The Riding for the Disabled Association, also known as the RDA is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

based charity founded in 1969 focused on providing therapeutic

horse-riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

equestrian vaulting Equestrian vaulting, or simply vaulting, is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback, which can be practiced both competitively or non-competitively. Vaulting has a history as an equestrian act at circuses, but its origins stre ...

and

carriage driving Carriage driving is a form of competitive horse driving in harness in which larger two or four wheeled carriages (sometimes restored antiques) are pulled by a single horse, a pair, tandem or a four-in-hand team. Prince Philip helped to expand ...

lessons to people with developmental and physical disabilities as well seeking to improve the lives of those with mental health difficulties.

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

has been the organisations President since 1985. The RDA is a federation of about 500 independent groups and serves over 26,500 adults and children each year and is one of 16 members that make up British Equestrian. Since 2013, the RDA in partnership with the British Equestrian, accredits commercial riding schools with the Accessibility Mark.

History

Beginnings of therapeutic riding

The first known mentions of the benefits of horse riding for the disabled are found in 600BC Greek literature. The first study ascribed with value on the merits of equine-assisted therapy is then found in 1895 by French physician Cassaign who concluded that equine therapy helped certain neurological disorders.

Founding of the RDA

In the 20th century, therapeutic horseback riding or equine-assisted therapy, became popular across Europe after Dane

Lis Hartel Lis Hartel (March 14, 1921 – February 12, 2009) was an equestrian from Denmark. She was originally coached by her mother, Else Holst, but began to be coached by professional horseman Gunnar Andersen when she became nationally competitive. She ...

, despite being paralyzed from the knees down by

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, won the silver medal for Individual Dressage at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. Her success inspired therapeutic horseback riding organisations to be created across Europe and by 1964, a loose organisation called the Advisory Council on Riding for the Disabled was formed to coordinate these groups. By 1966, 23 of these were present in the United Kingdom and by 1969 were organised formally in to Riding for the Disabled Association with

Lavinia Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk Lavinia Mary Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (''née'' Strutt; 22 March 1916 – 10 December 1995) was a British noblewoman. Life Born Lavinia Mary Strutt, she was the only daughter of Algernon Strutt, 3rd Baron Belper, and his wife, Eva. ...

as its first president. In 1985 Princess Anne became RDA President, a position she still holds. In 2019, the RDA celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Milestones

Notable successes

At the

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and

Rio 2016 ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

Paralympic Games all four of the

Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their Great Britain at the Olympics, British Olympic team. The brand was developed after Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the nation's poor perfor ...

Para riders started out with RDA.

References