‘It’s more than the horses now’: North Co Dublin equine therapy centre searching for a new home

An equine centre providing therapy for children is searching for a new home after being given six months to leave its current five-acre base in north Co Dublin.

The Royal Stables has been operating near Skerries for five years and is credited by parents with helping their children, many of whom have autism, to blossom under the instruction of its founder Georgia Lillis, a qualified therapeutic coach.

“I have dyslexia and ADD [attention deficit disorder] so I know how incredibly powerful horse therapy can be. Horses don’t judge people, they just care about you and they are good at reading people,” Ms Lillis says. “So they instil trust and confidence in a child and help with movement as well as social cues for non-verbal children.”

The 30-year-old is the daughter of the late film producer Celine Cawley (46), who was killed by her husband, Eamonn Lillis, at their Dublin home in 2008. Ms Lillis has not been in contact with her father since his imprisonment in 2010 for manslaughter and says she does not wish to ever see him again. He was released from jail in April 2015.

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Ms Lillis has been riding horses since she was four and says she remains “obsessed” with the animals and comes to work with a smile on her face every day.

“At first, my mum said never to get a job with horses, as there is very little money in it, but passion outweighs finance for me,” she says. “I got a Trinity degree in Archaeology and Ancient History because my mum told me to have other qualifications to fall back on.”

Àbout 10 children come to the centre each week, ranging in age from three to 14 years, and a further 30 are on a waiting list, says Ms Lillis, who had just bought another pony and hoped to take on another apprentice as the operation grew.

But finding a long-term home for an expanding business and more than a dozen horses and ponies, even with assistance from dedicated parents, has not proven easy since the word came that the landlord needs the current location back.

“Many of the children who use the centre walk here or get public transport, so ideally we are looking for eight acres not too far away to lease long-term or buy so we can build stables and an arena,” she says.

“We have 10 stabled horses here at the moment, along with two rescued Shetland ponies and a few elderly horses, who we find are so gentle with the children doing therapeutic work. We also have five liveries and a leasing programme going where children can come and ride by themselves.”

The uncertainty about where the centre goes next has had an impact on some of the children who make use of its therapeutic services.

[ Horse power: the benefits of equine therapy ]

“Since hearing that we have to move, some of the children have regressed into themselves and have stopped speaking. Others aren’t eating and one neurotypical child isn’t sleeping,” Ms Lillis says. “Many of the children have autism, some have global developmental delay and others are neurotypical just coming here for the love of horses.”

Agata Bierca, whose children Daniel (14) and Sophie (10) attend the centre, says she is “heartbroken” at the prospect of it being without a home.

“Sophie in particular is very upset. I have to sleep with her since she heard the news because she cries and gets panic attacks,” Ms Bierca said. “Sophie was so shy when she first came here and would only speak through me, but since Georgia took her under her wing, she has become so confident and not afraid to speak out. It’s like a little family here and we would be devastated to lose that.”

Aoife Weldon says her brother Ajay, who has autism and dyspraxia, has developed a special bond with a horse at the centre named Pablo.

“He has fallen in love with this place and has stopped eating since he heard the news. He doesn’t want to leave here any more,” Ms Weldon says. “It’s just amazing to see him coming out of his shell when he is here. It’s his special place and we will try everything to keep it intact in every way but location.”

Patrick O’Sullivan has seen his teenage daughter Aisling flourish in the three years she has been attending the centre, where a “little tribe of like-minded kids” look out for each other.

“Aisling has autism and struggles socially but Georgia has encouraged her and brought her in to the fold,” he said. “She’s given her more opportunities and more experiences that she might not have got in other centres... It’s more than the horses now. It’s about community and building friendships.”

Ms Lillis attributes her determination when it comes to keeping the centre going to her mother who, she says, always instilled in her the importance of getting up and doing something.

“My mum had dyslexia too and always told me that there was no point in sitting in a corner – to get up and do it. She was amazing and always said there was nothing I couldn’t do. It’s not off the ground that I licked it,” she says.

“I was 16 when she passed but I’m pretty sure that she would be so proud of me today. And that’s why I have to fight and find somewhere else for these children.”

– Anyone who can help the Royal Stables find a new home can contact it on Facebook or through theroyalstables.ie