Background InformationThe Scooniehill Group of the RDA was founded in 1976. In August 2011 we became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation - a registered Scottish charity - and altered our name to East Fife and Scooniehill Riding for the Disabled SCIO. However we all call ourselves "Scooniehill RDA". The group rides at Kilconquhar Castle Equestrian Centre where we hire the horses and ponies. There are groups that ride every day of the week except for a Friday which is when the horses rest. Morning groups generally ride for an hour from 10 or 11. The afternoon groups ride at 1.30. Over 50 volunteers help the riders and an additional 15, including some riders, help with fundraising. We also have a large group of friends: families and carers of riders, ex volunteers, and interested members of the local community. An enthusiastic band of students from the University of St Andrews help us during term time. In the good weather we have at least 40 people riding regularly. |
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Organisation
We are a registered (Scottish) charity. The Trustees are elected at the AGM each year and are responsible for the overall running of the Group. The Trustees make sure that we are following the guidelines laid down by the National RDA, who supply training, insurance and advice. Our route to the National RDA is through our County and Regional chairs.
The Trustees are also responsible for fundraising. We raise money by holding can collections and coffee mornings and are very grateful to the many generous donations that we receive from local and national organizations and trusts. Riding is provided free to all riders, but we ask the adult riders to pay a small contribution where they can afford it. Fortunately the Group has hardly any overheads. We pay for insurance, training, special equipment and a contribution to the National RDA. Nearly all our expenditure is on hiring horses and ponies.
Everybody involved with the Group is a volunteer: the trustees, the instructors, the helpers and the fundraisers. The stable staff volunteer to be RDA instructors, and give up their time to attend training courses. We normally do not pay volunteer expenses, but we can pay travelling expenses if necessary.
Each riding group has a leader who liaises with the riders’ carers and teachers, the helpers and the stables. The group leader has to make sure that the horses are booked and that there are sufficient helpers available. These patient persons are the backbone of the organization – it is they who keep the whole show going from week to week. Each group also has an instructor who is in charge of the ride – often this is one of the stable staff, but we also have our own instructors who get to know their group and teach regularly once a week. All the instructors provide a great mixture of fun, exercise and education – for the helpers as well as for the riders!
Group history (click)