Last Saturday morning, members were treated to a visit to Riding for the Disabled in Moorabbin. Our party was Grant Perry, Nicky Chung, Peter O’Brien with Georgia, myself and Tim Lynch. We were warmly greeted by their past president Jane Baker, and current president, Kate Stankovich and were introduced to Remi, their newest horse, mostly funded by a $5000 donation by our club.
What a delightful pony we have funded.
Remi is ten years, 13 hands tall with a beautiful disposition. With riders and volunteers he remains calm and he is continuing to learn the role of a riding pony for the many regular participants. ( no head flicking!)
Jane and Kate shared the challenges to find a pony for their riders, mostly young people with disabilities, both physical, cognitive and/or sensory.
Two other ponies were trialled before they found Remi who is a great success, with many years of service ahead of him. We would expect Remi to be of service for another 15 plus years.
The centre is maintained by the volunteers and there is much to do. Fencing, gardening, lawns, paddocks to clear, horses to feed and groom. They have a small army of people to keep the place going.
With just six riding horses they are now actively looking for two more ponies to ensure they provide the maximum number of riding sessions per week for their participants.
What more can the club do to help?
Jane and Kate were grateful for the support to keep the centre running to a high standard and wish to maintain our purposeful relationship.
I encourage our club to keep up the support to RDA Moorabbin.
