What you told us in the 2019 rider survey.
As the volunteers who make Pegasus RDA happen, it’s important that we know we are doing the right thing and making a positive difference to people’s lives. We sent out a survey to all our users and were heartened to see feedback that we are making a positive impact!
Most people told us they come to RDA for an improved wellbeing, whether that’s physical or mental, including the social benefits of riding with us.We hope that post-COVID many of our disabled children, families and carers can return to Pegasus to pick up those important social connections with the RDA family, as we know how isolating this time has been.
The feedback we received came from a mixture of new and established riders. Over 70% of respondents said they had seen significant progress in their child from a physical wellbeing perspective – even though not all riders are affected by a physical disability. Improvements in balance, core strength, coordination and a reduction in spasticity were noted.
The mental benefits of RDA were also widely reported, and can be seen by our regular volunteers as we see riders return each week, expanding their vocabulary, increasing their confidence, ramping up their engagement as they chat to us. Parents and families have told us that riders are learning patience as they wait their turn to ride, tolerance of things like protective clothing, and have developed more confidence, concentration and a sense of achievement as they gain new skills.
We asked for feedback on the aspects of riding with Pegasus that children find particularly enjoyable. From the responses we received, it is clear that the horses play a huge therapeutic role for our participants. In addition to the joy of riding, many parents commented on the “bond” between their child and the horses. Other positives included interacting with the volunteers and having the opportunity to socialise after sessions.
We also asked if there were any improvements that we could make to improve our riders’ experience during our lessons. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, with the main request being to provide more sessions so that riders could ride more frequently, more games during lessons and more rides out. We have noted the important feedback for more clear instructions to autistic riders and the need to make individual short-term goals that riders can work towards.
These were the word’s most commonly used by our riders in our feedback survey.
The final question of the survey asked how satisfied our riders and their parents are with the service Pegasus provides. We were thrilled to see that 100% of responses stated that they were very satisfied with our provision.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and remember we are here to listen to your feedback at any time.
Caroline Riley and the Pegasus RDA team.