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MARCH 2026 THE REVIEW | 7 FEATURE “It’s about confidence, being on a horse, keeping your balance, being able to listen to instructions, it’s about being able to do different tasks while being on a horse and feeling what the horse is doing and giving the horse instructions. “I think he learnt to speak there. He’s always been very motivated to communicate but I think he really started using his words with the horses. He’s learning and its fun at the same time.” “He was continuing to have seizures so they thought he wasn’t going to make it. He was placed on palliative care. “We never ever thought he would be able to see, talk, sit up.” Charlie clearly had other ideas and the family are now raising a young lad who is “pathologically sunny – he is a happy boy”. “He is the most motivated person. He uses a walker and he walks home from school. Opposite page: Volunteers at Auckland Central RDA ensure Charlie has fun while he’s learning. Above, top-bottom: Charlie is learning to give and follow instructions at RDA. Photos: Aimee Glucina. Esther, who also has two teenage sons, says having a child with additional needs is a “new experience and I never realised how lonely it can be”. “But what RDA means for me is that sense of care and support that the volunteers provide. Every time I go there, I get the sense that they are really mindful of some of our struggles.” “For me it’s a bit of a breathing space – I can go and enjoy watching Charlie and at the same time not have to worry or watch out for him all the time.” Two days after Charlie was born, he had a medical injury. He was hypo glycemic but it was not picked up. “By the time they did something about it and called for an ambulance he’d suffered a cardiac arrest, seizures and almost died. He had to be resuscitated twice.” An MRI when he was 5 days old revealed the extent of the brain damage. He has lots of friends. People want to walk home with him.” Esther says her and her husband, Antony, are extremely grateful to the “amazing” volunteers who make RDA sessions happen. “We as a family are so appreciative of that. They are absolute unsung heroes.” * NZRDA has groups across the country, and it’s core purpose is to provide interaction with horses to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people experiencing disability, or who have specific challenges or needs. For more information go to www.rda.org.nz RDA provides therapeutic horse riding as part of a goal- based program. Relevant goals are set for riders around educational, cognitive, physical and social skills. As well as specific physical strength and balance benefits, riders participate in group activities that help them gain self-efficacy, self- esteem and confidence. “He’s learnt so much. He’s always smiling there. There’s something about him and the horses,” Esther says. “The sunshine beams out of him.”