Testing Times!

Learning about ponies is part of the fun at RDA.

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RIDING for the Disabled Association’s trainee pony Toffee has been learning the ropes at Cotswold RDA, where children and adults benefit from the physical and therapeutic benefits of horse riding. The charity’s activities are also designed to be educational, and an important part of an RDA pony’s life is helping riders learn how to look after their equine friends.

Toffee’s “pocket” size and cheeky face have made him a favourite with the school groups that come to Cotswold RDA, and recently he’s been helping the kids from one class to complete their Proficiency Test in Horse Care and Knowledge.

Friday afternoons at Cotswold RDA are a hive of activity as a minibus draws up outside and a lively group of primary school children come bustling into the indoor arena, excited and ready for their weekly RDA session. Today, they are here to take their Grade One Horse Care Proficiency Test. Toffee is partnered with Alice, who likes him because toffees are her favourite sweets.