Sports Driving Unlimited

My name is Liza Pern and I have worked with Insight for many years as a Director with responsibility for most admin and website tasks and issues.  I’ve always had a passion for horses and have been involved with a carriage driving centre that specialises in activities for people with disabilities and special needs for nearly 20 years.  During this time I have become increasingly frustrated that we have been unable to secure funding to enable such people to come to the centre and benefit from contact with our very special ponies.

So in 2007 I set up a charity called Sports Driving Unlimited, supported by Insight, which aims to raise funds to enable anyone with a special need to enjoy the fun and therapeutic benefits of carriage driving as a sport and interaction with ponies.  In the past 5 years we have given many individuals the opportunity to try the sport and we hold regular ‘therapy’ sessions for local schools and voluntary groups.  We have a ‘core group’ of drivers with a variety of disabilities who have honed their skills so that they can now compete regularly, often with success in open competition against able bodied drivers.  As you can imagine this brings them a huge boost in their self esteem and confidence!  Some of our winners include a young man with cerebral palsy who won the title of Scottish Indoor Novice Champion 2012 and a young girl with the same condition who won Novice Para-Champion 2012. 

Carriage driving as an activity has great benefits in terms of improving motor skills, concentration, ability to reason, communication and motivation.  Sitting on a carriage builds core strength and the need to develop effective communication in order for the pony to go forward is a great motivator!  All participants are taught how to drive a pony including correct sitting position, rein handling and voice commands to control the speed and direction.  They also experience the practical aspects of caring for a pony, including grooming, leading, harnessing, feeding and carry out practical tasks at each session.  The coaching is tailored to each person’s own abilities and goals and we have special carriages that can accommodate a wheelchair.  Our participants range from 3 to 80 years old, from all walks of life, with a huge range of additional needs.

The charity has just received the award of Dumfries and Galloway Life Charity of the Year 2012 – which we are over the moon about!  This recognises everyone’s hard work and the success of our activities.  We hope it will raise our profile and bring in more much needed funds to the charity’s coffers!

- Liza