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We are affiliated to the National Riding for the Disabled Association. We have over sixty Riders of all ages, with all types of disabilities, from all over the Fylde Coast & the surrounding areas. 
Some of our Riders enjoy the facilities at our Equestrian Centre at Wrea Green during the day with their Schools (Tuesday am), and others come along on Tuesday evenings with their Carers or Parents. Rides last half an hour, and are led by a qualified Instructor. Each Rider is assigned a horse or pony suited to their size & ability, a Leader (to lead & take responsibility for the horse). There may also be up to 2 side-walkers to assist with the rider's balance or confidence.  The work we do not only improves the Rider's physical well-being via the exercise of riding, but builds on social skills and ability to interact with other people by the Rider's association with the Groups' helpers and other riders. We often find that the horse helps to improve the Rider's ability to interact with others, and in some cases the communication with their pony is the first step they take to acknowledging the existence of other people.
Our Group also provides the opportunity for our Riders to attend a 5 day riding holiday at a specialist Disabled Riding Centre in Clwyd, Wales. We run two holidays each summer, and in many cases this often provides our members with their first ever holiday away from their parents. These holidays can have a great effect on boosting the confidence of the Rider as they have to take full charge of their horse for the duration of their stay.... collecting the horse each morning from the field, grooming & tacking-up before the ride, untacking & turning out the horse following the ride, and cleaning the tack at the end of the day. This coupled with the exertion of the rides themselves in the Welsh hills (2 to 2 & a half hours each day, as opposed to a half hour ride inside once a week), often means that they return home at the end of their stay, very tired but exhilarated with success. The Group also attends various local events during the year - Horseman's Sunday at Wrea Green, Gt. Eccleston Show, the Stirrup Cup Wrea Green etc. - in order to both raise funds & the profile of the RDA, as well as to appeal for more helpers for our weekly Tuesday rides.
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