Herefordshire Riding for the Disabled

Help Herefordshire RDA Build a Barn

Help us build a £1 million new equine therapy centre between Whitchurch and Llangrove, Herefordshire. We're celebrating gaining planning permission and will start building in summer 2024 but need your help to raise funds to finish our new barn.
£1,351,005
raised of £1,500,000 target
RCN 1100675

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Story

Herefordshire Riding for the Disabled is celebrating the approval of planning permission to construct a modern riding therapy facility at its new site between Llangrove and Whitchurch in the South of the county.

The new centre will include a 30m x 60m indoor riding arena and hydraulic rider hoist, viewing area, 15 stables and a mechanical therapy horse room.

The RDA has outgrown its current home at Holme Lacy College and has been looking for a larger site that will allow for much-needed development. Over 100 people, aged 5 to 75, currently attend weekly riding therapy sessions, but the new facility will allow us to extend this and also offer weekend sessions. The new arena will be more than twice the size of the one at Holme Lacy, allowing for exciting activities such as RDA show jumping

RDA supports everyone with a learning or physical impairment, as well as those with mental health conditions. Our fully qualified and specially trained coaches support individuals to determine how riding and contact with horses (also known as equine human therapy) might best enhance their physical and mental well-being.

Work on the Llangrove is anticipated to begin this summer, however, help is still needed to support both the build and implementation of this exciting project. "We are very fortunate to have already secured funds to start this project, but we need financial help to complete the entire build," says Sarah Wells, a trustee for the Herefordshire RDA. "We're launching our Build a Barn campaign today and would to love to hear from any local businesses who may be able to help with any construction materials. This might be anything from gates to fence posts or hardcore to kitchen appliances, we are going to need it all. We're also launching a crowd funding campaign for everyone to get involved; it is such a big project that every penny really does count.

You can help by:

1) Donating individually to this page

2) Getting together to hold an event and donate proceeds to our campaign. It could a coffee morning, cake sale or open gardens.

3) Donate materials to the project. We'd love to hear from any businesses who could donate anything from gravel, paving slabs to concrete or wash basins.

Pictured below - (l) Emily Peachy Yard Manager & RDA Coach and (r) Claire Chandler - RDA Centre Manager with mascot Squirt the miniature pony

About the charity

Herefordshire Riding for the Disabled offers riding therapy to over 100 adults or children with a physical disability, learning disability or additional needs each week. Most beneficiaries come from within the county of Herefordshire. Service users range from 5 years to 75 years old and come from a variety of backgrounds including supported living, foster care, school and family groups. We have a dedicated Equestrian Centre with 10 horses and ponies that runs sessions all year round. Our sessions are not just ‘riding lessons’ where service users are led around on ponies - each session has a structured plan aimed to the specific need of the participants. Our coaches aim to improve balance, core strength, mobility and communication through specially constructed riding sessions and we have seen clear results. Our service is also volunteer based and we need volunteers to undertake a variety of tasks to ensure riding therapy sessions go ahead. This includes leading horses and ponies, sidewalking beside clients to encourage engagement, helping with the care of ponies on the stable yard. We have over 50 volunteers that come to us each week.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,351,005.00
+ £80.00 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,005.00
Offline donations
£1,350,000.00
Direct donations
£1,005.00
Donations via fundraisers
£0.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.