OUR HORSES

Our horses and ponies are all specially selected for their temperament, adaptability and suitability for RDA work. Most of them remain available to us for a long time so our riders get used to seeing the same familiar faces - and manes and tails - every week. The ones on which people first learn to ride remain special friends long after the rider has graduated to a bigger mount or one better suited to the disciplines of competition.

In February 2004 we took a deep breath and bought a horse ourselves. Sylvester, a pony with a real aptitude for dressage, had been helping some of our riders to make progress in competitions but his owner was about to sell him. Rather than lose his skills, we managed to raise the money to buy him. Since then Sylvester has proved his worth by helping many of our junior riders to success in both regional and national competitions. 

Below are some of the horses and ponies who are part of our team.

	This is Sylvester.   Here, he and Josh are about to compete at the RDA National Championship Finals in Gloucestershire.   Sylvester helped Josh to win second place.   They make a great team.
	This is Snowy.   She is giving a ride in one of the outdoor arenas at Acrecliffe Equestrian Centre where we usually ride.   Snowy is one of our most experienced ponies. She has been helping with RDA work for many years now and she has taught lots of children how to ride.
	This is Major   We need big horses for some of our older riders. Major used to do show jumping before he came to RDA but now he teaches  dressage.   Major is a very quick learner and, although he hasn't been with us as long as some of the other horses, he has become a firm favourite.   Major has already won two 1sts, one 2nd and three 3rd places in the RDA National Championships and he also came 3rd in the Best Turned Out Rider & Horse competition.

Meet our riders. Can anyone with any disability ride with RDA?