GETTING BACK ON THE HORSE RDA celebrates 50 years of providing amazing therapeutic opportunities through horse riding.
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n 2019 Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is celebrating 50 years of enriching people’s lives through horses at its 500 centres across the UK. Each year 25,000 disabled adults and children participate in fun equinerelated activities such as riding and carriage driving which provides
therapy, fitness and the challenge of developing a new skill. Supported by its amazing 18,000 volunteers, RDA is an inclusive and diverse organisation that welcomes clients of all ages with physical and learning disabilities and autism. RDA’s motto, ‘It’s what you can do that counts’, encapsulates the charity’s focus on ability not disability and it prides itself on challenging stereotypes.
Therapeutic
Benefits
A large number of people who ride with RDA have been referred to the charity by either their doctor, physiotherapist or occupational therapist, who have recognised the therapeutic benefits that riding or just spending time with horses can have. The therapeutic impact can be felt immediately, particularly in those with learning disabilities, as the feelgood factor kicks in and a recent study found that 80% of its riders demonstrated a physical improvement in just 12 weeks or less. It is the movement of the horse that is the key therapeutic factor, which encourages strengthening of the core muscles. At walk a horse produces 1000 movements in three dimensions in ten minutes, the rider must respond to these movements in order to stay in balance with the horse. It would be impossible for this level of movement to be created in an average physiotherapy session. This is especially good for those with spinal injuries or conditions such as cerebral palsy.
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