BLAIR CASTLE HORSE TRIALS TO SUPPORT RIDING FOR THE DISABLED

Each year Scotland’s leading equestrian event raises money for a selected charity and this year it will be the Riding for the Disabled Association which will benefit from fundraising at the Blair Castle International Horse Trials and Country Fair.

This year the popular event takes place from August 23rd to 26th and if previous years are anything to go by, around £11,000 will be raised for RDA Scotland thanks to the generosity of the 40,000 people who visit the show over four days.

RDA was founded in 1965 and presently helps 23,000 riders with disabilities through the efforts of 18,000 volunteers throughout the UK. Scotland alone has 56 groups with 2752 riders, vaulters and drivers. Many of the Scottish branches are extremely popular and active, regularly sending members to the national championships in a variety of disciplines such as dressage, vaulting, polo and carriage driving.

The charity is so successful thanks to the army of 2235 volunteers in Scotland who combine to provide over 50,000 rides and drives each year on the 385 horses and ponies and one donkey.

The groups are used by schools and care centres as well as individuals and so far 11 custom built RDA centres have been completed with a new £400,000 riding school for the disabled on the outskirts of Dundee currently in progress, which should be up and running by the autumn.

The Blair Castle International Horse Trials is Scotland’s only three star three-day event and this year has the added honour of hosting the European Young Rider Eventing Championship. Director Sarah Phillips said, “We are delighted to be supporting such a worthwhile charity. So many handicapped people of all ages enjoy the sense of freedom and achievement that can be gained from riding or driving a horse thanks to RDA.”

The RDA will be demonstrating some of their riders skills in both the Bruadar Country Fair arena and the main arena over the weekend and collections will be made throughout the event. Anyone entering the Fun Run with no specific charity in mind, is asked if they would be willing to run for RDA.

June Grainger, Chairman, West and Central Region of RDA said, “I would like to thank Blair Castle International Horse Trials for their support in choosing RDA in Scotland as their nominated charity for 2007. This will be a wonderful opportunity for fundraising and publicity. There is a feeling of great excitement, not just from the organising committee, but also from the groups.”

She explained that the money raised would be put to good use for training riders, instructors, physiotherapists and horses, also perhaps for buying suitable horses and ponies and for training potential competitors for competitions such as the National Championships.

Back to 2007 Press Articles Index