RIDING for the Disabled (RDA) Swan Hill is in jeopardy of permanently having to hang up their tack as they struggle to find volunteers to keep the program running.
RDA Victoria is a community-driven, not-for-profit organisation that allows people with disabilities of all different ages and backgrounds to experience the associated benefits of equestrian activities, from strength and mobility improvements to confidence and other positive social skills.
Currently in a recess, RDA Swan Hill is in desperate need of at least six volunteers in order to allow people back and continue with the program.
At the moment, there are at least 15 people on a waiting list wanting to join the program as riders.
Boasting the advantages of being involved in the program, long-time RDA Swan Hill volunteer Alison Henson said it’s a privilege to be able to help disabled people obtain the benefits that come with the program, with some riders going on to join pony clubs and one who competed at the Royal Melbourne Show.
“We get tremendous joy just from watching them and the excitement and happiness and the improvement in their ability,” Ms Henson said.
RDA Swan Hill long-time volunteer and coach Verna French said as part of the program, a report is completed on the riders every month so their progress can be documented.
“Everything counts – the enjoyment that they get from it, the relationships with the horse, with the volunteers and with other riders, and often they start to encourage each other and celebrate the wins that other people have, and physical changes that we notice,” Ms French said.
While there are many different reasons that past volunteers have become involved with RDA, for new recruit Paula Barr, the decision to join the organisation was a personal one.
“I had an older sister who was disabled growing up, so for me, that was just normal, she was just a normal person to me and all of her friends. I just had this real ease with them,” Ms Barr said.
“I noticed that other people that didn’t have disabled relatives felt awkward around disabled people, which is just because they are not familiar with them.”
While Ms Barr has hazy memories of her sister undertaking some horse training, it’s clear enough to remember the positive impacts it made on her life.
“I’ve always thought it’s nice to give back … I like volunteering, I love horses, and the fact that my sister benefitted from it in her life, I felt like it would be a nice way to give back,” Ms Barr said.
Ms French said that volunteering for RDA could look like many things, with horses needing to be delivered to the arena on training days, horses ridden and warmed up, and there needs to be leaders and side-walkers to assist the riders. As well as that, RDA Swan Hill need help to maintain their sensory trail, which includes weeding and watering.
“It could be as little as an hour a week for 35 weeks of the year depending on what you want to do,” Ms French said.
“We just hope that people from the community would feel some sense of ownership and some pride in what we have to offer.”
To become an RDA volunteer or to find out more, you can message RDA Swan Hill on Facebook, email rdaswanhill@gmail.com, or call Verna French on 0488 324 068.
