RDA Victoria and WINI Equine: A Partnership Designed for the Future

About Us

RDA Victoria is a grass roots volunteer based organisation. We are proud to have offered our services for over 40 years in Victoria. In all of our centres we provide suitable horses, trained volunteers, accredited RDA coaches, riding and safety equipment to equestrian activities.

Riders enjoy the experience of developing their riding skills whilst enjoying the freedom, movement, sensory feedback and exhilaration of riding a horse. RDA Victoria offers opportunities to extend riders abilities and to develop relationships with the horse.

 

 

 

37              CENTRES

200            COACHES

300            HORSES

900            VOLUNTEERS

1300          RIDERS

10,000       LESSONS A YEAR

 

 

Our Program

RDA Victoria provides sporting and recreational opportunities for riders with a disability. It offers opportunities to learn skills, interact with horses and integrate into mainstream activities, improve balance, core strength, posture, co-ordination and encourage social interaction for both physical and mental health. Participating in RDA encourage people to develop horse skills, leading to volunteer or paid employment opportunities. Riders can also choose to follow competition pathways by competing in RDA and Open shows, dressage, jumping and working trails competition. RDA also works in partnership with Special Olympics, Equestrian Australia, Adult Riding Clubs and Pony Club. RDA offers an advocacy service, assists with integration into mainstream clubs and advises on a variety of adaptive equipment and compensating aids which some riders require in order to participate.

People with all types and levels of disabilities are accepted into RDA programs, including but not limited to: Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Amputees, Vision and Hearing Impairments, Intellectual Disabilities, Down Syndrome and Autism. Eligibility makes no distinction between congenital or acquired disability.

 

Our Partnership with WINI Equine

RDA Victoria is very proud to be associated with WINI Equine, a company with a long history of wonderful support in the equestrian community and with RDA Victoria.

In 2016 RDA Victoria teamed up with Wini Equine to hold a T-Shirt Design Competition.

The theme was “What RDA Means to Me”. Riders from across Victoria submitted designs that allowed them to express what they loved about RDA and what they loved about riding horses.

Design winner, 16 year old Maddison Cooke, worked with the wonderful team at WINI Equine to help bring her design to life. Maddison Cooke is an individual rider with RDA, who also attends St Andrews Pony Club, has completed her K Certificate and is a Classified Grade 1B Para-Equestrian rider.

Maddie believes that to her “RDA is about me and my horse. To me that is freedom.”

Proceeds from the sales of these wonderful T shirts will be used by RDA Victoria for program development and furthering competition and training programs for riders throughout Victoria.

 

RDA Victoria would love to thank the team at WINI Equine for this tremendous opportunity!