Horse Boy Camp Testimonials

Thank you for the most amazing time last week we all loved the whole experience and can't wait for next year's camp, we are definitely coming. If you ask Henry about camp he always mentions the horses by name and "Oscar smile". He is chatting about the whole experience before he sleeps at night clearly reliving the time he spent with you. We will do everything to spread the word about your great work which is truly amazing because of you, you have an affinity with the children which is so special, I was blown away by your gentleness with the children and total passion for what you do. Thank you so much we have been touched deeply by our time at camp.

I wanted to send you this photo of Owen at the camp taking Poppy for a walk because it sums up his weekend....peace, freedom & a new-found independence. We all really enjoyed the camp & Owen got so much out of it. We really hope we can make it again next year. Thank you and all the volunteers for a great weekend.

We wanted to write to say thank you for such a wonderful time at your Horse Boy Camp. Without The Centaurus Trust funding our place, we would not have been able to go on your camp. We are so very grateful. We all had a great time. Oak loved spending time in his pajamas with the horses. Chillaxed doesn't come near to how he was! The sensory work with the horses was magical - I had a real connection moment with Foley. To sit and lay on a horse without a saddle is a real privilege. I loved the way Oak was so comfortable lying all ways on the horses and how they related to him. I just asked Oak what his favourite bit on the Horse Boy Camp was and he said "laying on the horseys because they are so soft. And that makes me feel happy". We also found it so relaxing having the horses spend time with us all at the camp site - everyone was so relaxed and able to chat easily to one another. My favourite kind of activity involves no rushing, no pressure and time to connect with people! Oak and I loved the painting session! (Eric is reserving judgement, after having his face painted by Oak! lol!) And when the horses were all decorated, Oak really enjoyed 'breaking the social rules' by painting Eric. Makes us wonder why we don't get covered in paint every day! The nature walk still makes us giggle when we think back to it! The monkey, wolf and bear were outstanding! You are so lucky to have such exotic creatures in your woodlands! The work you have been doing with Abbey to overcome her fear of animals is outstanding. I love the picture of Oak on the horse trying to think of ways to help Abbey overcome her fears. It was so touching to see Oak show real empathy - I loved the way he thought about different ways to help her. We were also so chuffed that you realised what was upsetting Luke (the saddle) and how you worked round how to find a solution so that he was still able to spend time on Bertie. We loved the camp fire every night and that everyone was able to spend time with each other. Oak loved the trampoline and we are so pleased that he mastered the sit drop - thanks to private tuition from Luke - something he's not been able to do up till then. Please can you pass this email onto all your fantastic volunteers/staff, whose dedication and beautiful hearts made our stay so welcoming and like 'coming home'.

John and I just wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful camp last week. It was such a pleasure for us to see Violet grow in confidence day by day. We have also seen some remarkable developments since we returned home. Violet will now play dress up with me and allow John and I to compliment her, she can even tolerate us saying she looks pretty!!!!!!! It's still a struggle outside the home, but it is such a massive step in the right direction. Her sentences are now longer and more complex, something her speech and language therapist has been working on for years! Also, Violet is engaging much more in normal conversation, asking us questions and actually being interested in our answers! We feel very strongly that these wonderful steps forward for Violet are as a result of the expertise and dedication of everyone at camp. John and I were so grateful for the time and effort that everyone put in with Violet, especially when her phobias and anxieties do not always make her easy to be around. Being an autism parent can be a bit lonely, so it was such a gift for us to spend time with like minded people and not be judged as the useless parent! I would love to bring Violet to you for more riding, she absolutely loved being out on the trail and also being up there with you and I and of course the "poo sweeping"!! I'd love to get riding again too, the camp made me realise how much I'd missed it.