Levin RDA volunteer coach Miranda Craddock and RDA volunteer Adrienne Evans take Munch for a walk at their headquarters on Mako Mako Road.
Levin RDA volunteer coach Miranda Craddock and RDA volunteer Adrienne Evans take Munch for a walk at their headquarters on Mako Mako Road.
Levin Riding for the Disabled (RDA) is on the lookout for a new horse.
They have Munch, Smurfie, Chloe, Skye and Flair already - and Nemo, who is on holiday - but another new pony is needed to fill a void.
The new addition would ideally be a quiet-natured horse, about 15.2 hands tall, willing to bring joy and experience to people who appreciate it most.
One of the Levin Riding for the Disabled horses.
Levin RDA president Stephen Oatley said it might be a situation where the RDA could even look to have a horse on loan, with the guarantee it would be well looked-after.
The need for a new horse was discussed at a recent Levin RDA open day recently, where a large group of people answered a call for volunteer help. At a time when volunteers are increasingly hard to come by, the organisation was pleased with the response.
Oatley said it was a reflection on the Levin community that so many people were willing to give their time to help Levin RDA.
Levin Riding for the Disabled president Stephen Oatley.
“When you see a turnout like this ... you realise the goodwill in small-town New Zealand is alive and well, and people in Horowhenua should be proud,” he said.
“It’s a whole ethos that sometimes is no longer found in big cities. You witness people who are committed to service. Without that goodwill, the Levin RDA would not survive.”
There were eight new volunteers that joined Levin RDA through the open day, but it was always on the lookout for more help. Volunteers came from a variety of backgrounds and skillsets. All that was needed was life experience and enthusiasm.
Volunteering for RDA is not restricted to helping with horses. Oatley said there were a number of volunteer roles essential to Levin RDA administration, like a minute secretary, sponsorship and communications roles, or people to just check on the horses.
Oatley said it was important to value all newcomers to the RDA and impress on them “the RDA way” - people working together, adhering to the RDA guidelines to achieve positive outcomes.
“It is extremely rewarding,” he said.
Levin RDA volunteers at an open day at their base on Mako Mako Road over the weekend.
Adrienne Evans had been a volunteers for two years.
“I call this my happy place. I love it,” she said.
Miranda Craddock, 40, initially started volunteering at Levin RDA in 1997 when she was 14. She now helps train the volunteers.
Craddock herself was born paralysed and suffered poor health. Working with horses and the RDA was her labour of love.
Meanwhile, Levin RDA had a base at Kimberley Road for many years, but the expanding Speldhurst Country Estate on the site meant the organisation decided some time ago it needed to move.
It had since relocated to a new site at the end of Mako Mako Road, on farmland recently purchased from Geoff Kane by Horizons Regional Council, and already the place felt like home for the horses, with an arena, office space and hay shed.
