Karl's Story
With Karl’s permission he wanted us to share his story of how he reached out to Lesley and the #Willdoes Charity for help.
Karl left school at the age of 15 as he was struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, which left him feeling all over the place and not being able to concentrate – let alone wanting to be around other people and learn from his teachers.
After leaving school Karl was home schooled and due to this, he was spending a lot of his time on his own in his room. He found it difficult to find the confidence to leave the house which led to Karl feeling very isolated and alone.
Karl followed the #Willdoes charity on Instagram (@Willdoes2004). #Willdoes is a local charity dedicated to the memory of William Paddy, someone Karl new, a friend, whose life sadly ended early at the age of 14 in 2019. Will’s mother, Les, set up the charity to help young people who were finding life tough and struggling to cope with daily life – that was Karl – so he reached out and messaged her.
Lesley was very kind and they spoke often, and they worked out they had a common interest of horses. Lesley’s sister, Stephanie Buchanan, is the Yard Manager for RAC Saddle Club in Bovington, Dorset, and she arranged for Karl to go to the yard and spend time with Steph and the horses. Karl soon realised that being around the horses he felt less anxious and he gained the confidence to be more sociable. Karl would go to the yard more regularly and volunteered on a Saturday to look after the thirteen ponies at the club.
Steph encouraged Karl to sign up to the BHS Changing Lives Programme and he achieved all stages and has now gone on to take and pass his BHS Stage 1 in Care and Riding. Karl did all this with no stress, no anxiety and with a big smile on his face. The transformation has been amazing and in September 2020 Karl was invited to join the RAC Saddle Club team full time as an apprentice and he is a very valued member of the team to his colleagues and liveries.
“Since being at the RAC Saddle Club I have had to put myself out there and talk to people that I don’t know and socialise with such amazing people! It has improved my confidence drastically and has focused my mind elsewhere as well as getting me out of the house and out of the sticky situation I was getting myself into.”
“The equestrian community has given me such a sense of belonging. With being given the opportunity to work and learn with and about these amazing animals is wonderful. I truly feel as though I can now achieve things and complete tasks regardless.”
“I feel brighter not just in my thoughts but as a person. RAC Saddle Club has given me a sense of belonging – it is like a second family and I have so much pride in the horses and in the way I look after them.”
Steph started the BHS Changing Lives Programme at RAC Saddle Club after the loss of her nephew and she wanted to help others going through a similar situation. She knows and understands how the power of horses helps your wellbeing and that equine therapy doesn't just result in psychological benefits - it has physical benefits too. Equine therapy has been found to reduce people's blood pressure and heart rate and help to calm physical symptoms of conditions such as anxiety and stress.
At RAC Saddle Club they also have a group of girls signed up to the Changing Lives Programme through their school, Wey Valley Academy in Weymouth. Their teacher says it is the highlight of their week and that the girls are so excited to come up to the yard and find out who they are riding. As part of the course they groom, care, feed, tack up and ride the horses whilst looking and understanding the horse’s expression and learning how to relate to the horse’s emotions and instincts. They return to school feeling more energised and happier. A couple of the girls were terrified of the horses but after being around the horses they now feel at ease and they love them.
Steph is so proud of Karl and the girls and seeing how far they have come, and she is looking forward to working with other children soon and helping them change their lives through horses.
Lesley is pleased that Karl reached out to the charity and we were able to help. One of our charities missions is to introduce young people to sports and other activities to help them connect and engage socially, rather than retreat to more insular gaming and social media pastimes and to develop coping mechanisms to help manage anxiety and emotions, increase self-awareness, developing trust and relationships.
UPDATE - February 2021
We want to share we you some great news that Karl has received the Pamela Almond Changing Lives Through Horses Achieve Award from The British Horse Society for showing exceptional commitment to his personal development.
Back in December we shared Karl's story with you of how he reached out to Lesley Buchanan and #Willdoes. Through his love of horses Lesley introduced him to her sister Steph from RAC Saddle Club Bovington where she encouraged Karl to sign up to the BHS Changing Lives Through Horses Programme.
Well done Karl!!
