Udruga KAS is an association that offers various activities involving horses, including therapeutic riding. This practice involves having a child ride a horse, which walks at a slow pace for several minutes with the child on its back. It has been proven that, thanks to the pelvic movements, this activity is very beneficial for the child’s mobility and for other aspects of their well-being. Along with Andrea, another European solidarity corps volunteer from IKS, we decided to visit and help out at this promising association on a Saturday morning.
7:30 AM: Tamara is waiting for us downstairs, and we’re heading to Nadja’s place.
We woke up early, as before welcoming the children, we had to prepare the horses. But first, coffee! So, we stopped at a gas station for a quick caffeine break, then hit the road again.
When we arrived at the association, it was cold and quiet. We met the team, who kindly offered us something to drink before introducing us to the real stars of the day: the horses.
For my part, I met Karla, a beautiful brown mare with white spots. I was told she’s the calmest and gentlest of them all. With the team’s help, I relearned how to prepare a horse. The program included: brushing Karla’s mane, grooming her body, and cleaning her hooves with a hoof pick. Once Karla was clean and ready, we geared her up with everything needed for the children to ride her.
The first child arrived. They asked me to help: while a team member led the horse and the therapist worked with the child on the left side of the horse, I stood on the other side to support the child and make sure they didn’t fall. For 20 minutes, we walked at a slow pace, paying close attention to the child and our position relative to the horse, as you should never stand behind a horse—a kick can come quickly!
It may seem simple, but these 20 minutes on horseback are incredibly beneficial for the child, both physically and psychologically. As expected, Karla was very calm, and when the child dismounted, he seemed relaxed and gave her a hug.
They told me I did a good job. I chuckled a bit, feeling shy, as all I did was walk beside a horse, without saying anything, since I still don’t speak Croatian very well…
Around Karla, other horses were also ready to welcome children onto their backs. I met Đole, a beautiful small black horse just as nice.
The sessions followed one after the other: the children solved puzzles while on horseback, did mobility exercises with their arms, some talked, others stayed quiet, while their parents watched from afar.
Once the last child left, we removed the horses’ gear and brushed them down. We had the chance to meet all the other horses and even gave them little treats. Bobica, a small pony, stood out among the bigger horses. Despite her cute appearance, I was told she’s the most mischievous of them all…
Although the setting is beautiful, it’s clear that the ranch has seen better days. Some buildings are damaged: broken windows, cracks in the walls. The earthquake has left its mark. A team member told us about it and showed us photos of the disaster: huge cracks, rivers overflowing, water everywhere, flooded buildings. But there is hope: one building has been restored. We went inside and discovered a lovely kitchen and another room, brand-new, colorful, and filled with toys for the children—a place ready to welcome them on rainy days or when childcare is needed.
It was the end of the morning. After hard work, it was time for some comfort! Two team members rode their beautiful horses to train them, and we went off to find something to eat. Bye bye horses !
I really enjoyed this day. It was a true pause in time, the setting was stunning, incredibly peaceful, and it was a pleasure to be there. The team was super friendly, and I learned so much about therapeutic riding. Normally, I’m not very comfortable around children, but everything went well, and I genuinely enjoyed helping. I highly recommend this unique experience to all future IKS volunteers. If you want to know more, here’s the association’s website: https://www.kas-sisak.hr/
-Chloe
Hrvatski______________________________________________________
Udruga KAS je udruga koja nudi razne aktivnosti vezane uz konje, uključujući i terapijsko jahanje. Ova praksa uključuje dijete koje jaše konja, koji hoda polako nekoliko minuta s djetetom na leđima. Dokazano je da su, zahvaljujući pokretima zdjelice, ove aktivnosti vrlo korisne za djetetovu pokretljivost i druge aspekte njegovog blagostanja. Zajedno s Andreom, još jednom volonterkom Europskih snaga solidarnosti iz IKS-a, odlučili smo posjetiti i pomoći ovoj obećavajućoj udruzi jedne subote ujutro.
7:30: Tamara nas čeka ispred stana, a mi krećemo prema Nadji.
Probudili smo se rano, jer prije dolaska djece morali smo pripremiti konje. Ali prvo, kava! Zaustavili smo se na benzinskoj crpki kako bismo popili kratku kavu, a zatim smo nastavili put.
Kad smo stigli u udrugu, bilo je hladno i mirno. Upoznali smo tim koji nam je ljubazno ponudio nešto za popiti prije nego što su nam predstavili prave zvijezde dana: konje.
Upoznala Karlu, prekrasnu kobilu smeđe boje s bijelim pjegama. Rekli su mi da je ona najmirnija i najnježnija od svih. Uz pomoć tima, ponovno sam naučila i podsjetila se kako pripremiti konja. Program je uključivao: četkanje Karline grive, čišćenje njenog tijela i čišćenje njenih kopita s čistačem kopita. Kad je Karla bila čista i spremna, opremili smo je sa svime potrebnim kako bi je djeca mogla jahati.
Prvo dijete je stiglo. Zamolili su me da pomognem: dok je jedan član tima vodio konja, a terapeut radio s djetetom s lijeve strane konja, ja sam stajala s druge strane kako bih podržala dijete i pazila da ne padne. Hodali smo u laganom tempu 20 minuta, pazeći na dijete i naš položaj u odnosu na konja, jer nikada ne treba stajati iza konja – udarac kopitom može se brzo dogoditi!
Možda izgleda jednostavno, ali tih 20 minuta na leđima konja iznimno je korisno za dijete, i fizički i psihički. Kao što se očekivalo, Karla je bila vrlo mirna, a kada je dijete sišlo s konja, izgledalo je opušteno i zagrlilo ju je.
Rekli su mi da sam dobro obavila posao. Malo sam se nasmijala, osjećajući se pomalo sramežljivo, jer sve što sam radila bilo je hodanje pored konja, bez govora, budući da još uvijek ne govorim hrvatski…
Oko Karle su bili i drugi konji, spremni da prime djecu na svoja leđa. Upoznala sam Đoleta, prekrasnog malog crnog konja koji je jednako ljubazan.
Seanse su se nizale jedna za drugom: djeca su rješavala zagonetke dok su bila na konju, radila vježbe mobilnosti s rukama, neka su pričala, neka nisu, a roditelji su promatrali iz daljine.
Kad je posljednje dijete otišlo, skinuli smo opremu s konja i očetkali ih. Imali smo priliku upoznati sve druge konje i čak im dali male poslastice. Bobica, mali poni, isticala se među većim konjima. Unatoč njenom slatkom izgledu, rekli su mi da je ona najnestašnija od svih…
Iako je ambijent prekrasan, jasno je da je ranč doživio teže dane. Neki su objekti oštećeni: razbijeni prozori, pukotine na zidovima. Potres je ostavio traga. Član tima ispričao nam je o tome i pokazao fotografije katastrofe: ogromne pukotine, rijeke koje su izlazile iz korita, voda posvuda, poplavljene zgrade. No, nade ima: jedna zgrada je obnovljena. Ušli smo unutra i otkrili lijepu kuhinju, a zatim drugu sobu, potpuno novu, šarenu i ispunjenu igračkama za djecu – prostor spreman za njihov boravak kad pada kiša ili je potrebna briga o djeci.
Bilo je to kraj jutra. Nakon rada, slijedi odmor! Dvoje članova tima uzelo je svoje prekrasne konje za trening, a mi smo krenuli u potragu za nečim za pojesti. Zbogom konji!
Stvarno sam uživala u ovom danu. Bio je to pravi predah u vremenu, ambijent je bio prekrasan, nevjerojatno miran i bilo je zadovoljstvo biti tamo. Tim je bio jako ljubazan, i naučila sam puno o terapijskom jahanju. Inače, nisam baš opuštena u radu s djecom, ali sve je prošlo dobro i stvarno sam uživala pomažući. Toplo preporučujem ovo jedinstveno iskustvo svim budućim volonterima IKS-a. Ako želite saznati više, evo stranice udruge: https://www.kas-sisak.hr/
The content of the article is the sole responsibility of Association IKS.
Sadržaj članka isključiva je odgovornost Udruge IKS.
