What a difference sitting up straight on a horse at RDA makes for Jonty!
“The crossover between riding at Christchurch Riding for the Disabled and how it benefits Jonty in the rest of his world is remarkable,” says Jonty’s mum Emma.
Five-year-old Jonty Bailey has Down Syndrome and he also has choking episodes when drinking. Doctors needed to plan for his ongoing care which involved Jonty having an x-ray swallow test in radiology. But how to get Jonty to sit up straight for the test was the problem.
Luckily, Mum Emma had the answer! She was able to say to him “pretend you are riding Snickers like you do at RDA”. Jonty understood the task and sat up straight with a smile on his face signing horse in sign language. This made it possible for the doctors to get an accurate x-ray video of the issue.
Mum Emma is so happy for Jonty being able to transfer his learning from RDA to another context as it means Jonty will no longer have to endure fluid intake tests when he is unwell for hospital admissions. They will now be able to administer an IV line or NG tube for fluids for him much faster. This will make a difference to his care plan for all hospital admissions which is just wonderful, thanks to what he has learnt riding at RDA.
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