An old boy who passed away in his 34^th year left some very sad but very privileged people behind, me being one, and always loathe to use the phrase 'he was a nice person' about animals, he was one of the nicest people I ever met.  I'm not suggesting that he didn't have a wicked sense of humour or that he didn't know how to wind you up, he did, but he also had an uncanny sense of knowing when things were not well and just took your mind off it with a push of his nose or a look or a whinny or sometimes simply tolerating what you wanted to do even though you could tell he thought you were mad.  He seemed to have almost a sixth sense when it came to people with real problems and, strange as it may seem, they seemed to seek his company and gain comfort from him.  Who was he, Pedro a Connemara Pony, what was he, the co-founder of a children's charity called Hampshire Riding Therapy Centre.  The other half of the , partnership was

his friend for 20 years, Kerie Coutts, a diabetic from childhood who with Pedro has opened the stable doors for many children allowing them to achieve what they never thought possible. 

Originally the Centre was for diabetic children and literally scores have passed through its gates since opening in 1994, many of the original children still here today acting as 'Buddies' for new arrivals, Pedro taught them that too.  The whole philosophy of the Centre and its teaching techniques are based on what was learned from watching him and applying it.  When Kerie first had Peds she was, on her own admission, not the rider she is today and because of being a diabetic some sports were thought too dangerous or too difficult to control her sugar levels but she had always wanted to ride so the minute she could, she bought a horse.  She found this Connemara Pony going for a song because it just hadn't lived up to its potential and had not succeeded in the show ring.  She bought Pedro.  A few months later she went to her first show totally unprepared and entered a jumping competition, strangely enough one of the competitors was Pedro's old owner, the responsibility to perform was Pedro's, Kerie openly admits it was one of the most terrifying things she has ever done, they won.  The levels are different but Steve Redgrave must have shared similar experiences when he started rowing.   The first part of an ethos is born, if you want it enough you can do it.   

Kerie's thought was if I can others can, but how?  A trip to America and a diabetic clinic provided many answers.  Many of the staff were diabetics, including doctors, and they had not only achieved themselves but were helping others, allaying fears and building confidence simply because they could view the condition from the perspective of having it as well as being able to treat it.  One of their simplest doctrines was, more or less, reach for the stars and at worst you'll make the tops of the trees.  All that Kerie had to do was work out how to give children the chance to reach.

Time to think about Pedro again and children with special needs.  Lots of things fell into place by accident.  Children visiting Kerie's first yard and handling Pedro showed the confidence it can give a child to know they have the ability to move and handle something so large and strong compared to them.  She also learned it is important to have horses and ponies that have the patience to cope with clumsy hands or slow or awkward movements.  Children learn about rewards and more importantly to reward, they find strategies for coping.  Horses are good listeners, children like to talk to them, problems are shared and halved, sometimes problems are solved,  One young man came to the Centre having been diagnosed diabetic at 6 years old, when he arrived he

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