27/04/2011

Riding horses has long been known to be beneficial to people with disabilities, and now the Wairarapa RDA has made the experience even more enriching.

Riding for the Disabled on Johnstone St, just east of Masterton, have just opened their Linley McWilliam Sensory Walk. The walk has been three years in the making and includes a wide range of features to stimulate the senses.

Linley was a dedicated rider for 15 years on the regular Thursday afternoons and when she passed away she left $10,000 to the Wairarapa RDA.

The committee decided the money should go towards something that benefited riders directly and would be a long lasting testament to Linley's enthusiasm and generosity.

At the opening of the walk Wairarapa RDA's head coach Linda Tankersley spoke about Linley and what the RDA had decided to do with her generous bequest.

"She was such a lovely person and we wanted to do the best we could for her," she said.

The sensory walk takes the horses, riders and the instructors through various pathways on a circuit.

There are plantings and features all along the way. With changing surfaces for the horses to walk over, the rider's sensation and horses' gait changes throughout.

Riders can reach out and touch different plants, hear and see the water features, negotiate the maze and look at the murals along the way.

With rosemary and lavender plantings planned there will soon also be a scent component to the walk.

Representatives from RDA's national office were there for the opening, including chief executive Guy Ockenden and national head coach Colleen Wright.

Mr Ockenden says RDA continues to grow across New Zealand, and the Wairarapa has a strong branch.

"Wairarapa is a particularly good example of a well run RDA with a commitment to delivering the best outcomes they can."

RDA New Zealand has 56 groups across the country and delivers over 1.5 million rides a year. They have 700 horses and about 2000 volunteers.