Few people realise that this horse sanctuary is also deeply involved helping disabled persons. For many years there were disabled groups that came riding here however a series of storms razed our covered riding area to the ground.
Rother DC planning department have a lot to answer for not allowing the Charity to rebuild the barn for 12 years of application and appeals. Of course in that time the disabled riding group had to dissolve as there was no place they could ride under cover on the wet days.
While the new barn has been built (at last, and many thanks to Mr Jan Richards, planning consultant from Bexhill for his great efforts in reinstating the barn permission) the disabled group have not returned, except on the Open Days. However Brownbread has evolved a new niche that complements the work with the Rescue work and that is the training of suitable rescued ponies for Riding for the Disabled (RDA) work.
Brownbread has now trained many ponies over the years for persons with disabilities. Sometimes these are individuals with specific needs, such as loss of a limb but also for general RDA riding where the persons may have mental incapacity.
Suitable ponies are carefully chosen from those that come to the Centre. They have to be fairly placid of course but also undeterred if the rider makes a sudden shout or reflex jerk. Generally the ponies are under 14.2hh which assists those assisting in mounting/unmounting the rider. Native ponies like Highlands, Dales and Fells often have the ideal characteristics of stamina, strength of bone for weight carrying, cheap to keep, less likely to need a vet since they don't generally prance around getting tangled up in barbed wire like Arabs and Thoroughbreds often do. The native ponies are innately more laid back and relaxed. While older ponies are less likely to spook and therefore are suitable it does mean that their years of RDA work are less.
Enquiries from RDA groups come in to the Charity regularly from around the country for suitable ponies. We have managed to satisfy two groups recently; one in Hampshire and the other, Hope in the Valley in E Sussex. Both these have been very pleased with the ability of the ponies involved; the intensive training they had here at the Centre paid off; now many disabled people that may have little else to look forward to in life, are reaping some happiness that they may never thought possible before.
Your donation helps us to continue this vital work that supports the less abled people of our community as well as the rescued ponies.
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Picture shows mother Aggie with her severely disabled son grooming "Prince" one of the rescued ponies that spent the main part of its life abused by his owner by being shut incessantly in a dark hovel, never mucked out, indeed never let out! The owner was successfully prosecuted. Prince now has a new life of love and freedom thanks to your support.