Group member of RDA Registered Charity No. 1141360 (Please note our charity used to be known as Abingdon Group RDA with charity number 1074161, this charity ceased to exist in 2014 when it was replaced with the current incorporated form of RDA Abingdon Ltd (with the charity number 1141360). (A Group Member of the Riding for the Disabled Association incorporating Carriage Driving, Registered Company No 5010395, Registered Charity No, 244108)
Registered Charity No. 1141360 (Please note our charity used to be known as Abingdon Group RDA with charity number 1074161, this charity ceased to exist in 2014 when it was replaced with the current incorporated form of RDA Abingdon Ltd (with the charity number 1141360). (A Group Member of the Riding for the Disabled Association incorporating Carriage Driving, Registered Company No 5010395, Registered Charity No, 244108) 
Abingdon RDA twinned with Kenya RDA
Abingdon RDA
Offering riding opportunities to disabled people in Oxfordshire and beyond.
News
June 28th 2015 - Our 40th Anniversary Event What a super day was had by all! The forecast was not very favourable but the rain stopped in time for a wonderful equestrian production of Alice in Wonderland topped off with a Mad Hatters' Tea party. Trip to Olympia International Horse Show Sunday December 20th 2015 A group of riders enjoyed an exciting evening with huge thanks to The Saddlers who donated a private box. Popular with our group was Jean-François Pignon and his breath-taking display (below left), the Sheltand pony Grand National, the show jumping and the very skilled Pony Club riders. The musical ride of the Household Cavalry was a big hit as well! and made the sessions such fun for the young riders. The group is still operating from a stable and field complex just down the lane from where Sue lives, and as she keeps some of the ponies used for RDA in her yard, this is a very convenient venue. I recently spent an afternoon with the Kenya RDA group and, as always, thoroughly enjoyed meeting and helping with three classes of very disabled children who come weekly from a near by children's home. The helpers and instructors under the guidance of Sue Anderson and Jane Tyrrell were excellent It certainly looks as if the group will be operating from here for the foreseeable future as land in this area is far too expensive to acquire. After a very welcome cup of tea with some of the helpers back at Sue's house I left knowing that the group remains happy and extremely well run. Milla Harvey Kenya RDA O’Donnell, to highlight the benefit of the horses’ walk pace for the riders, and factors that can influence the quality of the walk - e.g. the leader not allowing the ponies to move freely, tack, conformation and the environment. A good walk for the rider should be rhythmical, repetitive and variable. We were also reminded that RDA ponies should be schooled regularly by balanced riders. These were some of the points that were highlighted when discussing the Transfer of Movement from the horse to the rider. An interesting and informative training session. Emily and Gwenfair Emily and myself attended the South Region RDA training day in February. We observed a lesson, led by Theresa Drake, using basic dressage movements as an introduction to the world of dressage for young riders. All riders rode using a saddle but no stirrups - according to the physiotherapist, the child gains more benefit from the pony’s movement if riding without stirrups. Other topics included assessment of the horse’s paces, how to lead, introduction to dressage tests, plus a demonstration of the walk and trot dressage test with very helpful comments from Waveny Luke. Then it was the turn of the physiotherapists, Nona Dane and Elspeth Instructors’ Training Day Plant Sale - The Plant sale on Saturday May 14th was a great success. Many thanks to everyone who contributed with raffle prizes, plants, cakes, cards, tombola etc. It was nice to see so many supporters on the day and we are grateful to all those who purchased raffle tickets. Sarah Wilkinson still has a few plants to sell so the total should be in the region of £2000. An excellent result to help raise funds for the stables. There are still a few plants left - see Fund-raising page. Hay Bale Mountain - thank you. Thanks from Charlie to everyone who supported his special 'hay bale mountain'. You raised £100 which was enough to pay for his special hay for about four weeks over the winter. Sue Murrin Pony for the Day Tuesday May 31st These five girls and their wonderful helpers, had a fantastic "pony for the day" day. The day started mucking out 3 boxes, followed by a grooming session. Then a ride round the handy pony course. Time to relax and have lunch before fun and games with gymkhana. They then all gave a mini lecture from the gallery on something that they had learned during the course of the day. Rosettes all round and then home. Thank you so much to all those that make these days possible. They will be running during the summer holidays so look out for the lists if you would like to join in. During last week of June 2016 we played host to 2 groups of Brownies. The first to arrive were Long Wittenham Brownies on Monday and on Thursday we were also delighted to welcome the Southmoor and Kingston Bagpuize group. Both groups gave us a very generous donation and we thank them very much for their support. Southmoor and Kingston Bagpuize Brownies gave the ponies a thorough grooming and enjoyed discussing the benefits of riding with Syd - one of our riders. Then they learned the art of leading the ponies with some of our volunteers. After a quick Google - here is the answer to one of their difficult questions: "Horses are not colour blind, but have two-colour vision. This means they see two of the basic three wavelengths of visible light, compared to the three-colour of most humans. In other words, horses naturally see the blue and green colours of the spectrum and the colour variations based upon them, but cannot distinguish red. Research indicates their colour vision is somewhat like red-green colour blindness in humans, in which certain colours, especially red and related colours, appear more green." On Monday evening we had a visit from the 1st Long Wittenham Brownies. 12 of them came with their leader, and we all had a great time - one of our volunteers said she had learned so much about horses. Sandra, our Yard Manager gave the youngsters a really fun session on stable management, horse passports and many other interesting things, and the Brownies seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening. Mr. Brown, Charlie and Bryn were present throughout, and enjoyed the attention of the girls. Alfie, who was our only rider thoroughly enjoyed the evening! A huge thank you to a team from Microsoft who came to the stables and gave it a much-needed face lift. During their team meeting and events, they also raised some money for our group, this they can get matched via Microsoft who support many charities in this way. We should receive a wonderful total of £2440 which will be put to good use. Thank you so much team - it all looks superb. May 2017 Two of our volunteers came to support us at the Standlake Village market where we have a regular stall with a tombola, cakes etc. The market is held in Standlake Village Hall on the first Saturday of every month. January 2017 Request for volunteers for yard duties. If anyone has any time to spare to help with mucking out (morning or evening), bringing horses in from the field, grooming etc. please contact us. Wed 7th Dec The Wednesday morning group held a training session during which we packed in lots of topics. Back by popular request was a very naughty Victoria riding Jim Bob. Victoria was trying to throw herself off and being very unbalanced and unruly. This led to discussions about the best support (what felt secure and comfortable for Victoria and what was the best hold for side walkers). The overwhelming response from everyone was the arm across the thigh and outer hand holding the leg just above the ankle. We demonstrated why you should avoid supporting the back if at all possible. Jim Bob was a complete star - he stopped every time he thought that Victoria was about to fall off! Victoria’s antics didn’t stop once she was dismounted - she ran off wildly around the school demonstrating the need to be on the ball all the time. Sept 16th - Blenheim Sponsored Ride Another successful event - we were so very lucky at Blenheim, the weather was OK but floods all around. Only 2 riders didn’t make the journey. Including Gift Aid we raised approximately £3000. Thank you to all who took part - we hope to see you next year. September 4th 2016 - Fun Day The forecast was set fair but turned out to be a bit grey and blustery. However it didn’t rain! A great time was had by all and the activities (gymkhana, handy pony, pony knowledge etc.) produced some star riders. Thank you to all who made the day such a success and to the splendid chefs from the Faringdon Rotary Club who organised the barbecue which emitted a wonderful aroma. Pony for the Day - July 27th A brilliant and exhausting day was had by Freya, Libby and Sophia - owning Speckle, Polo and Bryne for the day. Grooming and preparation was followed by a long hot walk and back for trotting. A refuel helped us all cope with handy pony, a pony knowledge game using the dressage letters ,and a gymkhana. Freya and Sophia decided that sitting down on the job for skipping out was in order - gloves at the ready for a necessary part of owning a pony. Tack cleaning at the end of the day allowed us all to recover on a chair! Zip wire challenge. July 3rd 2016 - a 6:45 a.m. start and we are off to ride the Titan (ZIp World) in North Wales. Many thanks to all those who sponsored us so generously (even though it is over, it isn’t too late to sponsor). It was a long journey and many thanks to Mel and Rachel for sharing the driving - not an easy task once off the motorway. We all had to wear the gear - special flattering onesies, a hard hat, protective glasses and the harness with a strange seat. We also had to carry what they called the “trolley” a heavy piece of equipment that attaches to the wire. All weighed down and hardly able to walk, we made our way to the minibus that took us to the highest point and the longest, but slowest wire. We admired a wonderful view of Blaenau Ffestiniog and the valley below, and then we lined up to be attached to the equipment. For this wire we went down in tandem to add weight and counteract the side wind (didn’t really help, we still ended up facing sideways). It was a short walk to the second, steeper zip and we were told that you get a better sense of speed because it is closer to the ground. What a rush of adrenalin that caused! Then we had to walk someway up a steep track to the final wire (quite a challenge with the gear) and then down the final zip which didn’t disappoint. See the video on our Facebook page. We made enough money to finance the RDA for a month! I think that we all deserve a “we were brave” badge. May 2017 Gillie and Sarah Barlow should have a “we were brave badge”! They performed a Wing Walk in aid of our much anticipated new indoor school. It’s not too late to donate to their Just Giving page.View the video and dig deep! Sarah also held a wonderful Food Fair in Ardington that was very well supported.Thank you both for your bravery and hard work. May 2017 We held a plant sale with side stalls and refreshments. It was such a pity about the weather which affected turnout but we still managed to make a healthy sum of just over £1100. Many thanks to Sarah Wilkinson for her amazing hard work and also to all others who helped and donated plants/prizes etc. Fun with “Pin the tail on Mr. Brown” and “Lucky Dip”…… May 2017 We are very grateful to the Faringdon Rotary Club who presented a cheque for £4,500 to two of our Saturday morning riders by club President Sarah Benson. Sarah chose Abingdon RDA as her charity for the year, and the money was raised from their annual Duck Race at Millets Farm along with other fund raising activities.
 
May 2017 - The Wednesday evening class starred in a Meridian TV News report. See the full footage here. Some excellent riding impressed the team who came to interview and record the lesson. Alice - the instructor provided a wonderful lesson despite the distractions and the riders all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. June 2017 - 9 of our riders qualified for the National Championships, on 5 different ponies, so they will heading for Hartpury. Very many thanks to all the instructors, volunteers and staff who made this day such a huge success for our group. The ponies were wonderful and the riders excelled. June 11th 2017 - Rooster’s Picnic Ride. Anita organised a superb picnic ride from her home on the downs. We did a large circle which included part of the Ridgeway. The weather was just perfect, warm with a nice cooling wind. Apparently we walked and rode nearly 6 miles and ended up back in the yard happy and tired. Sharon and Sue M did us proud with an amazing picnic. Very many thanks to everyone (especially to Anita, Piers, Sandra, Denise G, Sharon and Sue M) for their hard work and dawn start to make this a really wonderful day. We are off……… Sandy hitched a lift home Roxy wants to stay 5th July - Kingfisher Picnic ride. The weather couldn’t have been better. We had a wonderful ride around the fields followed by a picnic of our usual extremely high standard which was enjoyed by all. Well done to all those who competed at the 2017 National Finals - we are proud of you all!Thank you also to all those who put in such hard work coaching the riders, training the horses, preparing the horses and for your support and hard work on location. Saturday Aug 19th - Sue Taylor and Gwenfair got up very early to set up a car boot stall at Burford. Unfortunately we parked in the shade and the day was colder than we expected. As you can see, Gwen spent a lot of time hugging the polypads which warmed up as the sun rose. We are on a learning curve and it was fun, but it wasn’t a huge financial success. There are easier ways of fund raising as we found out. Fun Day September 2017 What a super day we all had! Expertly organised and it didn’t rain until we had all finished! All the riders should be proud of themselves for some great achievements - even though it was just a Fun Day! May thanks to all those who helped to make it such a success.
Blenheim Palace Sponsored Ride We are very grateful to the Duke and his team for allowing this wonderful fund-raising event on an annual basis.  This year, we were worried that numbers of riders were down but we had some amazing riders who raised record amounts of sponsorship money  - total was magnificent sum of over £4000.  Gift Aid adds a nice tidy sum too!  We were so lucky with the weather and the response from riders (some of whom came from far afield) was so rewarding.  Thank you to all who helped make this a day for many to remember.
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7 September at 19:09 Great piece on BBC local news tonight. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php… BBC South Today 7 September at 18:08 · The horses that are changing lives, but they can't be ridden indoors in winter because the arena is too small. See the video on our Facebook page. Jan 14th 2018 - Ann Barlows’ 80th birthday surprise party. How we kept it a secret, we’ll never know but Ann thought that she was off to a food fair with her daughters and looked what happened!We had a super party to thank Ann for all that she has done for the group and to wish her a big Happy Birthday.
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Feb 2018 - QUIZ night We held a Quiz night in Southmoor Village Hall (preceded by our AGM). This was a highly successful, enjoyable evening and we raised approximately £1000 towards much-needed funds. Rachel and Donald put together the questions (& answers) which were expertly delivered. The Fund Raising Team organised refreshments, a bar and a raffle and even had time to add a lovely touch - a flower arrangement on each table. The hall was packed with supporters, so a huge thank you to all the organisers and supporters. What distance can a cow smell????? Now I know the answer, so am armed with the fact to impress my friends. Plant Sale and Mini FeteMay 12th 2018Thank you to everyone who supported this event. At the last count, we raised £740 with more to come.A huge thank you to Sarah Wilkinson who collected, grew etc. all the plants and to all those who baked cakes and donated items for the tables, and helped out. Thanks also to all those who attended and parted with their money. Whoever arranged the weather did extremely well! May 12th 2018 Congratulations to Kate and Christian Towers who tied the knot on a beautiful day. What a poor excuse - they couldn’t come to our plant sale! Here is wishing them both every happiness. 14th April 2018 A Black Tie Dinner and Dance was held at Kingston House.This was a super evening with a very enjoyable meal and we raised an impressive > £13,000 towards our new indoor school. Many thanks to the organisers and our hosts. May 20th 2018 Southern Region Qualifier An amazing 11 riders qualified for National finals. Well done to everyone who rode, to all the volunteers, staff and coaches who put in many additional hours to make this day such an enjoyable success. Check into our Facebook page to see many photos. Good luck for the National Finals in July! June 2018 A lovely sunny day and we are out for a ride!
July 11th 2018 The Wednesday group arranged the weather again for yet another fabulous picnic ride.  After an extra long ride, we were rewarded with our usual amazing spread.  We have to congratulate the children for their patience whilst the adults kept coming back for seconds and thirds! I think that this was the best behaved group of children that we have ever shared our picnic with.
14-15th July 18 National Finals Huge congratulations to all our riders who rode so well and achieved so much.  Credit must also go to the instructors, staff and volunteers who give up so much of their time. We mustn’t forget to give credit to our wonderful ponies who keep on giving their best.
Summer holidays 2018 - Pony for the Day Many thanks to all coaches and volunteers who organised 4 wonderful sessions of Pony for the Day. Much fun was had by all and there were some excellent ideas including making pony treats and understanding your pony’s expressions. Some good leading techniques kept them all.  There was some good riding and fun gymkhana games. September 8th 2018 Fun Day - very many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this a wonderful day to remember (especially Rachel and Donald).There were so many achievements - Freya had her first canter, not exactly planned, but wow, didn’t she do well! Lots of rosettes were worn with pride. You all did brilliantly!A big thank you to the BBQ & food team for a delicious spread.
Thank you to all those who supported our sponsored ride at Blenheim and very many thanks to the Duke for allowing us to hold this annual event.  We raised just over £2000 after expenses.  Despite the wind everyone seemed to enjoy the event (including the RDA group who did the short ride). Congratulations to Chloe Thomas who raised the most money - she will hold the 2018 cup.
Join our Facebook group Join our Facebook group March 2nd 2019 Quiz Night A fantastic night and thanks to everyone's hard work this years quiz was the best yet. With the £150 donations that also came in, we took well over £1000. Not bad for an evening's work. Many thanks to Donald for all your hard work, the quiz was great and the hall was packed.
March 29th 2019 Volunteer and staff supper. Another great night!  Many thanks to Sharon and her team for some wonderful food and entertainment.  Sharon even catered a choice of menu and gluten free alternatives. It was a great social occasion with a fun quiz and a hilarious party game (with a bonus of raising £350). We took the opportunity to thank Sandie and Wendy for their help/services over the years and we wish them both a happy, long retirement. 
Plant Sale May 11th 2019.Many thanks to all involved (especially Sarah Wilkinson who organised all the plants). This was a huge success - there were so many lovely plants and the event was very well supported. With the plant sale, tombola and refreshments, we raised nearly £1000 on the day.
19th July 2019 Congratulations to all our riders who took part in the Southern Region Qualifiers at Wellington Riding.  You did so well even though some of our ponies decided to test their riders.  It was a new occasion for a couple of our ponies and a judge’s box and mirrors can be a scary things.  However our riders managed to reassure  their mounts and they all rode brilliantly! Very many thanks to all the team who worked so hard to get our horses there in good time ,and they were so well-turned out as well.  It was a long day for your all and much appreciated.
Registered Charity No. 1141360 (A Group Member of the Riding for the Disabled Association incorporating Carriage Driving, Registered Company No 5010395, Registered Charity No, 244108)
© Abingdon RDA 2019
Abingdon RDA
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Offering riding opportunities to disabled people in Oxfordshire and beyond.
NEWS
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We are very grateful to the Duke and his team for allowing this wonderful fund-raising event on an annual basis. This year, we were worried that numbers of riders were down but we had some amazing riders who raised record amounts of sponsorship money - total was magnificent sum of over £4000. Gift Aid adds a nice tidy sum too! We were so lucky with the weather and the response from riders (some of whom came from far afield) was so rewarding. Thank you to all who helped make this a day for many to remember. Blenheim Palace Sponsored Ride June 11th 2017 - Rooster’s Picnic Ride. Anita organised a superb picnic ride from her home on the downs. We did a large circle which included part of the Ridgeway. The weather was just perfect, warm with a nice cooling wind. Apparently we walked and rode nearly 6 miles and ended up back in the yard happy and tired. Sharon and Sue M did us proud with an amazing picnic. Very many thanks to everyone (especially to Anita, Piers, Sandra, Denise G, Sharon and Sue M) for their hard work and dawn start to make this a really wonderful day. Instructors’ Training Day. Trip to Olympia International Horse Show  Sunday December 20th 2015 A group of riders enjoyed an exciting evening with huge thanks to The Saddlers who donated a private box. Popular with our group was Jean- François Pignon and his breath-taking display (below left), the Sheltand pony Grand National, the show jumping and the very skilled Pony Club riders. The musical ride of the Household Cavalry was a big hit as well! June 28th 2015 - Our 40th Anniversary Event What a super day was had by all! The forecast was not very favourable but the rain stopped in time for a wonderful equestrian production of Alice in Wonderland topped off with a Mad Hatters' Tea party. Emily and myself attended the South Region RDA training day in February. We observed a lesson, led by Theresa Drake, using basic dressage movements as an introduction to the world of dressage for young riders. All riders rode using a saddle but no stirrups - according to the physiotherapist, the child gains more benefit from the pony’s movement if riding without stirrups. Other topics included assessment of the horse’s paces, how to lead, introduction to dressage tests, plus a demonstration of the walk and trot dressage test with very helpful comments from Waveny Luke. Then it was the turn of the physiotherapists, Nona Dane and Elspeth O’Donnell, to highlight the benefit of the horses’ walk pace for the riders, and factors that can influence the quality of the walk - e.g. the leader not allowing the ponies to move freely, tack, conformation and the environment. A good walk for the rider should be rhythmical, repetitive and variable. We were also reminded that RDA ponies should be schooled regularly by balanced riders. These were some of the points that were highlighted when discussing the Transfer of Movement from the horse to the rider. An interesting and informative training session. Emily and Gwenfair Kenya I recently spent an afternoon with the Kenya RDA group and, as always, thoroughly enjoyed meeting and helping with three classes of very disabled children who come weekly from a near by children's home. The helpers and instructors under the guidance of Sue Anderson and Jane Tyrrell were excellent and made the sessions such fun for the young riders. The group is still operating from a stable and field complex just down the lane from where Sue lives, and as she keeps some of the ponies used for RDA in her yard, this is a very convenient venue. It certainly looks as if the group will be operating from here for the foreseeable future as land in this area is far too expensive to acquire. After a very welcome cup of tea with some of the helpers back at Sue's house I left knowing that the group remains happy and extremely well run. Milla Harvey Pony for the Day Tuesday May 31st These five girls and their wonderful helpers, had a fantastic "pony for the day" day. The day started mucking out 3 boxes, followed by a grooming session. Then a ride round the handy pony course. Time to relax and have lunch before fun and games with gymkhana. They then all gave a mini lecture from the gallery on something that they had learned during the course of the day. Rosettes all round and then home. Thank you so much to all those that make these days possible. They will be running during the summer holidays so look out for the lists if you would like to join in. May 2017 Two of our volunteers came to support us at the Standlake Village market where we have a regular stall with a tombola, cakes etc. The market is held in Standlake Village Hall on the first Saturday of every month. January 2017 Request for volunteers for yard duties. If anyone has any time to spare to help with mucking out (morning or evening), bringing horses in from the field, grooming etc. please contact us. Wed 7th Dec The Wednesday morning group held a training session during which we packed in lots of topics. Back by popular request was a very naughty Victoria riding Jim Bob. Victoria was trying to throw herself off and being very unbalanced and unruly. This led to discussions about the best support (what felt secure and comfortable for Victoria and what was the best hold for side walkers). The overwhelming response from everyone was the arm across the thigh and outer hand holding the leg just above the ankle. We demonstrated why you should avoid supporting the back if at all possible. Jim Bob was a complete star - he stopped every time he thought that Victoria was about to fall off! Victoria’s antics didn’t stop once she was dismounted - she ran off wildly around the school demonstrating the need to be on the ball all the time. Sept 16th 2016 Blenheim Sponsored Ride Another successful event - we were so lucky the weather was OK but floods all around. Only 2 riders didn’t make the journey. Including GiftAid, we raised approximately £3000. Thank you to all who took part - we hope to see you next year. Wed July 27th - Pony for the day A happy day for Freya with Speckle, Sophia with Bryne, and Libby with Polo. All proud owners of their ponies for the day. We packed so much in that we were all quite exhausted. Skipping out was a sitting affair! Wed 13th JulyKingfisher School’s last ride this term ended with our usual feast and certificates and rosettes for the children. July 3rd 2016 - a 6:45 a.m. start and we are off to ride the Titan (ZIp World) in North Wales. Many thanks to all those who sponsored us so generously (even though it is over, it isn’t too late to sponsor). It was a long journey and many thanks to Mel and Rachel for sharing the driving - not an easy task once off the motorway. We all had to wear the gear - special flattering onesies, a hard hat, protective glasses and the harness with a strange seat. We also had to carry what they called the “trolley” a heavy piece of equipment that attaches to the wire. All weighed down and hardly able to walk, we made our way to the minibus that took us to the highest point and the longest, but slowest wire. We admired a wonderful view of Blaenau Ffestiniog and the valley below, and then we lined up to be attached to the equipment. For this wire we went down in tandem to add weight and counteract the side wind (didn’t really help, we still ended up facing sideways). It was a short walk to the second, steeper zip and we were told that you get a better sense of speed because it is closer to the ground. What a rush of adrenalin that caused! Then we had to walk someway up a steep track to the final wire (quite a challenge with the gear) and then down the final zip which didn’t disappoint. We made enough money to finance the RDA for a month! I think that we all deserve a “we were brave” badge. A huge thank you to a team from Microsoft who came to the stables and gave it a much-needed face lift. During their team meeting and events, they also raised some money for our group, this they can get matched via Microsoft who support many charities in this way. We should receive a wonderful total of £2440 which will be put to good use. Thank you so much team - it all looks superb. During last week of June 2016 we played host to 2 groups of Brownies. The first to arrive were Long Wittenham Brownies on Monday and on Thursday we were also delighted to welcome the Southmoor and Kingston Bagpuize group. Both groups gave us a very generous donation and we thank them very much for their support. May 2017 Gillie and Sarah Barlow should have a “we were brave badge”! They performed a Wing Walk in aid of our much anticipated new indoor school. It’s not too late to donate to their Just Giving page. View the video and dig deep! Sarah also held a wonderful Food Fair in Ardington that was very well supported.Thank you both for your bravery, support and hard work. May 2017 We held a plant sale with side stalls and refreshments. It was such a pity about the weather which affected turnout but we still managed to make a healthy sum of just over £1100. Many thanks to Sarah Wilkinson for her amazing hard work and also to all others who helped and donated plants/prizes etc. Fun with “Pin the tail on Mr. Brown” and “Lucky Dip”…… May 2017 We are very grateful to the Faringdon Rotary Club who presented a cheque for £4,500 to two of our Saturday morning riders by club President Sarah Benson. Sarah chose Abingdon RDA as her charity for the year, and the money was raised from their annual Duck Race at Millets Farm along with other fund raising activities. May 2017 - The Wednesday evening class starred in a Meridian TV News report. See the full footage here. Some excellent riding impressed the team who came to interview and record the lesson. Alice - the instructor provided a wonderful lesson despite the distractions and the riders all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. June 2017 - 9 of our riders qualified for the National Championships, on 5 different ponies, so they will heading for Hartpury. Very many thanks to all the instructors, volunteers and staff who made this day such a huge success for our group. The ponies were wonderful and the riders excelled. We are off……… Sandy hitched a lift home Roxie wants to stay
September 8th 2018 Fun Day - very many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this a wonderful day to remember (especially Rachel and Donald). There were so many achievements - Freya had her first canter, not exactly planned, but wow, didn’t she do well!  Lots of rosettes were worn with pride. You all did brilliantly! A big thank you to the BBQ & food team for a delicious spread.
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Summer holidays 2018 - Pony for the Day Many thanks to all coaches and volunteers who organised 4 wonderful sessions of Pony for the Day. Much fun was had by all and there were some excellent ideas including making pony treats and understanding your pony’s expressions.  Some good leading techniques kept them all.  There was some good riding and fun gymkhana games.
A lovely sunny day and we are out for a ride! 
BBC South Today 7 September at 18:08 · The horses that are changing lives, but they can't be ridden indoors in winter because the arena is too small. See the video on our Facebook page.
5th July - Kingfisher Picnic ride. The weather couldn’t have been better. We had a wonderful ride around the fields followed by a picnic of our usual extremely high standard which was enjoyed by all. Well done to all those who competed at the National Finals - we are proud of you all!Thank you also to all those who put in such hard work coaching the riders, training the horses, preparing the horses and for your support and hard work on location. Saturday Aug 19th - Sue Taylor and Gwenfair got up very early to set up a car boot stall at Burford. Unfortunately we parked in the shade and the day was colder than we expected. As you can see, Gwen spent a lot of time hugging the polypads which warmed up as the sun rose. We are on a learning curve and it was fun, but it wasn’t a huge financial success. There are easier ways of fund raising as we found out. Fun Day September 2017 What a super day we all had! Expertly organised and it didn’t rain until we had all finished! All the riders should be proud of themselves for some great achievements - even though it was just a Fun Day! May thanks to all those who helped to make it such a success.
Jan 14th 2018  - Ann Barlows’ 80th birthday surprise party.  How we kept it a secret, we’ll never know but Ann thought that she was off to a food fair with her daughters and looked what happened! We had a super party to thank Ann for all that she has done for the group and to wish her a big Happy Birthday.
Feb 2018 - QUIZ night We held a Quiz night in Southmoor Village Hall (preceded by our AGM). This was a highly successful, enjoyable evening and we raised approximately £1000 towards much-needed funds. Rachel and Donald put together the questions (& answers) which were expertly delivered. The Fund Raising Team organised refreshments, a bar and a raffle and even had time to add a lovely touch - a flower arrangement on each table. The hall was packed with supporters, so a huge thank you to all the organisers and supporters. What distance can a cow smell????? Now I know the answer, so am armed with the fact to impress my friends. May 12th 2018 Congratulations to Kate and Christian Towers who tied the knot on a beautiful day. What a poor excuse - they couldn’t come to our plant sale! Here is wishing them both every happiness.
14th April 2018 A Black Tie Dinner and Dance was held at Kingston House. This was a super evening with a very enjoyable meal and we raised an impressive > £13,000 towards our new indoor school.  Many thanks to the organisers and our hosts.
Plant Sale and Mini Fete May 12th 2018 Thank you to everyone who supported this event.  At the last count, we raised £740 with more to come. A huge thank you to Sarah Wilkinson who collected, grew etc. all the plants and to all those who baked cakes and donated items for the tables, and helped out.  Thanks also to all those who attended and parted with their money.  Whoever arranged the weather did extremely well!
May 20th 2018 Southern Region Qualifier An amazing 11 riders qualified for National finals.  Well done to everyone who rode, to all the volunteers, staff and coaches who put in many additional hours to make this day such an enjoyable success. Check into our Facebook page to see many photos.  Good luck for the National Finals in July!
July 11th 2018 The Wednesday group arranged the weather again for yet another fabulous picnic ride.  After an extra long ride, we were rewarded with our usual amazing spread.  We have to congratulate the children for their patience whilst the adults kept coming back for seconds and thirds! I think that this was the best behaved group of children that we have ever shared our picnic with.
14-15th July 18 National Finals Huge congratulations to all our riders who rode so well and achieved so much.  Credit must also go to the instructors, staff and volunteers who give up so much of their time. We mustn’t forget to give credit to our wonderful ponies who keep on giving their best.
Thank you to all those who supported our sponsored ride at Blenheim and very many thanks to the Duke for allowing us to hold this annual event. We raised just over £2000 after expenses. Despite the wind everyone seemed to enjoy the event (including the RDA group who did the short ride). Congratulations to Chloe Thomas who raised the most money - she will hold the 2018 cup. March 2nd 2019 Quiz Night A fantastic night and thanks to everyone's hard work this years quiz was the best yet. With the £150 donations that also came in, we took well over £1000. Not bad for an evening's work. Many thanks to Donald for all your hard work, the quiz was great and the hall was packed.
March 29th 2019 Volunteer and staff supper. Another great night!  Many thanks to Sharon and her team for some wonderful food and entertainment.  Sharon even catered a choice of menu and gluten free alternatives. It was a great social occasion with a fun quiz and a hilarious party game (with a bonus of raising £350) . We took the opportunity to thank Sandie and Wendy for their help/services over the years and we wish them both a happy, long retirement.  

Plant Sale May 11th 2019.

Many thanks to all involved

(especially Sarah Wilkinson

who organised all the plants). 

This was a huge success -

there were so many lovely

plants and the event was very

well supported. 

With the plant sale, tombola

and refreshments, we raised

nearly £1000 on the day.

19th July 2019 Congratulations to all our riders who took part in the Southern Region Qualifiers at Wellington Riding.  You did so well even though some of our ponies decided to test their riders.  It was a new occasion for a couple of our ponies and a judge’s box and mirrors can be a scary things.  However our riders managed to reassure  their mounts and they all rode brilliantly! Very many thanks to all the team who worked so hard to get our horses there in good time ,and they were so well-turned out as well.  It was a long day for your all and much appreciated.