Always on
This project successfully funded on 23rd October 2024, you can still support them with a donation.
Community Horse Power
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim: We are fundraising for a special horse that will open horse riding to more people in our East London Communities, helping transform lives.
Why is this horse needed ..... We want the magic of horses to be available to all. Riding and being with horses brings well-being, builds fitness, and helps mental health. For people with disabilities benefits can be life changing.
But some who c
ould benefit the most cannot access riding. Due to the smaller size of the horses, our local riding stables has a rider weight limit less than the average weight of adult men in the UK, and close to the average for women. This means a lot of people missing out.
Your donations will help us buy a horse that is larger and more powerful, perfect for carrying well built teenagers and adult riders, including riders with disabilities. It will be well-schooled, kind and calm, to take people from their first ride through to advanced activities like jumping.
Our funding target…
Is £10,000. We have nearly raised half of this (a big thank you to Redbridge Council for a £3,000 grant towards it). We urgently need to raise the rest to find our horse and get it started!
Our RDA secondary school groups need more horses suitable for taller teenagers, we really do not want to turn a child down.......
Please donate quickly and generously if you can, every little will help, and do share this crowd funder widely. Help us transform lives in East London!
Who we are .......
Aldersbrook & Wanstead RDA is the local charity affiliated with the national Riding for Disabled Association
Aldersbrook Stables Community CIC is a small not for profit organisation making horse riding and horses more accessible to the community. They have arranged over 600 sessions for local children and adults with disabilities, free, with the help of grants.
We work closely with our local riding stables, Wanstead Community Riding Stables CIC who provide the riding and the horses!
Our community says -
A mother from the Muslim community who rides and wants to be able to ride with her family: “Finding lessons for my son and husband has not been possible due to the limiting factor of weight restrictions at other centres in the area. Having access to a weight carrying horse would mean they, and many more people can learn to ride, particularly men who are a minority in grass roots riding.”
Father of a child with autism: "riding has been amazing. Usually, [my son] struggles in new situations and it is very difficult getting him out of the house. However, horse riding has a calming effect on him. He is following instructions and waiting patiently when we go to the stables - which is amazing! As we have been going to a few sessions now, we feel like he is gaining more confidence and getting more comfortable. We believe this is having an impact at school - as he is following the morning routine much better. Previously, he would display a lot of difficulty getting ready."
Want to know more ……..
About the riding stables the horse will be based at ......
Wanstead Community Riding Stables CIC is a small riding school and livery yard in East London, situated close to Wanstead Park. It has a proud reputation as a friendly yard with a strong community focus.
This not-for profit Community Interest Company (CIC) is continuing the tradition of 50 years of the stables on the site by providing a centre for local people to engage with animals, get outside and learn about horses and how to care for them.
More about the horse we need ….
We are looking for a horse of the right breed for strength, whilst being able, and well schooled, taking riders from beginner through to jumping, dressage and riding out across Wanstead Flats and Epping Forest. Our horse must be calm and kind to look after nervous riders and riders with disabilities. Such a horse costs!
The horse will be owned by our ASC CIC, stabled at Wanstead Community Riding Stables, and join their riding school. There it will earn its keep. We may also run fundraising activities for extras. It will be a horse for our community!
The benefit of horse riding …..
As well as benefiting people’s physical and mental health, riding and being with horses is proven to improve well-being, fitness, and enjoyment of life.
Riding is not only a sport or physical activity, it is also a partnership with a magnificent animal. It is an activity that can be enjoyed by young and old, fit and not-so-fit, people living with disabilities, and experienced and beginners alike. A ride through forest lands is a special way to enjoy the beautiful green spaces around the stables, an outdoor activity.
Grant funding awarded to our ASC CIC is enabling many to experience riding who would otherwise not have had access.
Projects we have initiated include riding courses for home educated children; 'Connecting with Horses' for people with autism and learning disabilities; Muslim youth group riding and horse care days; women only courses; and a programme to support and train volunteers including people referred for health reasons. We work closely with the riding stables who provide the activities, and local community organisations, together creating these popular projects.
Why do horses have carrying weight limits?
Just like people, horses can get back injuries, strain to their legs, and their joints can wear out as a result of the work they do. How much a horse can safely and comfortably carry depends on several factors. For example are they strong boned or fine boned, are their muscles built up, their size, conformation, and fitness. Experienced riders who balance well are easier for a horse to carry than an un-balanced rider.
Us humans have a responsibility to look after our horses' health and make sure they are not over worked or over strained.