Riding for Disabled aims to hit the trails

Young disabled rider Tyler Harvey (7), atop horse Billy, is ready to set off for a ride. Joining...
Young disabled rider Tyler Harvey (7), atop horse Billy, is ready to set off for a ride. Joining him in the arena are (back, from left) volunteer Morgan Gillespie, Riding for the Disabled head coach Tracey Cooper, and (front) Carter Ormsby (10), Islay Garden (7), and Maddy Driver (9). Photo by Brenda Harwood.
Riding for the Disabled Dunedin has some big plans for the future, which could include recreational riding trails built around its Fairfield base.

The organisation held its inaugural Riding for the Disabled holiday programme during the recent school holidays and it proved a hit with Dunedin youngsters.

Open to children of all abilities, the holiday programme aimed to give children riding skills, as well as teaching them about the physiology and nature of horses, Riding for the Disabled operations manager Katy Ferguson said.

''It is really valuable for the children to be able to get close to the horses and work with them in our lovely, rural surroundings,'' Ms Ferguson said.

The introduction of the holiday programme is one of a raft of changes that have taken place at the Riding for the Disabled grounds in Fairfield.

As part of that shift, RDA Dunedin has upgraded its facilities and sold its previous cohort of horses and have replaced them with five new horses.

''Some of the horses we had were difficult to handle for the children, which wasn't ideal,'' Ms Ferguson said.

''The horses we have now are very special and very patient. They don't put a foot wrong. It has really helped to change the direction of the programme.''

RDA works with 55 children with disabilities every week, with the support of more than 100 volunteers, many of them university students.

RDA Dunedin head coach Tracey Cooper said being involved with the horses was a ''fantastic'' experience for the children and was very beneficial.

''By riding the horses, they are having therapy without realising it,'' Ms Cooper said.

Now that it has the right horses, RDA Dunedin is moving to provide private lessons in the weekends for local children of all abilities.

To enhance the experience for all riders, RDA Dunedin is working to create recreational riding trails around the valley where it is situated.

''Having trails to ride makes the experience much more fun for both the children and the horses, which can get sick of just walking around the arena,'' Ms Ferguson said.

RDA Dunedin was looking for help from the community with building the tracks, especially with regard to fencing and earth moving.

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement