Always on
This project successfully funded on 31st March 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Support disabled riders keep riding in Mid Sussex
Lancing, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Aim
Mid Sussex RDA provides life-changing riding therapy for children and adults with physical and learning disabilities. We need your support.
Mid Sussex Riding for the Disabled (RDA) is a registered charity based at Lancing Equestrian Centre, just off the A27, that is meeting head on the growing financial challenges, along with an ever increasing demand for their services. Our rider waiting list continues to grow.
Every session requires trained coaches, specialist equipment, safe horses and a large team of volunteers. None of this is possible without funding. And unlike many sports, disabled riding is expensive and we never want cost to be the reason why someone misses out.
We rely solely and entirely upon donations and fundraising - and use funding to cover the essential costs of keeping one of our ponies and the hiring of an additional horses and ponies for our sessions, thus ensuring we can support as many participants as possible. Our costs include livery, farrier, veterinary care, feed, maintaining specialist equipment plus facility hire, all to ensure we can continue providing therapeutic riding and non-riding sessions too.
Why we need your support:
Your support helps keeps riders in the saddle, build confidence, improve mobility and create moments of independence that many of our riders simply do not get elsewhere.
Without funding, these sessions stop. Your support keeps our horses working, our volunteers trained and our riders thriving.
About Mid Sussex RDA:
Part of the national Riding or the Disabled Association, Mid Sussex RDA delivers equine-assisted activities to improve the lives of people with physical and learning disabilities through riding and horse care.
What we do:
Through our regular, weekly sessions Mid Sussex RDA aims to improve physical strength, co-ordination and confidence in their riders, providing a safe, welcoming environment where riders can develop skills and enjoy the benefits of being around horses.
The charity is run entirely by volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that each participant receives the care and support that they need to thrive, relying solely on donations and fundraising. Our Trustees work voluntarily too to ensure that the charity adheres to national guidance and all our Coaches are fully qualified and highly trained and accredited, working with our team of volunteers to offer a highly valued, and in much demand, service.
The Benefits:
It is well recognised that riding can have many benefits including mental and physical for a disabled child or adult. Apart from the increase in body and core muscles, strength, balance, coordination and posture can be improved.
A rider can respond positively to the warmth and nearness of a horse by relaxing, and walking can often improve. Every session that we run transforms confidence, mobility, communication skills, and emotional wellbeing. Your support would go directly towards enabling riders to access these life-changing benefits
What your support will enable:
Your support would have an immediate and tangible impact, helping us cover essential delivery costs such as
* Specialist adaptive riding equipment
* Rider safety gear
* Pony care and welfare costs - we currently own our own pony William, whom costs approximately £3000 per annum in his welfare whilst 'hiring' in safe equines for each of our sessions
* Session coaching and volunteer training
* Pony/horse hire fees for each session
In addition, each and every term costs Mid Sussex RDA £2,800 to run which includes the hire of additional ponies/horses as well as volunteer and support costs, to offer three sessions, of four to five riders per session, each week during school term dates.
Visit our website to find out more https://www.midsussex-rda.org/
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made