Daniel, who was diagnosed ASD at the age of 3, was completely non-verbal, not able to communicate his need, very active and totally unsociable. Roughly in August 2014, he started saying a few words and slowly his vocabulary started developing. Month to month we could hear improvement in his speech and were delighted at this development.

But then in May 2015, he started horse riding with Lisa who patiently worked with him and within the first month, his school teacher confirmed definite and remarkable improvement in his speech, concentration levels, social interaction and much more.

Since Daniel has started horse riding, I now recommend it above any other therapy, to anyone who has voiced any sort of concern for their child's development.

Thanks for your dedication, Lisa! 

My son, Henko was born on 21 August 2009.  He was a very calm baby with the most beautiful blue eyes, a real angel.  At first he developed normally but between the age of 1 and 2, his development slowed down.  He became more quite, struggled to sleep, had repetitive behaviour, didn’t cope with changes in routine or environment, had problems with social skills…  What was concerning me most was the delay in speech as well as being ‘’in his own world’’ sometimes.  I knew something was wrong. 

 Henko started with Speech therapy in 2012.  Within a short period, he also started with Occupational therapy.  After a few months, the Speech and OT Therapist suggested that we take Henko to Dr Lippert as the progress he made was very poor.  Dr Lippert diagnosed Henko with PDD (ASD) and ADHD.  Early 2015, I decided to take Henko for horse riding/therapy.  I felt we needed to try something new as he showed a lot of progress with the OT, but he was still not able to communicate verbally. 

 On the first day with Lisa (May 2015), I still told myself not to have high expectations regarding the results… if the horse riding made him happy, I would have been pleased.  Henko wasn’t in a good mood on arrival.  I was totally shocked after the first session.  On our way home, Henko was in ‘’a good space’’ and very happy.  He was very verbal and loud – for the first time he was mumbling a lot.  I could see (and hear in this case) the change in Henko the next day as well.  After this experience, Wednesdays became my favourite day of the week!

 Lisa and her assistants know how to work with children.  They are in control and strict when needed, but also motivate the children in a positive way when they see tenderness is needed.

Lisa het vir meer as 2 jaar met my autistiese seun gewerk met perdry terapie. Ek het besluit om die roete van perdry terapie te volg en nie die algemene roete van arbeidsterapie nie, aangesien my kind vasgekeer gevoel het by arbeidsterapie, en daar op een ding gekonsentreer was, en dit vir hom soos ‘n straf gevoel het.

Ek kon duidelik die afgelope 2 jaar gesien het hoe die terapie gehelp het met sy balans, sy posisie in die ruimte, “ball sence”, postuur en deursettingsvermoe.

Toe ons begin het met die terapie kon my seun geen bal vang, skop of slaan nie, hy het nog nooit van bal speeletjies gehou nie, maar besluit om die krieket span 'n maand gelede te “join”, en tot my grootste verbaasing vaar hy besonders goed (beter as sy ouderdoms groep), ek skryf dit alles toe aan die terapie, en die groot en klein motorise ontwikkeling wat die terapie aanhelp.

Die netheid van sy skrif is ook ver verby die gemiddeld van sy klasmaats, waar hy 18 maande terug nie eens in die lyntjies kon skryf nie. Sy postuur het baie beter, en hy loop en sit nou regop waar dit nie voorheen die geval was nie.

Wat wil mens meer he, balans, middellyn kruising, groot en klein motorise spiere word alles gelyk geoefen… sonder dat die kind voel hy is anderste en moet arbeidsterapie toe gaan. Hulle geniet dit en hulle selfbeeld word opgebou.

Our daughter Mika, struggled with sensory processing and we looked for help at many therapists and doctors. Touch was especially difficult for her which made the introduction of new foods almost impossible. She also refused to touch sand, making her the only toddler not enjoying playing in the sandpit. Her sleeping pattern was very irregular and as parents, we were at our wits end!
We came across StepItUp and decided to give it a go. Lisa is amazing with the kids and after a short while, we began to see a positive response.

Our daughter now enjoys playing in the sand, eats varied foods and has a normal sleeping pattern. Her motor skills also improved and she has an amazing connection with the horses.

We only have praise for Lisa and would highly recommend Lisa and her team!

I would like to say thank you to Lisa and her awesome team for the hard work they put in to help children.  My son Joshua had some emotional as well as other skills he struggled with. 

After going to Lisa at Step it up my son improved in his school and his emotions.  His self confidence also improved a lot and his posture. 

Lisa and her team take such good care of the children and the horses.  My son always wants to ride on Lukas as they come attached to a certain horse which gives them the stability and it helps them in asking for what they need. 

Thanks Lisa to you and your team, I would highly recommend you any day!

Thank you for a wonderful year. Hendrik benefited so much! With Lisa’s Step it Up horse riding therapy, Hendrik’s self-confidence were taken to another level – which was the most important and obvious benefit. Generally, just being outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and performing numerous (sometimes difficult) exercises on the horse was a lot of fun. Lisa has a true gift when working with children – she is firm, yet kind and the children love her. She pays attention to small details. Hendrik enjoyed the horse riding, the activities and also feeding the horses apples from time to time. It was remarkable how Hendrik’s balance and posture improved and he also gained strength over the year. Well done Lisa!

I enrolled my 2 children aged 4 and 5 with Step It Up in the middle of this year. The improvement in their posture has been remarkable! Horse riding therapy is a fun way to develop core strength in a caring environment. My youngest is now much less intimidated by new activities than he was 6 months ago as his coordination and focus is improving. 

Hadiyyah started riding with Lisa in April this year. Having a new sibling around for just a few months, I found Hadiyyah was becoming withdrawn, biting her nails and the additional tantrums that go with the territory. Although she’s missed a lot of lessons. I’ve found that over the months she has gained confidence not only as a rider but within herself. She now speaks loudly , is able to express herself adequately and relates stories of her riding experiences with such joy and excitement, almost all our family members know about Lucas and Fudge. Her tantrums are a lot less, she’s stopped biting her nails and is definitely a happier girl. 

We look forward to many more years of riding with Step It Up and teacher Lisa.