Our Group's Story:

Angus RDA began in 1969 with two ponies and two riders at the Kinnettles home of Irene Walker-Munro, assisted by Sally Atkinson. After Irene's death in 1971, the group moved to Invereighty, home of Mr and Mrs Derek Thomson where it remained until later 1996.  Jean Thomson and a few friends ran this modest group initially, meeting once a week on Saturday mornings, using a couple of family ponies. However, as the numbers of riders and ponies expanded, the need for a purpose-built centre became obvious, and Jean Thomson and her friends took up the challenge.

The new centre was officially opened by the Princess Royal in April 1997. This has an indoor arena with a viewing gallery, clubroom, office, stables, etc. There are eight horses and ponies (see the Meet the Ponies page) and about 40 riders, both adults and children, come each week. We work with various disabilities, including learning difficulties, cerebral palsy, MS, RTA victims, all kinds of problems, but one thing all riders have in common is a smile!

Angus RDA also has ventured into Special Olympics, which are Olympic games for those with special needs. 2001 was our first venture into the National Games, held in Cardiff, and our three riders came back with several medals. One of these riders was then chosen to represent Britain in the International games in Dublin in 2003, again coming home with medals.  In Glasgow 2005 the national games were held, and we had riders there who also did really well. In 2007 one of our riders was selected for the Special Olympics in Shanghai, and she won 3 gold medals which was a fantastic achievement!

In the future, we intend to continue with the classes we have, and reduce the waiting list for riders by enlarging classes. To do this, we need more volunteers. If you think you might be interested, have a look at the How to Help page. Anyone who can, walk beside riders, lead ponies, make tea, or fit hats (though not necessarily all of these!) would be very welcome.