• Children Ecological Centre "Living Thread"
• Moscow Club of the Equestrian Sport for the Disabled
• Websaits of Therapeutic Riding & Hippotherapy

Eight years of British-Russian Partnership in Therapeutic Riding Essential History

The Russian Children Ecological Centre "The Living Thread" (Moscow) contacted the British RDA first in 1992 and received Therapeutic Riding materials.

The first Moscow 3 weeks training was in Nov 94 when our British colleague, Mrs. Sue Adams Wheeler, instructed 15 people from CEC and 2 other groups.

In Jun 1995 Mr. Peter Gourvitch from CEC attended an international seminar in UK and visited a RDA group. Since then RDA international instructor Mrs. Sue Adams Wheeler have visited Russia in Oct 1996 to give courses in two towns and in Nov 1997 to participate in the 2nd All-Russia TR conference and to give courses to 30 people from 9 towns, 40 students from the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture (RSAPC) and 60 from Moscow City Pedagogical University (MSPU).

A Riding for the Disabled representative, Mrs. Sue Adams Wheeler, has been to Russia on five occasions to assist with the setting up of groups and training of instructors in riding therapy and running seminars. Presentations have been given at Moscow universities and at the Hippodrome.

CEC has been collaborating with MCPU since 1995 and with RSAPC since 1997 in giving courses and developing a programme for children with special needs.

CEC became a international member group of the British RDA in 1996.

CEC has produced a Russian Manual in TR, published 25 articles and provided 16 courses training a total of 124 professionals from 45 towns in Russia and other countries.

The co-operation of The Children Ecological Centre with the Russian Academia of Physical Culture turned to be very fruitful and perspective. Some lectures has been delivered by Mrs. Susan Adams Wheeler.

In the September 1998, in April 1999 in Krasnoiarsk was the TR seminar for Siberia Region of Russia with 38 participants from 14 towns of region.

Jointly with the department of the Physical Culture we worked out the program of the training course "Hippotherapy" which integrates the system of rehabilitation and recreation in the span of 36 hours. There are 5 the 3rd year student groups of 130 persons studying this course. The staff are well-selected and confirmed.

There is a group of 9 students 2 times a week attending the practical course at The Children Ecological Centre working with children. From the next year 5 of them are planning to start the work on of their own at The Centre.

During the autumn 1999 we are holding special courses in Therapeutic Riding at the Russian Academia of Physical Culture for the 4th year student group of the department Adoptive Physical Culture.

There are a lot of proposals made into the Russian Academia of Physical Culture from the institutions of Physical Culture from other cities of Russia needing to share the experience. This certainly opens the perspectives of the development of TR in Russia.

We have found a new partner - this is the Russian oldest institution, Khrenovsky college, which has been training the coaches in the equestrian sport since the end of the previous century. We are planning a joint program of TR instructors in training since the following year.