Little Leo Moley, from Seaforde, needs multiple support therapies due to a rare genetic disorder, but his family never imagined that a Shetland pony would become part of his weekly therapeutic routine. The sessions are part of a National Lottery-funded project, run by One Equine Trust, which brings Shetland ponies and trained practitioners to the Mencap NI centre in Belfast.
Working with the ponies improves the skills and confidence of young children with learning disabilities or developmental delays, including three-year-old Leo. “Leo is non-verbal so he can’t tell us how he’s feeling, but we know by his body language and his engagement in the exercises with the ponies, that he’s really enjoying himself,” explains Leo’s mum, Laura Moley, who also has a seven-month-old daughter.
“We travel from Seaforde to Belfast three times a week for Leo to go to nursery at Mencap as it is specially tailored for his needs. He’s able to get physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, all at the nursery here, which is brilliant, but to also be offered the Equine Assisted Learning sessions once a week has been an amazing experience.”
When Leo was one year old, doctors discovered he had a hole in his heart, and six months after that he was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disorder called KAT6A syndrome, which less than 400 people in the world have been diagnosed with.
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