Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man (RDA IoM) is an independent charity that is a Member Group of Riding for the Disabled Association UK and a proud member of the Manx Horse Council, the recognised Governing Body for Equestrian Sports on the Island. We caught up with Kat Ions (RDA IoM Group Organiser and one of the Coaching team) to find a little bit more about what RDA Isle of Man does, their recent growth and successes and what makes riding so brilliant!
Tell us a bit more about Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man and what you do.
RDA IoM is an amazing, inclusive and diverse charity. We welcome participants with physical and learning disabilities to come and get involved in positive horse experiences. There are no age restrictions, so we can bring therapy, achievement and fun to as many people, with additional needs, as we can on the Island!
We offer riding sessions two days a week at the fabulous Guilcagh Stables in Andreas. In addition, we have been able to take groups of riders to the Clwyd Special Riding Centre in Wales, and we compete in virtual, regional and national competitions in the UK. As a 100% volunteer run and self-funded charity, we are incredibly proud of what we do and can’t quite believe we will be celebrating our 50th Birthday in 2026!
What are the benefits to riding and why should someone get involved?
There are many benefits for our riders, their families and our volunteers in being involved. These include.
- Spending quality time building bonds with fantastic horses & ponies
- Building physical strength & balance
- Seeing themselves & others blossom in confidence and resilience
- Learning new skills that can be transferred into all parts of life
- Making lifelong friendships
Getting involved is something so worthwhile. Watching faces break into pure joy can’t be beaten. Come and give it a try!
Expansion of RDA Programmes
Tell us a bit more about the growth of participation at RDA IoM in recent years?
With the assistance of IoM Sport, the Manx Horse Council and our team of passionate volunteers we have been able to double the number of sessions we provide over the past few years. We now have over 1200 half hour rides annually and over 150 participants on our books.
We celebrate being able to graduate riders to the fantastic riding schools across the island. Making way for new members to join, to fall in love with riding.
What makes RDA IoM so wonderful?
Where to start!?! I could talk about it all day! The charity motto is ‘It’s what you CAN do that counts’ and this is the basis of everything we do. Believing in this means there are no limits to anything, which makes for such a positive environment for everyone to grow.
As a self funded charity, we can only carry out our life-changing activities thanks to the generosity of donors, the dedication of our team of volunteers and the good nature of our fantastic horses. We are so incredibly fortunate to borrow the amazing facilities and horses of Rose & her team at the Guilcagh Stables. The skill of preparing horses we can use for our riders is something for which we shall forever be grateful.
Going into our 50th year of providing positive horse experiences is just such a wonderful achievement for the founders and all the fabulous volunteers that have kept everything going and growing.
RDA National and Virtual Championships
What are the RDA National and Virtual Championships?
There are over 500 RDA groups across the British Isles, and everyone is able to compete in the Face to Face and Virtual Championships. There are seven disciplines, and we compete in Dressage, Countryside Challenge and Show-Jumping.
Due to logistics & funding, we are limited in taking 3 different riders each Spring to the North West Qualifiers, which feed into the Nationals in Gloucestershire in July, if successful. We borrow horses from different RDA groups, and our brave riders have the experience of a lifetime competing on such a platform.
Entering the Virtual Nationals is something we did in 2024 for the first time. This allows significantly more of our riders to be able to compete from the comfort of their known horses and environment. In the world of additional needs, this has been revolutionary for us and our riders. Both events are live streamed, and it allows the RDA IoM support network to turn up in force to back our riders. Cheer us along as 13 of our riders enter this years Virtuals on 21-23rd Nov!
RDA IoM was very successful in the recent Championships, tell us more about your plans for 2026 and beyond.
Being an isolated Island group, it can be quite difficult to understand the level of our riders going into competitions. We always have all the pride and confidence in them giving it their best. I’m not going to lie; our guys absolutely smash any competition they enter!
They wear their IoM Red shirts, Triskelion tie pins and lucky Manx cat badges with such passion – they are unstoppable! Competing on a level playing field for their additional needs makes everything they CAN do count. We added Show-jumping into our programme for 2025 and plan to expand this alongside adding in the younger generation of riders into the Virtuals in 2026.
2026 is going to be all about our Golden Anniversary! We can't wait to be able to celebrate with everyone who has been involved in getting us this far. Maybe there will be some competition gold in the mix too! Watch this space!
Where can I find out more information about RDA Isle of Man or get involved?
If you would like more information on what we do, or how you can help play a part in keeping us running for another 50 years to come, please contact us. More information can be found on our website, social media or by contacting us via email or phone (see below). Or watch our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3HAXA97CxQ
Suzanne Corlett, Manx Horse Council Chair said:
"The Manx Horse Council is incredibly proud of Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man and the amazing work they do. Their dedication to providing opportunities for riders of all abilities is truly inspiring, and it’s wonderful to see their continued growth — from new initiatives and disciplines to more riders achieving success both on and off the Island. None of this would be possible without the tireless commitment of their volunteers, committee members, and the wonderful parents who give their time and support to make it all happen."
Isle of Man Sport, through the Support for Sport funding programme and the Manx Horse Council, have provided over £4,000 towards the purchase of equipment to support the expansion of RDA IoM and RDA coach qualifications, CPD and disability awareness training for coaches and volunteers.