Horse-riding helps young Horsham woman with autism 'live her best life'

Nicole Beever is one of eight young adults supported at Kingsley Court in Horsham, a residential care home for people with complex learning disabilities.

Horse riding has been part of Nicole’s routine since she moved to Kingsley Court in 2018. The 30-year-old has autism and needs support with many aspects of her daily life.

She is among a group of adults with learning disabilities who have returned to weekly horse-riding sessions after the activity was paused during the pandemic.

Michaella Beever, Nicole’s sister, said: “Nicole has always loved horses, so to be able to go horse riding once a week really is contributing to Nicole living her best life.

“She tells us every week that she has had a great time and that her horse Bambi had fun too.”

The therapeutic horse-riding, organised by Nicole’s support team, takes place at Burstow Park Riding Centre in Horley and has helped to significantly improve Nicole’s health over the last few years.

Tendai Funganjera, head of residential services at Pathway, which runs Kingsley Court, said: “Nicole loves horse riding and gets such a lot of joy from the activity, it is fantastic to have it as part of her weekly routine again.

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“Nicole benefits from consistent routines and she has been much calmer and less anxious since her weekly horse riding has resumed.

"This has helped with how she communicates and is a great way of developing her engagement with the local community.

“There have been great improvements in Nicole’s health since she moved into Kingsley Court. Participating in active pastimes, such as the horse riding, and also having a balanced diet at the home has helped her improve her overall health and wellbeing.”

In addition to her love of horses, Nicole is a big fan of Disney and enjoys watching the films and reading Disney magazines, she also enjoys spending time in her local community, going shopping and taking walks.

Nicole added: “I’m very happy to be horse riding again, I took turns riding Bambi, and I can’t wait for next week!”

Joining Nicole on the weekly trip to the riding centre is Alex, Brandon, and Thomas, a few of the other young adults supported at Kingsley Court.