The unspoken bond between horse and human often defies words and that's certainly true in the case of Laura Fish and Jay Jay.

Laura has been diagnosed with autism and selective mutism and her mum, Mary Jo Fish, has shared how a special friendship has helped her break through barriers.

“It’s more of a situational mutism, so Laura can talk when she is relaxed and she knows the place and the people,” Fish said. “That can take years to happen, so she also has a lot of academic needs as well.

“Her paediatrician recommended working with horses, so we started working with RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association of Australia) this year.”

The 10-year-old found comfort in former pacer Inclinator, who had 86 starts for two wins and retired from racing in 2014. The standardbred now goes by Jay Jay and resides at Oakland Junctions.

“She was able to get on to the horse and I could just see her shoulders relaxing,” Mary Jo Fish said.

“Normally she does get quite stiff and it’s not just the voice that freezes up, the whole body becomes stiff, (but) she has got such incredible balance on the horse and she will soon progress to a saddle. She is still not able to verbalise, but she has been able to give a thumbs up and a thumbs down, which for her is really big.”

Fiona Orr is the president of RDA and the hands-on coach of Laura and has seen her confidence rise from when she started the program.

“Her seat on the horse has changed, she is going to go into a saddle very soon and she is more confident in herself and herself esteem,” Orr said. “She loves animals and animals are what she needs."

Laura's story is being shared in part to celebrate the role Royal Children's Hospital has played in supporting her, ahead of the care giver's Good Friday Appeal, which is promoted by Harness Racing Victoria. She has visited the hospital on several occasions, including her mum said "the other day, because she has got a bit of a heart murmur”.

You can give to the appeal via Harness Racing Victoria donation page by clicking here.