Eric Ermutlu has been riding for eight years now. He is 16, and his mother Anna Maki, of Snellville, says that he is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Special Olympians compete at horse show in Perry
“It’s been a wonderful program for him,” Maki said. “His confidence and willingness to be outgoing is wonderful for an autistic kid.”
Maki said that her son takes pride in how his horse looks. The horse he rides is Avatar, a black Percheron.
The pair ride at Parkwood Farms in Gwinnett County.
“He has to work him,” Maki said. “He gets the fact that he sees they are a team.”
She said that the judge reinforces what the therapists emphasize. For showmanship classes, eye contact is important and hard for an autistic child.
The show judges on how well the athlete controls the horse, the rider’s balance, the confidence of the rider and the rider’s balance. Maki said that what is unique about the show is that they get scores and the athletes are able to see what to focus and improve upon for next year.
“It’s a celebration of everything they’ve learned,” Maki said.
Macon Telegraph
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment on My Snellville Blog. If you liked reading this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to My Snellville Blog to get future posts delivered to your feed reader or inbox.
Comments appear after being checked by me for identity and spam. Please note that comments with HTML or website links will not be published. If you want to share a link with me, please send it to me through the Contact Form. Click the following link if you are interested in Advertising In My Snellville Blog. Thanks!