Te Aroha and District Riding for the Disabled

05/06/2026

At RDA, riders are never defined by the challenges they face.

They are seen for their strengths, who they are, and what they can achieve.

For Elliot, RDA has become a place of confidence, belonging, routine, and connection, not just for her, but for her whole family. 💙

👉 Read more: https://rda.org.nz/news-and-events/finding-confidence-connection-and-community-at-nzrda/

05/06/2026

👏Volunteer Appreciation👏
🌺Chris 🌺

Chris is our Group President, one of our Limited Authority Coach’s and brings oodles of experience to the table!

Chris has been an active volunteer with TARDA for 6 years and has been on our Governance Committee as well. She has a keen interest in horse behaviour and a love of all things music.

“I started at Ambury when my kids were little, I had some time to fill and needed my horse fix! My favorite part is still working with the horses, but also learning so much about their behavior in this particular environment.
And also seeing the joy they bring to the kids.
Anything else? Horses and music are my 2 things in life. I ❤️ playing my piano and cello.” - Chris

03/06/2026

Today our riders had a grocery list and had to find the items on it then count their money at the checkout. What a fun way to work on our addition! The horses were a bit confused about the plastic carrots and apples, they weren’t convinced they couldn’t be eaten!

02/06/2026

👏Volunteer Appreciation👏

🌸Mal🌸 (aka Malf the Christmas Elf)
Mal has been volunteering for TARDA for 10 years now!
She’s our front of house and helmet fitting queen and sidewalker extraordinaire 🌟
Mal is the first person to throw on an elf costume or some bunny ears for a bit of fun and a smile from the kids.

“I had been here (in TA) for about a year and someone told me about RDA so I went and checked it out and tbought,thats me so i joined up. I was mainly side-walking at that stage. Over time I found I enjoyed working with the children so thats my fave part of volunteering. meeting and greeting!” - Mal

01/06/2026

With National volunteer week coming up we want to take some time to shine a light on our volunteers! Watch this space over the next few weeks 👀

29/05/2026

It’s been a cold and foggy day here!
So we spent the morning inside having pint cuddles, doing a horse anatomy work sheet and playing a very competitive game of snakes and ladders.

27/05/2026

Another perfect day ☀️

26/05/2026

🐴 What an incredible few days!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us at the NZRDA Conference 2026 in Wellington this past weekend. It was an inspiring gathering of the volunteers and leaders who make Riding for the Disabled so special across Aotearoa - a true reflection of our shared kaupapa: Reach More Riders, Change More Lives. 💙

A massive congratulations to all of our Awards winners! 🏆 Your dedication, passion, and aroha for our riders is truly something to celebrate. You make us so proud.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who travelled from near and far to be part of A Stronger Future Together. Until next time! 🐎

26/05/2026

Don’t forget about our Givealittle! As it gets colder our bills go up and every little bit helps us keep doing what we do ❤️

Providing therapeutic equine support to reach more riders and change more lives!

25/05/2026

What a beautiful start to the week ☀️