Sebastian’s Story
Sebastian is 17 years old and is clever, funny, creative, thoughtful, kind and generous. Sebastian has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. His hamstrings bulge at the back of their knees and they get pain from their muscles pulling on their joints. His left hip has rotated inwards as he's grown, affecting the development of the muscles and tendons from his hip to his foot. One leg is shorter than the other and he can no longer fully straighten his knees, despite major in 2019. This ongoing pain impacts his sleep, mood, and ability to attend school or socialise, which often leaves him tired, isolated and sad.
When Sebastian started riding with Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Tas, volunteers walked either side of him as he is balance-impaired and at risk of falls. As he improved his riding skills and confidence, he needed less of this type of help, learning to sit properly, to hold the reins and feel the contact with the horse’s mouth through the reins and control the horse. Even on the days he wasn't well enough to ride, he would come anyway and groom the horses. Riding gives him more than just confidence and a sense of achievement, as important as those things are. It also stretches his hamstrings and hip adductors, where they are tightest and where the worst muscle pain is. It improves his fitness and strength so that he is able to attend school more often or even just get out and enjoy the sun. Sebastian loves to wear his RDA polo tops so much, he wears it even when he isn't riding!
Sebastian's mum Michelle says, "we're very grateful to all the volunteers and especially to the Petstock Foundation for making it possible for Sebastian to have regular physiotherapy, naturally achieved through the 3D movement of the horse, that also gives them skills, confidence, a sense of achievement, improved fitness, the ability to get to school more often and the opportunity to play." RDA TAS says "supporting RDA Tasmania assists to continue to provide opportunities to people with disabilities - please donate to keep this volunteer organisation operating for another 50 years!"