Working together as an efficient team was the goal for volunteers at a regional training horse day in Ashburton.
Mid Canterbury Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) hosted 50 volunteers for the New Zealand RDA horse day; the programme focused on core skills for volunteers within the organisation.
Mid Canterbury RDA head coach Maxine Hooper said attendees came from groups across the Canterbury region including Rangiora, Christchurch, Geraldine, Timaru and Oamaru, and had a range of experience.
The workshop was facilitated by Pip Prebble from the NZRDA national office team, while MCRDA provided support including facilities and horses for the demonstrations.
The workshops were moved around the 49 RDA groups in the country and Ashburton provided an ideal central point for the Canterbury region, Prebble said.
‘‘The workshop covered the core RDA knowledge and skills including health and safety, roles and responsibilities, leading, side walking, mounting dismounting and understanding horse behaviour. It was run as a combination of classroom-based learning and practical demonstrations,’’ Prebble said.
NZRDA offered the programmes to ensure volunteers were trained to the highest possible level, to be able to provide the safest and most effective service, she said.
The training was part of a wider training programme that RDA offered, covering a range of different learning for all levels of experience. All volunteers with the organisation were required to do regular training.
‘‘The focus of this training is so that all volunteers, no matter what their roles and experience, come to learn the ‘RDA way’ and work together as an effective team,’’ Prebble said.
‘‘These regional training workshops are held every two years, with each region in NZ having two free workshops over the year.
‘‘They are alternated with more specialist workshops for coaches which are run on the second year, along with a range of online learning opportunities which are available to all RDA people.’’
