Horse welfare and training is front and centre at RDA!

It’s important that RDA horses are well trained and looked after. We all know that it is important to ensure our horses are living their best lives They are our key therapy tool, and we want them to enjoy their RDA work and be fit for purpose. Our horses are an integral part of the RDA team that supports Riders to achieve their goals.

A volunteer said to me the other day “I want to be an RDA horse because they want for nothing!”.

So what can you do to help ensure that horse welfare and training is part of everyday life at RDA?

You can support the team who ensure best practice is being maintained for our horses and that this is being continually developed and consistently applied on the ground in our groups.

Let me introduce one of our horses who is flourishing. This is Blokey.

Blokey was bred and started in a station in inland Canterbury. He was purchased by his local RDA group in 2009 and settled nicely into the RDA programme.

His personality and size are quite versatile for the group’s younger riders. His height is fantastic for those riders that require side walkers as he is not too short nor too tall for volunteers.

Blokey is an old soul. He has been with his local RDA group for so long that volunteers joke he is part of the furniture! He loves his life at RDA alongside his pony friends and takes great care of riders.

Blokey was recently awarded the NZRDA Horse of the Year 2023 Award. That’s how wonderful Blokey is!

How do we ensure Blokey is living life to the full so he can help support Riders to achieve their goals?

All of our Coaches, volunteers and horse managers follow the Code of Welfare for Horses and Donkeys. We also incorporate the five freedoms for horses.

• Freedom from hunger and thirst,
• Freedom from discomfort,
• Freedom from pain, injury and disease,
• Freedom from fear and distress, and
• Freedom to behave normally.

Resources, guidelines and training provided to RDA groups means that the contents of the Code and the Five Freedoms are embedded in our horse’s everyday life.

How does this look for our horses? It means they get paddock time with their mates, they have exercise riders and enrichment activities to keep their brains and bodies fit for purpose and they receive many hours of training for the specialised work they do. There are also regular visits from the farrier, body workers, dentists and vets as needed. And of course, their everyday needs around feed, supplements, grooming are met ensuring they are at their best to enable them to work in the RDA programmes.

Horse welfare and health and safety considerations are front and centre at RDAs, all potential issues are thought about before they happen and risks are evaluated and managed.

For example, plans for the horses are included in emergency evacuation procedures. What would happen if there was a fire? An earthquake? This has all been discussed beforehand so that horse welfare can be maintained even when the unexpected happens.

You want Blokey to be safe, happy and healthy, and to be looked after. And we do too.

It is the role of the horse manager to ensure that the horses are properly looked after, trained and all of their needs are met.

But who supports the horse manager? NZRDA provides training for horse managers to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to look after their horses and to meet the high standards that are expected.

The horse manager has access to a wealth of resources – NZRDA specialists, policies and procedures, webinars, forums and training days Horse managers can also pick up the phone and call NZRDA and have a chat about anything they need guidance on.

There are over 18 policies and procedures that horse managers must follow. From a pre-ride check for the horse, to horse training, to horse retirement, there is information to help the horse manager to care for the horses. Adherence to all these help ensure our horses are healthy, fit and well trained to undertake their very important work.

Horses are an essential part of the team that support riders. You have seen the wonderful results that horses can support our riders to achieve. Keep the training happening and ensuring our horses continue to live their best lives.