It’s never too late to discover a love of horses, pick up that journey and enjoy riding. Fitting horses into your life can be simple. Just half an hour of horse riding a week can boost your sense of wellbeing and help to keep you feeling healthy.
...So, what is Hoof?
Hoof is a structured series of horse riding lessons that provides coaching specifically designed to support a rider's first steps into the saddle. You will receive a warm welcome from your Hoof centre, who will understand your worries, talk through your goals and match you with the right horse and coach to get you safely underway.
Together you will develop your horse riding skills so that you can walk, trot and canter, depending upon your skill and confidence levels, perhaps in the open countryside. Alongside this you will improve your fitness, and progress within the sport, making sure you have fun along the way.
If you are interested in riding and/or horses there are so many opportunities for people with a range of disabilities to get involved. Riding has long been considered to be beneficial to everyone, including people with disabilities, as it helps improve motor skills and increases fitness levels.
What is the Riding for the Disabled Association?
The RDA (http://www.rda.org.uk) is a community of voluntary groups who provide a high-quality service to enable people with disabilities to ride or carriage drive in order to help benefit their health and wellbeing.
There are many different ways to get involved with the RDA – from visiting their accredited centres and competitions to volunteering. See how you can get involved today > Find out more
What sports can I participate in?
There are an ever growing number of equestrian disciplines that cater for people with a range of disabilities. Depending on your disability some of the sports may be better suited to you than others; find out more about the sports on offer:
Carriage Driving > Find out more
Para-Equestrian Dressage > Find out more
Polo > Find out more
Showjumping > Find out more
Vaulting > Find out more
"I wanted a challenge and I love being on a horse because the horse moves for me and I feel free."
Sophie Christiansen, Grade 1a World Gold medallist, 2010
Find out more about Hoof at their website HERE.
