Empowering success with RDA's Accessibility Mark
With support from Radway Riding School in Warwick, an Accessibility Mark accredited centre, 17-year-old Angel Dancy-Brock's confidence has blossomed and she has been empowered to succeed.
Angel has a visual impairment. She has 25 percent vision in her left eye and no vision in her right eye, meaning she often feels unsettled and anxioud in unfamiliar surroundings. Angel can also struggle with social interaction and can find it difficult to interpret people's body language or feelings.
Having done a little bit of horse riding in the past with an RDA group, Angel’s mum, Corrisanne wanted to try and find an option that would be better suited to her needs.
Corrisanne then discovered Radway Riding School based in Warwick, which is an Accessibility Mark accredited centre, and she instantly knew it was a fantastic facility for Angel.
Accessibility Mark status is awarded to a riding centre that has been approved by the RDA following training and assessment. The close link with the RDA means that it can offer continuous support to the establishment to ensure it provides a first-class experience for disabled people.
Angel now enjoys a weekly 45 minute private riding lesson that has seen her riding ability improve tremendously. This has been matched with an increase in confidence that has enabled her to try other things that she would have previously shied away from.
Angel said:
“I love riding and my instructor is brilliant, really explaining everything so that I understand what she needs me to do. I usually have my lesson on a Monday and I am already starting to get excited on Sunday!”
Riding her favourite horse, Jojo, Angel hopes to improve her riding skills further and would even like to try her hand at stable management.
Corrisanne praised the bond that the staff at Radway Riding School has developed with her daughter.
She said:
“The staff are really good with Angel, they are friendly and inviting and have a good understanding of how to communicate with her. This is a skill that not everyone has so I have been really pleased and encouraged by this.”
The aim of Accessibility Mark is to work in synergy with RDA groups to provide the most productive strategy for every rider. For Angel, riding at an Accessibility Mark centre offered a more significant level of independence, having never previously ridden off the lead rein.
Angel's mum, Corrisanne added:
“Since Angel started riding at Radway, they have instilled a new found confidence in her and she trusts her instructor and the horses. Angel is being empowered to succeed, this is all down to the commitment and hard work put in by her instructor for which I am truly grateful.”
