5 minute read
Riding Jane Paterson
Spotlight on Riding for the Disabled
HAVINGhad to stop activities for almost two years under lockdown during the pandemic, the Burcott Riding Centre near Wells has once again reopened its gates to the Riding for the Disabled (RDA). It’s been such a long wait for the very keen members who thrive on being able to enjoy an activity which gets them outside in the fresh air.
The interaction with horses and ponies is so therapeutic on many levels such as building confidence, encouraging communication skills, using more muscles than most activities, and improving balance.
During term time on Tuesdays, volunteers assemble at Burcott in impressive numbers to enable children and young adults to ride and have instruction in all aspects of horse and pony welfare. The pupils are able to be as involved as their disability allows and according to their levels of confidence, which may be low at first but which gradually increases with their experience.
No one has to do anything they are not comfortable with, but gentle and subtle encouragement to push boundaries works wonders, resulting in absolute delight from the young riders who blossom after each session, all smiles and rosy cheeks and with a sense of achievement evident to see.
All the volunteers who make the sessions possible undergo thorough training, as well as having to have DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) checks and some Safeguarding training before they are permitted to help. These are definitely the unsung heroes who underpin the whole operation and make it possible for the youngsters to have so much fun.
They give up hours of their time not only on the practical side, but also hold regular meetings to ensure they are
With JANE PATERSON
complying with all the regulations which can put so many people off in these days of mounting Health & Safety rules and regulations.
The RDA is a well-established charity which will benefit this year from being the chosen charity of the Badminton Horse Trials to be held from May 4-7th at the home of the Duke of Beaufort. Not only will the money raised be welcomed but also the raising of awareness of what the charity does for so many people.
There will be a display from local riders during the event, so please support this if you go, it’s such an inspiration to see what the riders achieve and what hurdles they overcome to make it enjoyable. By the way, a word of warning…for the first time ever there are no ticket sales on the gate this year, it’s advance tickets only, purchased online via the Badminton website.
Also only the highlights will be shown on the Sunday on
Great balance and concentration skills, Wilf!
The Mendip Minis are out again!
Once again the Mounted Games season is upon us and the Mendip Farmers Pony club team has taken part in the first competition held this year by the Wylye Valley branch, at the wonderful venue kindly provided by Angela Yeoman near Frome.
Not quite the champions this time, the Mendip team came in second out of seven very competitive teams. With two new members of the team this time, Edward and Eloise Dredge aged six and four respectively, the seasoned Izzy, Charlotte and William joined in to put up a good fight, and are already practising to see if they can get their first place back in the next competition to be held in August.
Hats off to the parents who train them despite not necessarily having ever participated in mounted games themselves. It takes hours of patience and innovative ideas to design the courses and help the children to perfect the techniques in order to get the final results.
Mendip Farmers mounted games team
television, so if you want to see the individual phases of the event, it will be necessary to purchase a TV subscription.
The donations and monies received by the RDA via gifts and legacies are such that at the moment there are no big worries for the Burcott group, but with spiralling costs with insurance and hiring the ponies, it is an ever increasing cost.
The participants pay a minimal amount for each session so that it should be as accessible as possible to any disabled child who is considered able enough to learn some new skills whilst having fun. An amazing charity which does so much good.
To round off the Easter Term sessions, an obstacle course was laid out with chickens in nests, Easter bunnies sitting on top of poles, and of course the good old egg and spoon as a balance and coordination challenge.
When Oakley did his round on the lovely Dancer, his mount for the lesson, his main challenge was to keep the pony away from the straw in the nest, which he thought might do for a quick snack on the way round!
Aintree winner
LASTLY, Angus Cheleda has had his first prestigious win at Aintree, during the recent National Hunt Racing festival which included the Grand National. It was an exciting few days, made all the more special by the huge crowds being present this year. Riding Hacker des Places, trained by Champion trainer Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat, Angus stormed to victory in the Park Place Ponies Handicap Hurdle for Conditional Angus Cheleda after his win jockeys and Amateur riders, giving himself a cherished memory for life.
Judging by the photo I would say he was very pleased! Well done Angus.
An award-winning riding school in the heart of Mendip
Return to riding!
We all know it can be a bit of a challenge to get back in the saddle if you’ve not ridden for a while – but we have the answers! H Ride and coffee mornings H Adult group lessons H Quiet Hacks We also welcome younger riders
H Children’s half-day holiday clubs during school holidays. Horse care and riding: £45 for 2½ hours H Full days available in the summer holidays. £90 per day (10am-3.30pm) H Now taking bookings Call or email us for more details
