Riding for the Disabled a ‘huge benefit’

It wasn’t until last year that RDA’s current quarters became what it is today, an arena by the park’s back oval with shelter overhead and a disabled bathroom adjacent to the volunteers’ shed.

As an entirely volunteer-led organisation, RDA Seymour has been able to operate with the support of the local community and funding, having successfully been awarded Victorian Flood Relief and a Regional All Abilities Participation Grant in recent years.

RDA also received $5000 from an anonymous source, allowing it to facilitate programs for local kids and adults.

“Due to this grant and the generous donation, we are very excited to announce that we have 16 students from Seymour College returning to us for terms three and four,” Sally Wilson, whose home was the original host to RDA lessons, said.

“Lessons began for term three on July 24 and run fortnightly. So far, we have had 14 students attend, with 12 participating in mounted lessons. We also have three adult participants, so it makes for a busy day.

“This new influx of participants meant we needed more volunteers than we had, post-COVID, to safely operate four riders a lesson. We advertised, and are happy to welcome our three newly inducted volunteers who helped out for the first time last lesson.”

Linda Riddle has volunteered at RDA Seymour for 15 years, and has recently returned after a five-year break.

While Ms Riddle is no longer able to be as active as she once was, she said she was still passionate about working with the horses and participants.

“I love it. I’ve had horses all my life, so I love being with horses. I can’t manage them or ride them any more, but I love being with them,” she said.

“We’ve just got the children back now, at the beginning of the year we didn’t have them, but it’s so good to see them back and riding, they get so much out of it.

“Once they get on, they relax. Same with the horses, they can be charging around the paddock and once you get the children on them, they relax.”

Phillip Chandler, who found RDA Seymour through a disability support group, said he’d found his place volunteering at the organisation.

“I very quickly found that it was a huge benefit for my mental health. There’s something about working with horses that’s very relaxing,” he said.

“It’s a really great bunch of people, too, who go out of their way to get people involved. In the past, I never found anywhere that I felt genuinely wanted.

“Having suffered from depression and anxiety since my teens, it’s been a huge benefit for me.”

RDA has been uplifting local students, including those from Seymour College’s Inclusive Ed program, and adults with disability for nearly five decades.

“Our mission is to enable people with disabilities to experience enjoyment, challenge and a sense of achievement through participation in equestrian activities to improve their quality of life, attain personal goals and develop life skills,” Ms Wilson said.

“The benefits of our program are undeniable and beneficial to our community in so many different ways.”