Award Nominations for our Volunteers
Following on from our success at the Regionals, we have more good news to share!
A number of our volunteers have been nominated and shortlisted for the RDA UK Annual Awards.
- Adrienne has been shortlisted for Coach Mentor of the Year.
- Diane has been shortlisted for Coach Mentor of the Year and the Extra Mile Award.
- Katy has been shortlisted for the Young Coach of the Year award.
- Kim was nominated for the Volunteer of the Year award.
Watch this space to see how our nominees do!
Success at the South Region Qualifiers Day
What an amazing day we had at the South Region Competition in May. We took 7 riders and 3 ponies, which is the most we have for years.
See more photos in the Gallery
Everyone had a wonderful time and really enjoyed themselves, and every one of our entrants was placed in their classes. Well done to riders Fiona, Sky, Lottie and Lucas who have all qualified to attend the National Championships in July.
An absolutely massive thank you to the amazing team that was behind this wonderful day and worked tirelessly to make it happen. It takes huge effort and patience to get that many riders and ponies ready and in the right places at the right time!
An even bigger thanks to our wonderful ponies, Pluto, Wynne and Darcey, who tried their hearts out for their riders.
Royal Garden Party
Congratulations to one of our Trustees, Adrienne Heriot, who was thanked for her many years of work at RDA by being nominated to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
See more photos in the Gallery
Adrienne was nominated for this community accolade for making a substantial difference to the lives of people in Oxfordshire. She has been involved with Wyfold RDA for over 25 years, becoming qualified as a Senior Instructor, and taking on the role of Chair of the Trustees for several years. Since stepping down from the position of Chair, she has continued to support the charity as a Trustee and can be seen at the yard every week, come rain or shine.
Adrienne attended the Garden Party, which was hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales on behalf of the King, with her husband, Ian. Ian has been a tremendous support to Wyfold over the years, providing advice, hours and hours of practical help and a lot of phone answering!
Adrienne said, “I’m thrilled to have been invited to the Palace, but making Wyfold run as it does is a team effort; I accepted the invitation as an acknowledgement of the work that everyone does, not just me.”
John Ackroyd Charitable Trust
Huge thanks to Richard Mott, a director from the John Ackroyd Charitable Trust, who came to see us in action today in the sunshine.
Not only did he manage to repair a gate on his visit, but he also handed over a whopping cheque of £3,000.
It’s the generosity of organisations like this that keep us afloat.
Family Fun Day – THANK YOU!!
Thank you to everyone who came to our Family Fun Day. Entry was free to all, with games and stalls, tractor rides, a barbecue, and tea and cakes. There were lots of plants for sale too!
We managed to raise over £2,300, which goes towards the upkeep of the ponies and maintenance of our wonderful facilities.
We hope you all enjoyed the day!
The Countryside Challenge
Our Saturday riders had great fun going round our countryside challenge course.
This course is designed to simulate what you may find out hacking. It helps riders prepare for the different obstacles they might encounter when riding out through the woods and tracks around the yard.
With the sun and blue sky today, what better day to be out and about!
Poppy’s Pampering Session
Unfortunately, despite our best rehab efforts, Poppy is still not sound enough to work, so we have taken her shoes off and are giving her a few months’ total field rest.
This means that she will only come in for a pampering once a week and will spend the rest of the time resting her feet in the field.
Ebony gets used to RDA games
It was a big learning day for Ebony as she did her first proper session in the school with all the RDA equipment.
As expected, she was absolutely chilled about all the equipment, however she was very disappointed that there was nothing to be found in the buckets for her to eat!
Meet rider Skye
For 10-year-old Skye, the best part of RDA is the people.
Skye loves going on hacks and riding Pluto—she feels it has really helped her progress. She said:
“My favourite horse is Pluto because he’s amazing to ride and has helped me so much with my progression. My favourite activity? Going for hacks and cantering—it’s the best!”
Regular riding improves core strength, balance, and coordination, while our supportive groups help combat isolation and bring joy to so many lives.
Joe and Bob enjoy a hack
Joe and Bob have enjoyed a lovely, gentle hack today!
Poor Bob has been struggling with some arthritis in his legs recently, not helped by the bad weather, but he’s slowly managing to do some small amounts of work and a gentle hack once a week, and it’s certainly lifting his spirits.
Bring on the warm, dry weather to make him feel better.
Hugo receives Grade 2 Horse Care certificate
We had a very special visitor at Wyfold today.
Michael Bishop, CEO of RDA National, came to visit and awarded some of our riders with their grade certificates that they’ve been working incredibly hard towards over the last few months.
Here is Hugo receiving his Grade 2 Horse Care certificate with his favourite pony, Sweet Pea!
The ponies have a ‘snow day’!
Snow and ice on the ground means the ground is frozen, so no lessons and a day off for the ponies!
Hopefully, the sun will melt it all away and we can get some lessons in tomorrow, but for now, they are enjoying the sun and mooching about in the snow.