awful disease that my Mum had too. It’s pretty rare and affects one, or sometimes both, hips of a child. For some reason, blood can’t get through to the femoral head and then the bone dies. This leads to joint stiffness, arthritis and pain. In my case I’ve had a lot of pain – especially before surgery. I’ve had traction, casts, operations called bi-lateral pelvic osteotomies, tenotomy and arthroplasty, and I’ve had to wear an external fixator and brace.

When someone told my Mum and Dad riding a horse would be good for me, they took me along to Tauranga Riding for the Disabled’s therapy riding centre at Welcome Bay. That was three years ago. The nice volunteers at RDA introduced me to a friendly horse called Rasmi. Riding Rasmi was such fun. I wasn’t nervous at all. I just love horse riding and I go to RDA every Saturday morning throughout the school term.

My doctors told me maintaining a range of motion for the hips is good for Perthes patients because it helps prevent stiffness of the femoral head. As I can’t run much or do anything too strenuous, riding horses helps keep me fit and is good for my condition, as well as being fun.

When I started, I could only sit on a horse. Now I can ride a horse for 20 minutes, depending on how much pain I have. I can even do games on horseback and now I’m learning how to trot. After going to RDA, I’m stronger and have a really good range of movement in my hips.

Our therapist at RDA says horse riding exercises the body and the mind, so it’s ideal for people with disabilities. She says because horse riding is a non-weight bearing, symmetrical exercise, whatever that means, it relaxes and exercises spastic muscles and improves co-ordination and balance. And it helps people with mental difficulties by giving them more confidence and self-control.

Best of all, everybody smiles at RDA. I see other kids smiling while they’re being led around on a horse and that makes everyone happy – especially their parents.