They have had problems with authority and school, and are considered to have behavioural difficulties. Many have been labelled as rude, uninterested and unmanageable, but here at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy they come across as helpful, busy and anxious to introduce visitors to the horses.
The centre, which was founded in 1976, is home to about 45 16- to 21-year-olds. The students are on a three-year Further Education through Horsemastership (FETH) course, designed to teach life and social skills to young people with learning disabilities and behavioural difficulties. The young people, who do the course courtesy of funding from the Learning and Skills Council, live in houses close to the stable yard where they do their own cooking and cleaning and learn how to manage money. The course aims to teach skills including numeracy and literacy, money management, independent travel, hygiene and home skills through the medium of horses. Most of the students are working towards an NVQ in Horsemastership or a British Horse Society Qualification.
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