How horses can help young men like Ade and Tolu finding stressful lives a challenge

Many of the participants we welcome have physical or learning disabilities, but life circumstances such as isolation, stress and bereavement can take their toll on anyone. Women are generally better at talking about it when life feels tough, whilst men are more likely to struggle alone.

In this article, Lexy introduces two friends of hers, young men who she knew were finding life tough, and their visit to the Stables for a simple day of respite.

Lexy writes:

Ade (l) and Tolu (r) meeting Abella the Belgian Draught

Ade has poor mental health and struggles to balance work life and looking after his family so just has no downtime. The stress just builds up.

Tolu is a doctor in a cancer ward so can find work very distressing and it can impact his mental health. He doesn’t have any respite.

Both men are long-time friends of mine who always put others first and forget to look after themselves. They both thoroughly enjoyed the day with us. It was Tolu’s first time on a horse and Ade’s first time on a horse in the UK (he sat on a horse as a kid in Nigeria). They went for a ride in Bushy Park and for a carriage ride with David, as well as meeting the team and seeing what happens around the Stables on an average day.

They loved meeting everyone and the horses, and loved seeing my therapy dog Ali thrive at work. Ade especially really wants to return and surround himself with people who are like-minded and compassionate. They were shocked that that is what I do for work! They said they didn’t realise quite how amazing it was and felt very privileged to come and see first-hand all the magic we create, all made possible by the wonderful nature and natural empathy of horses.

Tolu adds: “The day spent with the horses and people at the Stables really helped me to relax for a welcome change. Working at the hospital can be tough, but being around the horses was a great way to take my mind off things. Thank you, Lexy and team!”

Ade and Tolu with volunteer David

If you’d like to help fund respite visits for more people like Ade and Tolu, finding life a challenge for their mental health, just go to our Donate page. And honestly, every little really does help.