My horse-riding journey with Christchurch RDA

By Reuben Cleave

I started RDA in 2007 when I was 7 years old and I have loved it ever since.

Mum used to pick me up from school and bring me to RDA, and sometimes my Nana picked me up.

When I was little, I remember going outside for walks around the paddocks and doing games inside like throwing balls, charging using sticks, and putting rings into cones using a stick.

This helped me improve my balance and co-ordination. Riding a horse stretches my adductors and I must use my core muscles to sit straight.

At first, I could only last fifteen minutes but now I can last the session.

I did horse riding through the earthquakes in 2011. Mum was scared there would be an aftershock and the horses would bolt!

There also used to be birds that lived on the roof that were very noisy and used to scare the horses.

One horse I rode was called Connie; she was 27 years old and looked like she was asleep when she was walking! The birds didn’t scare her!

Another horse I rode was Rocco who was skittish. One time he got scared by a bird on the roof and I nearly fell off. My helpers had to pull me off and calm him down. After that Rocco refused to go into the arena for weeks.

I have cerebral palsy, and I use a wheelchair so when people hear I can ride a horse it surprises them.

The people that volunteer at RDA are special. Jane was the president for a long time, and the helpers are so kind and encouraging.

I really appreciate the opportunity to ride because it helps my muscles so much.

Rueben is a member of the Cerebral Palsy Society and uses his e-card funding to contribute to the cost of his RDA fees.

Reuben’s article was originally published in Christchurch RDA‘s Term 2 2025 newsletter and has been republished with permission.