Connacht Tribune
Centre shows positive impact of therapeutic horse riding programme
For many rural areas, the provision of adequate services for people with disabilities can be a major obstacle. A committed group in Clifden has found an imaginative and creative way to provide an alternative on their own doorstep – setting up Connemara Therapeutic Riding in Errislannan.
The project, which uses Connemara Ponies, is centred on the concept of using horses to the benefit of people with a range of conditions including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, learning difficulties, autism, Down Syndrome, mental health challenges, brain injury and sensory impairments.
Based in Errislannan Manor Riding Centre with the support of the Brooks family, Connemara Therapeutic Riding was founded when local disability support groups began seeking activities they could run locally, as Coordinator of the project, Colette Laffey explains.
“Connemara Therapeutic Riding started going back about six years ago. The local disability family support groups, Lámh Linn and Paving the Way were having a look at what kind of activities they could put on during the week on a regular basis.
“They wanted to meet a need that wasn’t being met out there and where we are in Connemara, we are at least an hour, if not more, of a drive out to many of the services – whether that’s physiotherapy or occupational therapy.”
As they put in research, they found that the relatively new idea of using horses for therapy was an ideal fit – not least because of their location in Connemara.
“They started putting in research and they came back with the idea of therapeutic riding as the ideal fit. Not only did we have the ideal equines – the Connemara Ponies have the perfect temperament – but we were also in beautiful surroundings.
“From the start, Therapeutic Riding has been a collaborative, community based project. Paving the Way approached the Connemara Pony Breeders; they approached FORUM Connemara who have been the backbone really in terms of supporting a lot of the funding and grant aid.
“They got grant aid to train 22 coaches who qualified in 2014 and 2015. It really has gone from strength to strength,” says Colette.
The practice has been developing for some time in the US and the benefits to those participating are stark.
“Once you put the child on the pony, there is physiotherapy happening because you have got the warmth of the pony so if there is anything with the legs, it is working with the muscles – then it starts to engage your core and it starts to strengthen the core.
“The pony will do 80 per cent of the work but the child or adult is starting to sit in properly into the pony and it’s righting their gait with the pony’s gait,” says Colette.
See full story in Community Matters – only in this week’s Connacht Tribune. If you would like your community to feature in a future Community Matters, email stephen.corrigan@ctribune.ie
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
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Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
