Our Stories
We are a varied group, young and old, wheelchair bound and not. Our drivers deal with a wide range of mental and or physical disabilities and each wonderful person has their own special story. Some of these stories are here for you to better understand the different kinds of people who enjoy carriage driving and what it gives them.
Yasmin, my daughter has autism. Autism is a very isolating condition and affects the whole family. People don’t understand it and find it hard to be around someone with autism and as a result she was very lonely and isolated at school. Her confidence was badly affected and she had little self esteem.
Yasmin has always loved horses but cant ride because of other conditions she has. A few years back a friend took Yasmin along to the carriage driving group. She didn’t say much when she came back, as is her way, but it was obvious to me that she had loved it.
Yasmin is very withdrawn and doesn’t talk much and a smile is a rare sight. But when she's around the horses she talks a lot more. Not only do you often see her smile but occasionally she actually laughs. I cant tell you how much that means to me. This year she played Cinderella in a musical drive event in Ayr. An article and picture with Yasmin in it was in the local paper. She was ecstatic.
Yasmin has now been carriage driving for 3 years and has passed her proficiency 1 and 2 and has competed at events around Scotland which she loves. This has done loads to build her confidence and self esteem. When she comes back from an event she is so happy with none of the moodiness that is part of her autism. Also she sleeps well which is usually very difficult for her. And if she has a full nights sleep, so do I!
As Yasmin continued to go each week I volunteered to be the groups tea lady. I love it. In fact when the group shuts down for the winter its really depressing. Being part of the group gives me a little respite whilst Yasmin is safely occupied. It gives me friendship and support, someone to talk to and a short but much needed break.
I don’t drive and it would be impossible to get to the weekly meetings or events without the kind support of the volunteers from the group. When we have our own arena its going to make such a difference to both of us. She will be able to build her skills further and practice for events. You just wouldn’t believe the effect winning a rosette has on Yasmin and as a result the whole family.
Davina is an energetic 79 year old with an adventurous nature and a lively sense of humour. She has led a full and interesting life. Her stories could fill a book. She is a widow with two sons. Davina and her husband, Jim, lived in many different countries due to his work. On returning from South Africa Davina was hospitalised with an infection in her brain.
She remembers nothing of her illness which lasted for some years.
She was not expected to survive and her husband took her home ‘to die’. However, the mixture of Jims nursing and determination not to give up on her and Davinas strength and tenacity resulted in a remarkable recovery. She was however left with blindness in one eye and a serious balance problem which causes her to stagger sidways and which strangers often put down to drunkeness (although Davina is strictly tea total). She usually sees the funny side and recounts the many times people have ‘helped’ her across the road or put her onto a bus even when she didn’t want to go!
Davina is a very active woman and likes to be on the go. She has enjoyed serious hillwalking for a good part of her life but recently has found it increasingly difficult due to the degeneration of her sight. As her vision has decreased so has her confidence to continue on the hills.
Two years ago Davina joined the local RDA carriage driving group. She had ridden many years ago and found that she was still confident around the horses. During her first year she learned the basics about horses and tack and took her first test which she expected to fail. She passed and her confidence grew. This year she entered her first novice carriage driving competition and came first!. She was thrilled and had a new found belief in herself.
When asked what she gets out of carriage driving Davina mentioned none of this but simply said “I loved it when I saw Gavin (a young seriously disabled member of the group who sadly died last year). His face used to light up when he got on the carriage and he was so happy. It makes you feel so lucky”.
Hi, my name is Juliet Hawke. I had a great career in the WRNS ( Womens Royal Naval Service) for ten years prior to my marriage and it was during this time that I had a riding accident. Seven years and three children later I had to have a spinal fusion when one of my vertebrae was found split as a result of the accident.
Thus began the rheumatoid arthritis which has led to my disability, now having one knee and one hip replaced, a stroke and a fibrous joint in one arm. All this has meant that I have slowed down, have restricted movement and stamina with some memory loss too. I find this is very frustrating and carriage driving has helped enormously.
Being involved with the Argyll RDA Driving Group has also been extremely valuable as being with such incredibly disabled people has made me so grateful for what I have; all their carers are so patient (as is my husband!) Having a practice and event arena would improve our ability to do much more training and activities, instead of just going out on the local roads, and therefore much safer for us all.
Carriage Driving is Barbara’s main social activity. Just being there brings a warm smile to her face. It was her daughter, Carley’s involvement with horses, that got Barbara into the equestrian world. Carley had her own horses but also competed, often successfully, at County Show level, on them and other peoples’ horses. Barbara organised local gymkhanas and ended up co-managing the local stables. It was while driving a large horse box that she had the first major symptoms, which lead to the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
When we moved to Argyll, she joined the Oban and Lorn RDA group but her MS meant that she sometimes had to wait for two hours after leaving the saddle, before she felt capable of driving home. Fearing that she might have to give up, we were delighted when we heard that Jane Isaac was looking to start up a carriage driving group. We have been involved from the start, even before it was an official RDA group; Barbara on the carriage and George on his bike. To start with, she could step up unto the carriage but, as the MS progressed, she had to stay in her wheelchair. In 2006, while still convalescing from an appendix operation, she insisted on competing, near Stirling, in both dressage and around the cones, coming second, in her class, in both and being Novice Champion. We have been to other competitions, three Carriage Driving Holidays and a Musical Drive, near Ayr.
A bout of pneumonia meant that she had to have a tracheotomy and can no longer speak. Further progression of the MS means that she cannot control the reins but still loves to go out on the carriage and to see all that is going on.
Barbara and I met through helping the Jubilee Sailing Trust and she commented that “she went as a disabled person but was treated as a person, with a disability”. It is very much the same attitude at the Argyll RDA Carriage Driving Group. It is always sad, when the regular weekly sessions close for the winter. The proposed facilities will allow a longer season and more opportunity for viewing others using the arena, as well as vastly improved practice for competitions and musical drives.