RIDING LESSONS

Here at Blairgowrie RDA, the emphasis for our riders is very much on having fun while improving fitness, skills development and therapy.

We welcome clients with a range of physical and learning disabilities and autism. There are no age restrictions and we can offer both group and individual lessons. 

We have access to a secure outdoor arena where our riders take part in a wide variety of games and activities, all under the careful eye of our coaches and volunteers. Each of our riders is allocated a pony leader and, where required, another volunteer will walk alongside the pony to help improve confidence.

All of our ponies have been carefully selected for their calm and gentle nature and our young riders in particular love to interact with them. We also encourage our riders to learn about horses and pony care such as grooming – great fun if the weather isn’t ideal for riding!

Research shows that horse riding with RDA delivers physical benefits, boosts confidence, improves communication skills and helps to build relationships. We know our activities support our clients’ education and learning and that having the opportunity to join in improves confidence in daily life. 

If you’d like to take part, please do contact us – we would be very happy to answer any questions you might have about your own specific needs. We hope to welcome you to the RDA family soon!

If you’d like to know more about Riding for the Disabled, visit www.rda.org.uk

VOLUNTEERING

We’re a very friendly team at Blairgowrie RDA and we’re always keen to hear from people who would like to volunteer with us. You don’t need any special skills to be a volunteer and you don’t even need to have any experience of horses, as full training will be given.

Our volunteers come from all sorts of backgrounds and are involved in a wide range of activities, including helping with lessons, pony care, fundraising (we have some very talented bakers whose creations are highly sought-after at our annual Bake Sale!), maintenance of our facilities and admin.

Even if you just have a few hours to spare every so often, you will be made very welcome, so please get in touch to find out more. We’d love to see you!