Is winter over yet?

We have just cut into our first bags of silage and put on the thicker winter covers, its getting to that time again when we have to keep the horses nice and warm and the volunteers even warmer! Winter solstice has past, but I’m not sure our body clocks are detecting the longer daylight times yet. The end of term is always a nice time to reflect on things we can do better for our riders and volunteers in the upcoming months.

TAURANGA RIDING FOR THE DISABLED NEWSLETTER

IN THIS ISSUE

• Events• People• Volunteers• Fundraising Events• WISH LIST• Upcoming Dates• Horses• Supporters• Thank You

NEWSLETTERJULY 2018

Tauranga Riding for the Disabled44 Ngapeke Road RD 5 Welcome Bay, Tauranga

The Tauranga RDA is delighted that Coach Claudia was awarded the National Coach of the Year!

The award was announced at the RDA National Conference held in Wellington in late May. Claudia did not know she had been nominated as a recipient and was overwhelmed at the conference dinner when her name was announced. She was selected out of all the NZ RDA coaches for her dedication to the RDA, not only for services to the Tauranga branch but also nationally, by being a national volunteer trainer and assessor for the NZRDA. She stood out due to her advancement of her therapy programmes and by the amazing results that she brings out in all her riders and for services to help others including a local para-equestrian rider and to the local Pony Club. Congratulations Coach Claudia, the Tauranga RDA is privileged to have you on their team.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Honey and Betty inspecting Coach Claudia’s Coach of the Year certificate.

PEOPLE

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer Week

Recreational Services has enabled the Tauranga RDA to give back to their volunteers for a second year. Volunteer Week was celebrated at the RDA over the week of the 18-23 June. Each morning the volunteers received warm croissants, sweets, and hot café coffees for morning tea. Each volunteer was awarded with a thank you gift of warm gloves, chocolates and hand cream to help over the cooler winter months.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who help the RDA deliver so many therapy rides each year. Together, we deliver over 4,500 therapy sessions per year to help those who need us in our community! Thank you to Dave Biddle, Operations Manager of Recreational Services Bay of Plenty who are able to support this week for our volunteers.

EVENTS

International Volunteers

It is with heavy hearts that our wonderful quartet of German students has left us, all within a space of a week!! Nadine, Katrin, Miriam, Alicia will always be remembered by their comradery, work ethic and infectious happiness around the RDA. Possum is so lonely after bonding with them all and the mini ponies are getting fatter without Nadine taking them for a walk nearly every day! We wish them well for their future adventures.

Volunteer of Year

Lorraine Grantham has been volunteering with us since July 2017, she immediately impressed us with her incredible work ethic and dedication to the Tauranga RDA. Lorraine volunteers twice a week and is very reliable. She even volunteers to do jobs during the school holidays, like washing the saddle blankets and helping with admin jobs. Lorraine’s skills as a volunteer have really developed and she is great with our horses, having a special kind of patience for our higher energy horses, such as Kimmy. She has great empathy for our riders, volunteers and horses and is a huge asset to the team at Tauranga RDA. Thank you for all your hard work Lorraine!

Lorraine celebrates her Volunteer of the Year award with Dave Biddle, from Recreational Services, for her dedication and commitment to the RDA.

Thank you to Dave Biddle and Recreational Services for their support of the Tauranga RDA’s volunteers.

Tauranga RDA Board Members

After the recent AGM in June there are newly elected positions and two new members on the Tauranga RDA Board.

• Chair Paul Chapman, Director at Tierra Limited

• Vice Chair Felicity Salter, General Manager & Group Accountant at Metro Marketing

• Treasurer Rebecca Maulder, Senior Accountant at RightWay

• Secretary Janine McTainsh, Marketing and Communications Manager at Sharp Tudhope Lawyers

• Volunteer Representative Rhonda Phillip, Volunteer at the RDA and Tauranga Coastguard

• Board member Shima Grice, Partner at Sharp Tudhope Lawyers

Thank you to Leona Smith, who was the past Chair, and Ross Jensen, past Treasurer, for their wonderful contribution of their time and efforts to the Tauranga RDA. Both have been instrumental in the growth of the RDA to its present capacity and have left a wonderful legacy at the Tauranga RDA.

Progress on new build

As of the end of June the final consents have been passed by the City Council. The float park has been dismantled and the old brick ablution block has been cleared out. It is hoped that works will proceed end of July and planned to be finished early 2019.

Junior Volunteer of the Year

Gemma Benton joined our Junior Volunteer Development Programme in 2016, since her first day she has grown in confidence and ability. She has a fantastic work ethic, always first to put her hand up to do a job and last to check all the jobs are finished. She is role model for our new team members, showing them how to complete the jobs and making sure they have people to work with. We can rely on her 100% to get things done in a safe and timely manner. Her horsemanship skills have really developed and she is great with even our more challenging horses. Although she is a huge asset to our Junior volunteer team, we are counting down the days until she is 14 and able to help in the therapy rides as I know she will be wonderful at that too. Thank you Gemma!

Thank you for all your hard work for the RDA, Gemma.

Alicia, Nadine, Katrin and Miriam presenting the staff with a wonderful photoboard of all the horses, taken over the time they have been with us and Katrin baked the staff a wonderful goodbye cake!

Good in the Hood

The end of the Bay of Plenty Z Station Good in the Hood promotion was celebrated at the Tauranga RDA in June. Local charities came to see our facilities and the cheque presentation was a fun time for all.

Coaches Claudia and Angela, Elisha and Kaasandra, Biscuit, Lilly and Sophie were presented with the amount of money that corresponded to the amount of votes the RDA received at the Palm Beach Z Petrol Station. It was a fun campaign where Lilly and Biscuit got their 1 minute of fame on the telly and the staff had a turn at washing windscreens at the petrol station.

Thank you to the Good in the Hood promotion for selecting the Tauranga RDA to be a part of this fundraising campaign.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Lilly, Biscuit and Sophie represent the Tauranga RDA at the final presentations for Good in the Hood.

Cowboy Challenge and Indoor Showjumping Practice Day

The RDA is taking more of an initiative to its fundraising and running some Cowboy Challenges and Indoor Showjumping days over the autumn and winter periods. So far we have run three Cowboy Challenges where riders face different obstacles with their horses and test how much a horse trusts its rider and one practice Indoor Showjumping day. Each day has resulted in about 40 horse and rider combinations attending.

Ferne Reid enjoying a round of showjumping on her pony Ruby.

We are planning to hold an Indoor Showjumping Series over three weekends with the first one coming up on the 29th July. It’s a great way for our local riders to experience jumping indoors and also to have a nice outing whilst the weather is not so wonderful outside.

During our three showjumping series days the RDA will run a horse raffle with over $1,000 in prizes to be won, including a lesson from local Eventing Champion Abby Lawrence, a horse dentistry treatment from Wayne McEwan, a clip from local horse clipper Sandra Becconsall, some top quality products from Tauranga Saddlery and Matamata Saddlery and much more!

Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased from the RDA email info@taurangarda.co.nz or phone (07) 544-1899.

The horse raffle has over $1,000 worth of prizes! Only $10 per ticket, get yours now!

WISH LIST

Solar electric fence unit – so we can keep on strip grazing our horses. $262.32

Geared reel and electric tape – to stop naughty horses from getting into the grass we are trying to save up. $70.00

Tall standards (2x sets) – to stop even naughtier horses form getting into the grass we are trying to save up! $97.00 each

Quad Bike helmet $200.00

UPCOMING DATES

23 July Term 3 Start of Therapy Riding 29 July Indoor Showjumping Fundraising Series Day 112 Aug Indoor Showjumping Fundraising Series Day 226 Aug Indoor Showjumping Fundraising Series Day 326 Aug Fundraising Horse Raffle Drawn10 Sept Last week of Therapy Rides1-5 Oct Own your Own Pony Programme8-12 Oct Own your Own Pony Programme

Tauranga Riding for the Disabled44 Ngapeke Road RD 5 Welcome Bay, Tauranga

SUPPORTERS

Donations

Thank you to BJ and TR Vowles for their kind donation towards our Wish List to purchase security straps for the saddles. We greatly appreciate you helping us make the riders safe.

Thank you to Boehringer Ingelheim for supplying the horses with their next two rounds of Triumph wormers (value of $900). It is wonderful to have the support of a major supplier of animal health products. Thank you Boehringer Ingelheim.

THANK YOU

Please support those who have supported our RDA

Abby Lawrence Event Rider

Bay Performance Supplies

Farmlands Te Puna

Farmlands Tauriko

Matamata Saddlery

Metal Man

Orijen Pet Foods

Positively Together

RS Sports Photography

Scott Logging Ltd

Sheaff Vehicles

Tauranga Saddlery

Wayne McEwan – Equine Dentist

HORSES

Horse of the Term 2

Rascal has just completed his first full term as a therapy horse and we are more than pleased. Rascal joined us in March this year from his home in Paengaroa. He is very kindly leased to us by Kathleen Sutton. He is a 13 year old Clydie cross who used to hunt and trek out. As soon as Rascal began his training it was clear that he is a very special guy. He has the most beautiful nature and is an incredibly kind horse. He completed his training in record time and passed all of our training challenges with flying colours. He is already being used for some of our more high needs riders which he is taking all in his steady stride. On top of being a fantastic ridden therapy horse he is also excelling in our non ridden EAGALA programme. Participants are drawn to his cruisey nature and love to pat him and hang out with him. Rascal is kindly sponsored by Pam Williams and Barbara Jones. He is a very deserving recipient of Horse of the Term for term 3!

Rider of Term 2

Caleb Arnot is a 6 year old boy who has been riding with us for just over a year. He always tries really hard at riding but he has worked especially hard this term. Caleb is now riding his horse, Betty, off the lead rope with excellent control. He has had lots of changes this term, with different leaders, but he’s handled it like a pro, never with any fuss and always with a smile on his face. For a young man diagnosed autism spectrum disorder this is no mean feat, and his coach, Sharon, is incredibly proud of him. “Caleb is such a delight to have at riding, he has progressed so much this term. He is always happy and enjoying himself” said Coach Sharon. We are all very proud of Caleb for his efforts this term, he is a very deserving recipient of Rider of the Term for Term 2 2018.

Rascal enjoying the outdoor ride with his rider Sam.

Friends of Tauranga RDA

Welcome to the new members of the Friends of Tauranga RDA.

Phil Lawson Family Trust | Clark FamilyFrank & Margaret Colgan

You can be a part of helping us to deliver the Tauranga RDA’s Vision that “Every person is supported to live life to their full potential”. The funds from our Friends of Tauranga RDA initiative goes towards keeping the costs to our therapy riders as low as we possibly can. You can help run our five therapy programmes for those who have differing abilities and those whom are at risk in our community. The costs is $500 for a business and $180 for a family sign up.

Please contact us if you wish to help us achieve our mission. Email info@taurangarda.co.nz or phone (07) 544-1899

Caleb enjoying the sunshine with Betty.