A teenager whose mother was told she would never walk or talk is able to do both after being ‘brought up by horses’.
Tiffany Heath, 16, from Westerham in Kent, was diagnosed with global development disorder as a baby and nearly died of several severe asthma attacks.
The ‘non-verbal’ teenager, who was ‘locked in her own little world’, began making clucking noises after being introduced to her aunt Lucy’s horse, before going on to say her first word aged seven.
Shortly after sitting on a horse’s back, Tiffany, who doctors thought would never walk unassisted, started mucking out stables and even competes in horse-riding competitions.
On the back of Tiffany’s remarkable transformation, her mother Lisa Payne, 37, and aunt Laura started an 18-week stable-management course, which is equivalent to a NVQ Level 1 qualification. Tiffany is due to start the course in May.
Ms Payne said: ‘Seeing the effect working with the horses has on people every day is awe-inspiring. They seem to completely understand everyone that comes to them and show them patience and care.’
Tiffany Heath (pictured right with her mother Lisa Payne) was told she would never walk or talk due to a developmental disorder. She is now able to do both after being ‘brought up by horses’
Tiffany (pictured aged eight) was non verbal until she began making clucking noises around horses. She said her first word, ‘stuck’, after falling in a stable yard while mucking them out
‘She was locked in her own little world’
Speaking of Tiffany’s childhood, Ms Payne said: ‘To a certain extent she was brought up by the horses.
‘I was told by doctors there was no way she would ever learn to walk or talk. I thought I was going to be lucky just having her around.
‘I took her to several speech therapists and physiotherapists but nothing seemed to work. She was locked in her own little world.
‘But when we started coming to see my sister’s new horse Artie she absolutely fell in love with him.
‘The first time she met Artie she reached out to stroke his coat, which I was not expecting at all.’
Tiffany, who doctors did not expect to move without assistance, became increasingly steady on her feet after sitting on a horse’s back. She then started helping out at the stables
Tiffany always asks her mother if they can go to the stables and gets up early to go riding
Tiffany bonded with horses immediately when she reached out to stroke one as a child
Being with horses taught Tiffany to speak
The more time Tiffany spent with the horses, the more stable she became on her feet.
Ms Payne said: ‘Once she started walking short distances she was keen to help out with the horses as much as she could.
‘She would help with mucking out the stables and brushing the horses’ coats.
‘One day she fell down in the stable yard and then called out “stuck”.
‘I spun round and tried to work out who had said it.
‘Then she repeated it and I was stunned when I realised Tiffany was saying her first word. It was incredible. I certainly had tears in my eyes.’
Through learning horse-based vocabulary, such as ‘walk’ and ‘trot’, Tiffany rapidly expanded her speech and later began attending a specialist school.
Tiffany (pictured aged seven) even competes in horse-riding competitions
Horses gave Tiffany (pictured riding at around 11) the confidence, as well as the vocabulary, to attend a specialist school. Yet, she is still happiest when at the stables on the weekends
Tiffany (pictured aged seven leading her brother Joel, then three) loves being at the stables
‘The relationship she has with horses is remarkable’
Speaking of her daughter’s love of riding, Ms Payne said: ‘Tiffany gets up early at weekends so she is ready to go riding. She loves being with the horses so much.
‘She’s always asking if we can go to the stables.
‘We live seven miles away, so it doesn’t take too long to get there and back.
‘But if she had the choice I think Tiffany would stay there all the time.
‘The relationship she has with the horses is remarkable.’
She is due to begin a stable-management course cofounded by her mother (pictured at 11)
Tiffany (pictured at five with one-year-old Joel) nearly died from several severe asthma attacks
Inspired to set up a stable-management course
Inspired by Tiffany’s experience, Ms Payne cofounded TEAL (Therapeutic Equine Assisted Learning) at a stables in Edenbridge, Kent.
Speaking of her daughter starting the course, Ms Payne said: ‘It’s incredible to think I was told she would never communicate and now she might be awarded a recognised qualification.
‘We have had three people take the course so far. It can make a massive difference to people’s lives.
‘A lot of the children who come to us do not or will not leave school with exam qualifications, so for them to have something is a huge confidence boost.
‘And that helps with college applications to do NVQ Level 2s or even gaining more volunteering experience.
‘We are just hoping we can keep helping other children and adults make progress and enjoy themselves as much as possible. I’m sure Tiffany will be here to try and help them all.’