I am taking DS4 along to meet the local RDA lady at lunchtime, only thing is....

[MehgaLegs]

...I am sacred of horses. Well not scared but a bit nervous, they can sense it can't they? They will of course be beautifully trained little tiny ponies won't they?

They won't kick me in the head or bite my thumb off?

It will be fine They will all be calm little ones with lots of patience. I hope DS4 has fun - you will too if you can relax a little bit.

And bats do not get in your hair, the ones here will swoop down and you can feel the air move as they fly right over your head but they have never bumped into me

not like the pigeon that hit me yesterday then ...
Enjoy the RDA - I keep promising I'll put DD2 on the waiting list but haven't got round to it yet...

Well we are back. I did not get bitten, probably as I'm more pear shaped than apple.

It didn't go too well though. DS4 was very noisy (he has been getting more hyper these last few weeks). He got out of the car to be greeted by his two greatest loves, tractors and ponies and that was it; he was off, with all his crazy, gobbldegook, excitement noises, arm waving and clapping.

The lady I spoke to said she wasn't sure DS4 was suitable for riding as she didn't realise he had behavioural problems as well as physical, she thought his noises might upset her deaf riders with choclea implants and be disruptive.

I sort of thought they'd be used to children with a range of SN but it seems not.

I was also suprised when she asked why we were using Makaton as he wasn't deaf??!! I explained it was a communication aid as he doesn't speak.

The highlight though was her frustration at DS4's lack of dx. "Hang on" she said "Sarah is here somewhere, she used to be a HV, she might know what's wrong with him."

Sadly Sarah was unavailable, what a shame after all these months of tests and specialists I thought I was going to finally get him dxed!

Have decided that riding may not be for us, it serves me right for going to the stables in the posh town.

Was the wood pigeon dead? Did it die and fall down your chimney? Good aim.

had to laugh ML, a dx at last was in sight! you will just have to take him back when sarah's there....

It was hilarious MABS. DS4 was being really loud, when he walks he stamps, he can't help it, his weak muscle tone means that he has to put huge effort into keeping legs and ankles straight and so he walks really heavily, he was walking up and down the wooden staging, bang, bang, bang and she kept telling him to "shh, walk quietly."

It was a bit of an eye opener really.

How's the chicken pox and any news on DD?

I bet it was funny, chik pox much better, maybe school tmro,taking dd back to doc this pm, i can't stand the waiting any more,going private.

Good plan, oh the waiting must be excruiating, can't think of anything worse. How is she coping?

Sorry it didn't go too well. Is there anywhere else you could try, because I don't think your Ds's needs should prevent him riding full stop. My Ds2 has low muscle tone and poor co-ordination/motor skills, and can be loud and excitable but he has got on quite well with riding at a local school (not actually RDA) but a class for special needs kids. They seem to be able to cope with his constant chatter and even at times when he is pretending the horse is a tractor, train, boat or whatever else he feels like riding. I walk alongside him ready to catch him when he lurches sideways.

Ds2 doesn't have a dx either - and hearing your story, I do feel a bit let down to find his riding school doesn't do diagnoses .

There is another group near here. He is still very young, three next month so there is plenty of time. The physio just mentioned that it would help with his core stability so i looked into it.

I might leave it until he has started school and see how he goes behaviour wise. This over excitability is a newish thing so I'm not sure how to handle it yet.

megalegs, if you can bear it look in the MN archive for posts/threads about RDA. I had the same "problem" with the staff who were mostly old bags who liked horses and didn't have a clue about Learning Disability or behaviour that is different, never mind "bad". They were also completley insensitive and tactless (pardon the pun!).

Oh, and some of the horses at our RDA were enormous. I'm not keen myself and found the smell of horse shit made me heave! The closest I had been to horse up until then was Police horses outside football matches.

Davros, I have just been reading your RDA experiences on an old thread from Nov 05. It sounds very similar to the way we were treated yesterday. They did seem clueless, tactless and really gave the impression that DS would muck uop their group.

fiofio - we live in horse central here, I shall investigate amongst the horsey mums at school.

I'll do my best it will be hard to resist squeezing their lovely horsey bottoms.