It is always a good day at the office for Howard Wright
Greatwood, one of the racing-backed charities that rehabilitates, re trains and re-homes ex-racehorses, has unlocked a secret: there can still be a place and a role for the horse that is unsuitable for eventing, showjumping, polo or even playing hacking.
Founders Helen and Michael Yeadon have devised a programme called Horse Power, which is being used to select the leak their centre, near Marlborough, to develop and improve the life skills of special needs children.
One such child is 16-year-old Jake Taylor, who suffers from epilepsy, and hardly communicates by speech, but whose outlook has been transformed since he went to Greatwood two years ago.
Jake's mother Denise says: " and he's got a great affinity with horses. He particularly enjoys grooming them. He is even taught me not to be frightened of horses & quot;.
So far, Jake's speech has not improved, but Denise explains: & quot; That may come, but the important point is that looking after the horses means he's achieving a task and that it's given him a sense of peace and importance. He stands taller and prouder now ".
Horsepower started last year and has been developed into a six week programme with local schools, whose children are given a designated horse to groom care for and get to know during the course of a visit.
Helen Yeadon says: " It's extraordinary to see how the horses and the children bounce off each other, and fantastic that the horses interact with vulnerable people, especially those with autism. The children's concentration grows and their behaviour becomes calmer. "
Greatwood sees over 100 horses a year, and has 52 on site at the moment, of which 13 -- including two abandoned mares with foal at foot -- are rescue cases.
Yeadon readily admits that horsepower is not suitable for all horses, but the programme does provide a vital outlet.
" Each horse must have another job, and those who can't be re-homed but can interact with children to have a purpose ", she says.
The upkeep of Greatwood, which hosts its annual open day on Sunday, September 2, continues to Mount, but a new flexible sponsorship programme has been set up to encourage support from individuals and companies.
Details of this and everything else about Greatwood can be viewed online at racehorsesgreatwood.org
One day a young girl with autism -- an elective mute, threatened with exclusion from school -- was taken by her parents to Greatwood, a home for retired racehorses.
Quite unexpectedly, the girl developed a close bond with the horse in a vulnerable state, a newcomer to the stable. Within weeks she was talking again.
Helen Yeadon, who founded Greatwood with her husband Michael, was amazed and decided to try and build on this special relationship. When they moved last year to Marlborough, Wiltshire, they piloted their unique Horse Power programme, a collaboration with a practising psychologist, and to local special schools, to help children develop life skills.
Horsepower has reached more than 250 children with special needs, including autism and emotional and behavioural difficulties, from both mainstream and special schools. It is free to schools and children come in small groups, one morning a week, for six weeks. With guidance from Greatwood staff, including a qualified special educational needs (SEN). Teacher, they carry out horse-related, multi--sensory tasks -- such as matching and sorting games involving horses diets and grooming kits -- and they spend a good deal of time around the 48 horses. They do not write them -- most are no longer fit to be written -- but they touched them, talk to them, lead them and learn how to look after them.
This morning, Joel and Paul, teenagers with severe learning difficulties from Prior's Court School, Thatcham, Berkshire, are enjoying meeting ex-racehorses Timmy and Jimmy again, after completing horse last term. Paul hugs the horses affectionately, while Gerald demonstrates his grooming skills.
This is an emotional literacy course, using horses as a vehicle, says Laura Jones, Greatwood's SEN teacher. Watching the herd here is fascinating for the children. The horses bicker and fallout, just like they do, and have to learn to get back together again. It is also relaxing to groom a horse and have it turn its head and nuzzle you. There is not so much time in school for these kinds of reflective, quiet moments.
The pupils have learnt to interact with the animals in ways they might find much more difficult with their peers. The children are calmer here and are beginning to transfer back to calm back into the school, says Sarah Sherwood, Prior's Court Headteacher. The school is now creating its own countryside learning Centre with donkeys.
Parents, have welcomed the effects. Denise Benham says her 16-year-old son James, used to have a phobia about dogs, but is now more relaxed. Greatwood, she says " has opened doors for the future -- maybe in animal husbandry. "
Caroline Taylor is delighted that the horses at great would have given her 16-year-old son Jake, another Prior's Court people, a new interest. "It's hard to find things our children would really like to do, to find clubs for them. But now, Jake has a hobby -- he's got an affinity with horses, and I take in riding and he watches horse racing on television. He is more relaxed when he comes away from being with horses. Now he seems to be standing taller. "
The secret of the special relationship has yet to be reaped. Debbie Goodwin, lecturer in the School of psychology, Southampton University, hopes to start a research programme to produce some objective data on the horses and children at Greatwood.
Helen would like to extend Horse Power and hopes to find new funding sources, including possibly local authorities, Greatwood costs £460,000 a year to run and relies on on fundraising. " I love my horses, and it's great to see the attached to these children, she says. I'm astonished that something that seemed a bit quirky is thought by schools to be so good. You wouldn't think a relationship between horses and children would work but it does. And the horses benefit. "
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Greatwood
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Children with autistic spectrum disorder, and other severe learning and behavioural difficulties need help in developing their life skills in order to build a fruitful and independent life after school.
Their particular range of needs require a structured, multi-sensory approach within a calming, supportive environment appropriate to their individual capabilities and behaviours. There is a lack of opportunities tailored to these special needs and existing schemes are heavily oversubscribed with long waiting lists.
Greatwood, an established horse welfare charity, aims to develop and improve the life skills of special needs children through a programme within which the children care for and interact with rescued racehorses.
During a course of six sessions, children interact with former racehorses carrying out activities such as grooming and horse care. Through the horses the children explore topics such as relationship building, non-verbal communication, health and hygiene in different ways - including through play. A typical game involves “being horses” and directingothers in “the herd” to carry out a task to discover for themselves about the importance of body language through their immersion in the game. The children consequently discover strategies for life for themselves through their relationship with the horses.
Why horses? Michael Yeadon of Greatwood explains “Horses have a particularly strong social structure, powerful communication – and tremendous curiosity in all things human. It is these attributes that have the potential for making the Horse Power programme positively life changing”. “…positively life changing.”Michael YeadonFounder and Trustee
Why ex-racehorses? The project is different because it uses rescued former racehorses – horses such as Knave of Clubs who Greatwood picked up in a traumatised state, from a scrap yard. Tim Andrew, from Downland School explains “for us, the key to this programme is bringing together the experiences of vulnerable, rescued racehorses and children with equally traumatic pasts.”
We have run two successful pilots and both schools that participated, Downland and Rowdeford, want to continue on a regular basis.
Marchant-Holliday had a day here and they too want to book in for a programme. There are 25 special needs schools in easy reach of Marlborough who could also benefit.
The schools reported back at the end of the pilot programmes and told us about the changes that they had observed not just at Greatwood but also back in the school environment. For example, Joel with
“consistently calmer.. and produced more work...” Asperger’s Syndrome has been consistently calmer at school and produced more work than normal. The special relationship he developed with a particular horse is explored both within therapy and as a means of opening communication channels in the classroom. Zoe, an autistic child, started with a profound fear of all the animals at Greatwood but now grooms the horses and strokes the dogs – and has proudly told her Mum all about it.
It seems an entirely natural step for the charity to help children through the vulnerable horses that we have already helped. The parallels are extraordinary. By understanding the children’s individual needs and capabilities and providing life skills preparation in a caring, calming and supportive environment, we can help them develop the capabilities they need for a fruitful and positive future life – just as we have done so successfully for the horses since 1990.
Greatwood rents an old dairy farm. The lease has recently been safeguarded for the next ten years enabling us to plan a longer term view and invest further in the facilities for children.
Our aim is to extend the range and reach of the opportunities that we provide for disadvantaged children through “Down to Earth”. 
The plan is to create a bio-diversity project over 10 hectares returning arable land to grazing for rare breeds, such as Wiltshire Horn sheep, and craft an environment for bird, butterfly and wildflower conservation. Children can then explore different habitats and environmental considerations in line
with the National Curriculum - or simply sit back and experience the space, sights and sounds of the countryside.
Greatwood has helped horses since 1990. We now wish to make a difference to the lives of special needs children through those same horses. Greatwood is seeking to raise £30,000 to establish the programme and a further £50,000 per annum to help children on a sustained basis.
We have received the following testimonial regarding the Horse Power programme:
Dear Greatwood Staff,
I visited Greatwood yesterday for the press day, which was a really positive experience. The parents were deeply moved by what they heard and saw.
I am just updating the Prior's Court School website and I am going to write a piece on Greatwood, with a link to your website. I was wondering if you would like to place a reciprocal link to our site on your website. It would be lovely and would build on the wonderful relationship that Prior's Court School and Greatwood have developed together.
Kind regards,
Kate Lloyd
Marketing & Communications Co-ordinator
Prior's Court Foundation
Sue Loder continues a series looking at what happens to racehorses once their track career is over, and visits the Greatwood rehabilitation centre
With his glory days over, a racehorse is often becomes anonymous again: his Timeform rating irrelevant, his sire and dam just names in a dusty stud book somewhere, his past achievements remembered by few. He's just another bay 16.1hh thoroughbred looking for a new life. That is how many ex-racers begin their second careers. The lucky ones are cherished by their racing owners and ensured of a happy and secure retirement, others are loaned or sold on with the best intentions to suitable new carers. A very few are just off-loaded with no thought for their future, but these are, thankfully, a minority today.
Racing has changed for the better in recent years and most owners are caring and thoughtful of their old servants when their competitive days are over, but that is not where the problem lies. Too often, a good second home will suddenly suffer changed circumstances - a redundancy, a new baby, an illness or death - and the expense in time and money of caring for the ex-racer will be impossible to sustain. The horse is sold or loaned out, the experience and knowledge are lost, and eventually problems arise which can, unfortunately, often end in suffering for the animal.
This is where places like Greatwood come into the picture: a lifeline, a rehabilitation centre, a sanctuary in the last resort. Run for 15 years by Helen Yeadon, first in Devon and now in the heart of racing country, near Marlborough in Wiltshire, Greatwood is a safety net for ex-racers who have fallen on hard times. Helen makes it clear that she loves racing, and enjoys working alongside the major racing organisations which both approve of and help Greatwood when they can. The centre's job is not just to rescue and care for ex-racehorses, but to rebuild health and confidence and usefulness, and then to re-home them if possible.
Visiting the stables for the first time, you are struck by two things: the happy atmosphere among the staff and the relaxed and friendly appearance of all the animals around the place. After that you notice the neat and tidy yards, drives and barns, the well-tended fences and ample grazing, all signs of a professionally run outfit. Out in one of the nearest fields, a herd of well-rugged-up thoroughbreds are cavorting around, nipping and playing tag, their hi-jinks motivated by some hairy little Shetlands in an adjoining paddock who are, frankly, winding them up by galloping around and skidding to a halt as close as possible to their better-bred neighbours. It's the sort of natural horse behaviour that one could stay watching and enjoying for hours ??? but we have to move on to meet the centre's most illustrious, and canny, inmate.
As luck would have it, our visit coincided with a publicity shoot for Greatwood's best known "member of staff". He's very beautiful, has masses of presence, and knows it. His name is Deano's Beeno and not many years ago I can recall watching him race at the highest level at Cheltenham, Newbury, and so on. But he fell out of love with racing, and being an intelligent sort of horse, he soon found the best way to avoid further extreme effort was simply not to start.... Even the likes of Tony McCoy couldn't persuade him, and eventually his owners bowed to the inevitable and retired him.
Although he's been through the rehab and re-training regime at Greatwood, Deano's has decided he likes the place too much, and makes it very clear that re-training as anything other than as equine super-model is simply out of the question. So now, he is a kind of mascot for the place, and his public engagements are those of flying the flag, and publicising the centre's work at racecourses, horse shows and open days around the country, and he does it all with aplomb and that wonderful "look at me" attitude that all good horses have. He is one of the luckiest ex-racers around, but as Helen explained, his story is not the norm.
The centre works hard with a staff of grooms and riders, experienced with racehorses, to source and eventually re-home some of racing's casualties. Each animal is treated as an individual, is given whatever time is necessary for it to unwind and let-down in body and mind before any re-schooling is started, and each is assessed for its likely new role, as a sport horse, show horse, riding hack or companion.
Helen is constantly looking for possible new grooms, riders and carers, for funds and for volunteers and sponsors who can help in many different ways. New carers are the most difficult to find, as she has to be convinced of not only their love and commitment to the animal once it is loaned from Greatwood, but of their knowledge and understanding of the thoroughbred racehorse and its previous lifestyle.
Racing is a peculiar and intense environment for young horses to grow up in, and some habits gained there can be ingrained for life. Understanding these special physical and mental characteristics is key to successful re-homing and Helen and her team are assiduous in assessing, and checking up on, their charges' new homes.
No Greatwood horse is ever sold, they remain the property of the centre no matter where they go to live, and sadly sometimes they have to return to Wiltshire when their new owner gets into difficulties.
Happily, Greatwood remains a vibrant and committed team of people, determined to give each animal that comes to them the best opportunities for a useful and happy new life. The way the team works together, in stable, field, office or online, convinces me that this is a place worth knowing about, and supporting.
To know more, or to help in some way, look at www.racehorsesgreatwood.org or e-mail info@racehorsesgreatwood.org or call 01672 514 535.
For more news, visit 
Thursday 17th November 2005
This year, we are delighted to announce that Greatwood Caring for Retired Racehorses is our nominated charity. Proceeds from the day will go directly into helping the many ex-racehorses in Greatwood's care. We will hold our usual popular Silent Auction, and there will also be a stand where you can join up as a Friend of Greatwood and learn about their important work.
We very much hope that you can join our lunch party. This will consist of a champagne reception and two course lunch (pre-booked only) in the big marquee next to the paddock between 11.45 a.m and 2 p.m.
Paul Nicholls has kindly agreed to run through the card prior to racing.
Lunch guests who are not Wincanton Annual members will be allowed a discount on Premier Enclosure badges. A lunch ticket includes the use of the tent for the whole afternoon, where, as well as a pay bar, tea and coffee there will be a Tote desk and television screens. The first race will be at about 1.p.m.
To apply for tickets, please contact Wincanton Racecourse on 01963 32344.
Took place on 28th August
It was a great success. We attracted over 3000 people and made over
£10,000. The weather was fantastic, which I think helped, but Desert Orchid
was the main attraction that people came to see. He looked great -at 26 he
still has that sparkle in his eye.
The fantastic people from the Vodafone Group that came to help us before the Open Day
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