Sparsholt College’s Equine Centre have recently partnered with the Andover Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) to deliver a range of practical programmes to encourage adults and children with disabilities to participate further in the equestrian field.
Gabbie McHenry, Equine Centre Manager at Sparsholt College says: “Sparsholt are honoured to be a part of a life-transforming programme by joining the Andover RDA. There are numerous therapeutic benefits of riding including improvement in strength, posture, balance, coordination and mental well-being. Bringing a community of like-minded people together to experience all of these physical and mental benefits is a fantastic privilege for us and our students.”
Having hosted the Australian Paralympic Equestrian team in their 2012 Olympic Games pre-training, the Equine Centre at Sparsholt College is a fantastic facility for adults and children with disabilities to learn or develop their riding and horse care skills. Mary Childs, Organiser at the RDA said: “We feel that the resources, knowledge and expertise at Sparsholt provide a wonderful opportunity for disabled riders. Whether they want to ride for fun or they want to compete in the para equestrian industry, Sparsholt College has everything to help them enjoy and succeed in achieving their goals.”
The new partnership unlocks a new and interesting opportunity strand to Equine students at the College too as they are actively involved in the running of these new courses, volunteering their support with the aspiration to eventually become qualified RDA coaches. Gabbie strongly believes this extra-curricular involvement will help to provide students with the key skills to get them started in their careers. She explains: “Volunteering provides our students with invaluable hands-on experience and offers them key transferable skills, immediately advancing their options within the equine industry after completing their qualifications.”
The Equine Centre at Sparsholt College is currently offering a range of riding and non-riding programmes through the RDA national charity, ran both in the arena and hacking to incorporate various elements of horse care.
Interested in becoming an expert in the Equine industry? Sparsholt College’s courses range from Level 1 through to Postgraduate degrees to ensure you turn your passion into a career. Find out more about Equine courses and apply now here!