Always on
This project successfully funded on 18th September 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Keep Pegasus Flying - Secure our Future!
Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
£5,192
raised so far
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Aim
Pegasus RDA offers therapuetic riding and horse care for disabled people. We are in financial hardship and need urgent funding to survive.
Who are we?
At Pegasus Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), we know from experience that spending time with ponies helps people feel healthier and happier, whether through our fun-filled riding lessons or confidence-building horse-care sessions. We believe the impact can be even greater for those with a disability.
Pegasus RDA is a registered charity and our mission is to support disabled children and adults to enhance their lives through the transformative power of horses, by providing therapeutic horse riding and horse care lessons for disabled children and adults in a safe, supportive and fun environment.
We are based in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and we use the facilities of North Cheshire Equestrian Centre (NCEC) in Carrington.
We need to raise vital funds to ensure the survival of our charity. Operating Pegasus RDA requires around £40,000 each year. This vital funding goes towards the care of our beloved horses, the hire of facilities for our sessions, and the use of additional ponies to support our participants. In addition to these expenses, we also need to cover essential costs such as insurance, necessary equipment, and administrative expenses. Every penny counts, and we are fully dependent on grants, donations, and fundraising efforts to sustain our mission. If we don’t secure more funding soon, we will not be able to continue for much longer. Please read on to learn a bit more about our charity, the vital support we offer, and how you can help.
Who are the Pegasus RDA team?
Founded in 2017 by a passionate team of volunteer trustees with extensive experience in equine care and volunteering, we open our doors every Sunday to create a vibrant and inclusive community where anyone can experience the joy of horses! With approximately 30 participants currently benefiting from our sessions and a waiting list that continues to grow, our commitment to supporting individuals with a variety of physical and cognitive challenges - such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, hearing and visual impairments, learning disabilities, and other complex needs - is unwavering. Our riders, along with their families and carers, are at the heart of our close-knit community, and, of course, our beloved ponies.
Every week, our amazing equine companions, Tyson and Bobby, along with their steady and reliable pals, provide invaluable support to our riders as they engage in meaningful activity sessions within a safe and nurturing environment. While the riders thrive, parents and carers can take a well-deserved break, enjoying coffee and conversations while watching the joy unfold from our comfortable gallery area.
Why is our Charity Important?
Put simply, there is a huge need in our local community to enable people with disabilities to access activities which improve their health and wellbeing. Almost 1 in 5 people in Greater Manchester have a disability [1], and disabled people are twice as likely to be physically inactive than those without a disability.
In fact, 47% of those with disabilities or long-term conditions in Trafford are inactive, which can lead to further health difficulties [2]. Yet, accessing sports facilities and enjoyable physical activities can be so much harder for those with additional needs, because disabled people are often excluded from mainstream sport.
Pegasus RDA is one of only three RDA groups in the whole of Greater Manchester, and the only group in an urban area. We operate from one of the areas in the borough with the highest level of deprivation and the highest level of inactivity for its population [3].
Pegasus RDA aims to address these inequalities by offering opportunities for anyone with a disability in the South Manchester area to enjoy our horse riding lessons in a supportive and inclusive environment, free from judgement, focussing on having healthy and happy times with horses!
How does horse riding help?
Horse riding has been shown to provide significant health and therapeutic benefits. These include increased core strength, improved stamina, better coordination and balance, relaxation of tight muscles (spasticity), and enhanced attention and communication skills. Additionally, being around well-natured animals can bring a sense of calm or excitement. Equally important, our sessions are a lot of fun! They give our riders the opportunity to engage in physical activities with their peers, play games, make new friends, and even compete in shows and competitions. Many of our riders progress by participating in graded proficiency tests in riding and horse care, which allows us to recognise and reward achievements at all levels of ability. This helps everyone grow in confidence.
Why are we crowdfunding?
In recent years, we have seen our running costs increase significantly.
Our most significant financial committment is funding the upkeep and care of our two wonderful therapy horses, Tyson and Bobby, at an annual cost of over £12,000.
Our other costs include:
- Hire of the facilities at NCEC
- Hire of additional ponies to use in our sessions
- Insurance and membership costs
- Administrative costs
- Volunteer DBS checks
Every year, we need to raise around £40,000 to continue our operations. While we generate some income by charging a moderate fee for our lessons and loaning out our horses, this only accounts for about a quarter of the funds we need. To cover the rest, we rely on securing grants, donations, and fundraising efforts. For a very small charity run entirely by volunteers (who juggle full-time jobs, families, and other commitments) this is an extremely challenging task.
This year, we faced significant financial setbacks due to severe weather in January, which forced us to cancel sessions for several weeks. Additionally, we encountered unforeseen and costly veterinary treatments, which ultimately resulted in one of our horses retiring. Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful in securing substantial grant funding in recent months, and our existing grants are running low. With less than six months' worth of operating costs in reserves, we now find ourselves with a very uncertain future.
Please help us with our fundraising efforts so that we can continue to provide this vital service. We are desperate to avoid having to close.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Your support is crucial to the well-being of our RDA ponies and the community we serve. Every penny you donate is directly invested in the essential upkeep costs that allow us to keep our doors open while we strive for longer-term funding.
Here’s how your generosity can make a meaningful impact:
- Covering vital rent and livery fees
- Providing high-quality feed and bedding
- Ensuring regular veterinary, dental, and farrier care
Our horses are at the heart of everything we do, and their welfare is our top priority. By caring for these amazing ponies, we can continue to provide invaluable support to our riders and their families, enhancing overall well-being in our community. Your contribution helps create joy, health, and happiness through the bond with these remarkable animals.
We invite you to be a crucial part of this effort! No matter the size of your donation, it makes a significant difference in keeping our operations thriving and our ponies healthy. Thank you for standing with us and supporting our mission to enrich lives through the magic of horses!
Community impact
We know how much Pegasus RDA means to our community of riders and families, and to our volunteers, and we see so frequently the difference it makes.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
💙Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
💙 Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
💙 Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
💙 Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made