A full description of our work can be found in our most recent RDA Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements (see below). However, achievements to highlight include:

Supporting Groups

• The RDA Handbook was launched in February 2011, giving all our Groups and National volunteers a colourful and accessible guide to the key areas of our work.  We plan for this to become an annual fixture.

• We delivered training on Groups governance and management to around 300 volunteers in 13 locations (including every Group in Northern Ireland).  We also produced specific guidance for Regional and County officials and delivered training for these volunteers

• In 2010/11, we provided grants totalling £54,000 to 54 Member Groups.

• The Avon Centre became the 16th RDA Group to win the Queen’s Award for Voluntary service.

• We delivered 4 Regional Carriage Driving Conferences for more than 200 volunteers in total.

• As part of increasing the support for Carriage Driving, we have improved the assessment system – in 2010/11 the number of assessments doubled as a result of assessor training and making it easier and faster to arrange assessments.

• The number of Groups receiving information electronically increased to nearly 80%, dramatically reducing the cost of postage to Groups and providing communications more effectively.

Supporting Riders and Drivers

• We launched RDA Showjumping  as a core activity in February 2011, with the first training day for assessors, followed up by an inaugural invitational competition at the National Championships in July 2011.  We expect the process of rolling this out across the UK to continue until December 2012.

• The 2010 holidays programme ran 79 holidays, providing places for 444 individuals. 

• We have worked with “Dressage Anywhere” to offer their services to riders with disabilities; improving and extending the access to dressage.

• The number of competitors at the 2011 National Championships was the highest ever – 720 entrants over the weekend.

Supporting Volunteers

• We won the funding from Sport England to run the British Equestrian Federation’s youth plan and this was successfully launched at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 2011.  It has proven enormously successful and the Young Equestrian Leaders’ Award has attracted over 400 young volunteers in the first 4 months.

• Our programme of Supra-Regional Conferences has continued and grown with more than 2,000 volunteers having now attended them.  In the past year we have held conferences in Newmarket, Newbury and Kilkenny, Ireland.  The latter was the first time RDA held a joint event with RDA Ireland and attracted almost 300 delegates from both organisations.

• We launched the President’s Award for exceptional voluntary service and 21 Volunteers received the award from HRH The Princess Royal at the 2010 National Championships.

• We have continued to develop guidance and “information sheets” to help Groups with areas of volunteering, in particular launching a new induction pack for Groups volunteers and a guide to Group governance for Trustees.

• In 2010/11 232 young people achieved the Pony Club Achievement badge for volunteering with RDA (20% up on the previous year).

• Over & Above Awards – increasing the recognition of Group volunteers irrespective of length of service – were given to 35 volunteers in 2010.

• During 2010/11 96 volunteers enrolled on UKCC learning programmes and either already have or will shortly achieve the required level.  In addition, a system and support was put in place to allow those with the UKCC L2 qualification to undertake a short module to upgrade to the RDA I.

• In 2010/11 we issued 845 Basic Training Certificates (up 20% on the previous year) and undertook 719 reviews of instructors.

• 148 training days were held at Regional level, benefiting 3,600 volunteers – a 20% increase on 2010. 

• We provided CRB checks for 2,124 volunteers at RDA Groups .

Other Activities

• Over the course of 2011 we carried out an extensive consultation into RDA’s name and brand.  Over 90% of the 10,000 respondents did not want a change in name, although there was some underlying unease about the use of the words “the disabled”.  As a result we have updated the logo and are developing a new brand image.

• In consultation with British Dressage and the Para-Equestrian Dressage squad, we are running a series of events called “RDA 2 Para” highlighting the pathway from grassroots to the Para-equestrian teams.  The first of these was held in January 2011 at the Avon Centre, with additional events held in Yorkshire and Cheshire.

• We secured a second year of sponsorship by Countrywide Farmers, as their staff and corporate charity.  Up to July 2011 they have raised £80,000 for RDA.

• We created and launched a new publicity film, which has been widely viewed and parts of it broadcast on national TV.

• We continued to be well represented at the major equestrian events and will be the event charity at the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim International Horse Trials.

• At the FEI World Equestrian Games in September 2010 the British Para-Equestrian Dressage team won the highest possible number of gold medals, securing their position as world leaders and helping Team GB to finish top of the medal table.