In Pictures: Never too old to have new experiences, as seniors find stable companions outside of home

Placing one hand gently on the forehead of Matahari, a dark-chocolate brown mare, Mr Ang Tee Hiom read a short letter that he had prepared the week before. 

“Hi, Matahari. You look very healthy and strong. You look friendly. It’s a great day to meet up with you,” the retired police officer said.   

Matahari tilted its head towards Mr Ang as if sensing he was saying goodbye, for now. 

At 25 years old, the former polo horse would be equivalent in human age to Mr Ang who is 75. 

Mr Ang was one of 10 seniors who took part in a 10-week-long equine-assisted programme for elders and it was the last session. 

In this week’s In Pictures, CNA TODAY takes a look at how the equine programme has benefited the retiree and the unexpected bonds that had formed along the way.

The Temasek Foundation-EQUAL Haydays with Horses programme is a two-year pilot that connects seniors – including those who may be socially isolated – with horses.

Through activities such as feeding, grooming and interacting with horses, the equine-assisted programme seeks to enhance elders' physical and psychological well-being, cognitive functioning and social connectedness with the horses and other people.

The sessions are conducted at selected NTUC Health nursing homes and active ageing centres, or at the stables run by the charity group EQUAL. 

The seniors get to interact with nine retired horses that were previously racehorses, polo horses or riding school horses, as well as six miniature horses.

The programme, which was first introduced in October 2024, will be gradually rolled out to some 800 seniors in NTUC Health nursing homes and active ageing centres by 2026. 

Madam Chow May Ho, 77 is one of the seniors participating in the programme. 

Together with her husband, the couple signed up for the equine programme with much enthusiasm, but had cold feet the day before the first session began. 

“We were very excited,  but after signing up, I was a bit scared. That night, I couldn’t sleep. Are the horses aggressive? Will they kick us?," Mdm Chow recalled.  

Their fear was probably compounded by their friends' concerns, who had told them that the stable would be “smelly and infested with mosquitoes” and that they had to be under the sun for hours, even though these friends have not interacted with horses or taken part in the programme.

Mdm Chow's husband Tan Choon How said he wore a long-sleeved T-shirt and a wide-brimmed hat and doused himself with mosquito repellent on his first visit to the stable. 

Eventually, their fears dissipated and their confidence grew as they learnt how to interact with the horses. 

In the end, even their most sceptical friends signed up for the sessions.

A NERVOUS KISS FOR "SAYANG"  

At the active ageing centre in Jurong West where one of the sessions was being conducted, Mdm Chow was tasked to write a letter to one of the miniature horses named Boogie that was brought there that day.

Halfway through penning her thoughts, she was distracted by Harley, another miniature male horse that was there.  

Unable to resist petting him, she stopped her work and placed her hand near its nose for it to sniff, a technique she was taught as a way to introduce oneself to a horse.

The trainer then asked if she would like to give Harley a kiss. 

With much trepidation, she leaned forward and gave the horse a small peck and stroked its mane, while gently whispering “sayang” to it, a term of endearment in Malay. 

As Mdm Chow’s confidence grew, so did her husband’s. 

Programme instructor Clarabelle Sih, 29, said she saw the “biggest change in attitude” in Mr Tan among the seniors. 

“At the beginning when you talked to him, he could not focus. His hands were shaking, even while leading the horse,” Ms Sih recalled. 

The former taxi driver said he had never been so close to such a large animal before, let alone touched one.

However, his fear gradually went away and before long, he was looking forward to the interactions. 

“Even though each session is two hours, it passes by very quickly, like there’s not enough time."

During the last session at the stable, Mr Tan waved goodbye to each of the horses in their stalls and patted them on their heads, bidding them a fond farewell. 

Fear and anxiety were common feelings among the seniors at the start of the programme.

Mr Ang, for instance, said he was “a little scared” as well when he first approached a horse. 

The 75-year-old, who bears a stoic exterior, is not someone who is easily intimidated, having worked in the police force, the prison service and the Singapore Boys’ Home, a shelter for youth in rehabilitation.

Still, he said it was "different" when it came to animals. 

“For human beings, if we don’t like them, we can scold them, we can react to the way they treated us. But for animals, we have to understand their feelings, so it’s a different type of interaction,” he added.

Ms Sih noticed that Mr Ang had “come out of his shell” since the first few sessions of the programme when he preferred to sit by himself away from the rest of the group. 

Unlike most of the other participants who came with either their partners or friends, Mr Ang signed up for the programme alone, out of curiosity.

He lives with his wife, who is still working, and two adult children.

During the last session at the stable, he got emotional when he spoke about Matahari, having built a connection with it. 

“Feels sad that I won’t be able to see her again,” he said with a trembling voice. 

GRANDMA "KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING"

On the last day of the programme, the participants were allowed to invite a guest to the active ageing centre in Jurong West to interact with two miniature horses. 

Mr Ang invited his daughter, Ms Doreen Ang, 38, a human resource executive who took leave from work to see firsthand what her father has been preoccupied with for the past 10 weeks. 

He showed her how to adopt a relaxed posture while holding the lead rope as well as where to stand when introducing herself to the horses.

Ms Ang said that her father looked forward to the sessions every week and would share photos of himself with the horses in the family chat group on the phone.

Mdm Chow took along her 16-year-old grandson Brandon Sim, who got to see his grandmother move with ease around the horses. 

She instructed him to say the horse’s name when approaching it and introduce himself.

“She knows what she’s doing,” he said proudly.

When it was time for a final group photo, the trainers positioned the horses in front of the seniors and their guests.

And as if right on cue, Ginger the miniature horse delivered its parting gift – a sizeable poop drop, just as the photo was being taken.