North Shore Riding for the Disabled
Meet our Horses
Our horses are our four-legged therapists, carefully selected for their calm temperament and soundness. The legs of these beautiful animals become the legs of our riders, allowing them a sense of freedom they seldom experience elsewhere in life. Through individual Rider Goals, set by our Coach in conjunction with others involved in the care and education of the rider, we see measurable improvements for our riders through their engagement with our programmes.
The movement of a horse naturally emulates ours by being three dimensional. This provides therapy and improves the well-being and mobility of our riders. A special bond quickly develops between horse and rider.
Horse riding is a unique form of exercise and rehabilitation. The complex movement of the horse helps to improve coordination, balance, muscular development and fitness. Horse riding and horse-related activities assist in the development and restoration of personal confidence, self esteem, communication skills, leadership and trust. For people with challenging behaviour for example, horses offer a powerful medium for restoring a sense of personal control, which significantly improves behaviour towards family, teachers and friends.
PHOENIX
Born: 2009
Breed: Kaimanawa gelding
Height: 14hh
Colour: Chestnut
Kindly Sponsored By:
Annette Wilson
Phoenix joined us in May 2015. He was mustered out of the wild in May 2014 and competed at Equidays and Horse of the Year in the Kaimanawa Heritage Horses Stallion Challenge. He has a very kind but mischievous nature and has fitted in to the team and RDA life extremely well.
ROCKY
Born: 2001
Breed: Clydesdale X gelding
Height: 14.1hh
Colour: Bay
Kindly Sponsored By:
Deryl Monks
Rocky (Rock Steady) was purchased by us in July 2016. He has a lot of experience in various disciplines and came with an impressive history. Provided he gets out of the right side of the bed, his calm, gentle temperament saw him slotting into RDA life quickly and with ease.
MISSIE
Born: 2005
Breed: Quarter horse/Appaloosa/Tobiano Paint mare
Height: 15.2hh
Colour: Paint
Kindly Sponsored By:
Rhonda Cope
Missie has striking markings and a very gentle nature to boot. Missie has previously competed in dressage, show jumping, and been shown in hand. Missie came to us through the generosity of one of our volunteers in November 2016.
ROXY
Born: 2002
Breed: Station bred X mare
Height: 14hh
Colour: Chocolate dun paint
Kindly Sponsored By:
Kensington Own a Pony Group
Roxy came to RDA in early May 2019 from Kumeu. Most of Roxy’s history has been as a well-loved children’s pony, where she has been particularly good at taking kids through stages of basic riding up to Pony club. She has a very distinctive set of ears that she uses to good effect and has a lovely nature and smooth action.
LENNY
Born: 2001
Breed: English Riding pony gelding
Height: 12.2hh
Colour: Grey
Kindly Sponsored By:
Alison Main
Lenny has a very laid back personality. He is wonderful with our children and loves the attention from the volunteers too. He previously competed in dressage, show jumping and Pony Club. Lenny came to us from Kumeu in January 2017.
CRUISE
Born: 2002
Breed: Clydesdale X gelding
Height: 14.1hh
Colour: Bay
Kindly Sponsored By:
Volunteer Collective
Sue Cammell, Luiza Gomes, Carol Cronje, Elaine Forster, Anna Kennedy, Bev Mills & Sarah Meikle
Cruise joined us in May 2019. In his pre RDA life he was involved in Pony Club and some low level competition. Cruise by name, cruisy by nature, he is a very calm and nice natured horse well suited to RDA life.
INDI
Born: 2005
Breed: Station bred mare
Height: 14.3hh
Colour: Paint
Kindly Sponsored By:
Indi arrived in September 2019. Before starting her life with us, she had competed pony club and been an amazing hunter up to a couple of years ago when she had her foal. Indie has a beautiful, soft and giving nature. She is proving to be a bit hit with our clients.
TEXAS
Born: 2007
Breed: Station bred mare
Height: 15.1hh
Colour: Palomino
Kindly Sponsored By:
Bruce Westbrooke and partners
(The Jockey Club)
Texas is a recent addition, arriving in April 2021. She was gifted to us by her previous owner after she stopped competing. Texas is a sweet, gentle, strong and very pretty mare who is adjusting well to the busy life of an RDA horse after being turned out for the past year or so.
Interested in sponsoring one of our amazing horses? Find out more.