THE Riding for the Disabled Association - Ireland (RDAI) is looking for more volunteers and would be very interested in hearing from suitable people.

Any potential volunteer must be over the age of 16 years old and while there is no upper age limit, although personal accident insurance is not valid after the age of 75.

The estimated time commitment involved would be a maximum of two hours per week.

RDAI national secretary Dilys Lindsay told The Irish Field: “We are looking for volunteers who are comfortable with horses and ponies, they don’t have to be too knowledgeable, just once they are not afraid of them. There is no riding required from the volunteers at all. The average time commitment would be between one and two hours maximum per week. A lot of us involved with the RDAI are getting older and we need some new blood among our volunteers.

“The best thing for interested people to do is contact me and let me know what part of the country they are in. We have 50 different groups nationwide, mainly in the east of the country and we have groups in Donegal, Galway, Clare, Castlebar and Kenmare. We do require Garda Vetting and ours is done through Horse Sport Ireland. In 90% of cases, it’s done online. We can guide people through that and if someone does not have a computer, we can provide paper forms. Volunteers are required to fill out an application form and we need two reference contacts we can get in touch with.

“The average activity for our volunteers involves being in an arena, mostly indoor although some are outdoor, with a mounted rider. When our riders start off, they need one lead rein helper and two side helpers so we need three people on the ground per pony. Our riders mount from a mounted block with assistance from our team. We do not lift riders. Parents or a carer would also help mount them. Most groups do not have to use hoists.

“If anyone is interested in volunteering with the RDAI, they can email me at rdaisecretary@gmail.com and I can refer them on to the groups in their part of the country. Alternatively, we would ask people to look at our website (www.rdai.org) which gives the area we are active in. All the necessary forms are on our website and we hope to hear from as many interested people as possible,” said the RDAI national secretary.

Most groups ride just once a week, usually for one hour. Groups close to Dublin include Calliaghstown in Rathcoole, Malahide, Swords, Broadmeadows near Ashbourne, and Bray. Suitable clothing is needed including sturdy footwear with good heel support.

SATISFACTION

“Our volunteers get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping our riders and we also run three carriage driving groups. Having a connection with horses makes a real difference to our riders and drivers. It’s lovely to see, we completely believe in the work we are doing, it’s very rewarding,” added Lindsay.

Transition Year groups from schools can also get involved although anyone under 18 needs to obtain permission for the Garda Vetting. Some schools have a panel of students organised to do it.

The RDAI has a stand at the Dowth point-to-point and country fair this Sunday (October 29th) where Mary Walsh will be on hand and Christmas cards, keyrings and other merchandise is available to buy (also see A71 Pony Tales).