Andy the Autistic Pony

We are celebrating the hardworking Haflinger as our March Breed of the Month on YourDressage! 

Did you know that dressage riders who choose a Haflinger as their dressage mount are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Haflinger Registry is a participating organization?

Here, a young rider from USDF Region 8 shares how horses and her bond with one special Haflinger has helped her embrace the things about her that once made her feel so different. 

By Sophia Wayner

As a young adult on the spectrum, I have only experienced the world through the lens of an over-developed and highly reactive sensory system. Like most autistic children, I felt like the world was not designed for me. I found horses very early in life, and I was drawn, like most of us, to their unique healing energy. But it took forming a relationship with one very special Haflinger named Andy to truly learn to embrace the things that once made me feel so different, and sometimes broken. 

Over the years, and with a lot of help from mental health and school professionals, and my supportive family, I developed quite an extensive “toolbox” that now enables me to succeed in a world that previously felt overwhelming. 

When I took over as Andy’s primary person, I had no idea the incredible journey we would take together, or the life lessons that would change both of us. I have become his guide and in return, he has become my teacher. 

I often jokingly refer to my chunky, strong, willful little horse as “Andy the Autistic Pony.” He exhibits many of the same tendencies that I have: poor spatial awareness, aversion to certain types of touch, a magnified fight or flight response, heightened hearing, fidgeting to diffuse overstimulation, and the need for routine, routine, routine. Just like me, he needs to know what is coming, or it won’t end well for either of us. I continue to adapt my riding skills to make my aids as clear as possible, which is making me a better rider, and him a happier horse.

We’ve really connected, with both of us seeming to enjoy a heightened sense of humor. He loves fidgeting with zippers and the sound of velcro, just as I use sensory distractions when studying or not moving. He has learned, through years and years of patience and practice, to accept touch as a good thing, and now he loves his daily massages. As a benefit to both of us, this is something I continue to train, and aim to get my certification. 

We both find being around too much stimuli difficult, and sometimes it’s the seemingly “regular” stuff that is just too much for both of us. We both can have extreme reactions to certain stimuli that others maybe wouldn’t even notice (bikes for Andy, people sniffling and chewing for me). 

One of the biggest lessons we have learned together is that you can’t fix problems with force, just like you can’t reason with me when I am triggered by something or having a meltdown. Getting both of us into a safe space, with a safe person, is the key, and I am so honored that I seem to have become his safety net. 

Without being aware of the way we perceive the world, both of us could be seen as exhausting and problematic. One of my favorite quotes about reframing the world through an autistic lens is, “It’s not that we won’t do certain things to be difficult. It’s that we cannot do certain things because we’re having difficulties.” 

I look forward to adding more tools to Andy’s “tack box” and my “toolbox” as he and I navigate this sensory-filled world together.