NW Region gathers for an inspiring Regional Conference

On 16 February, over 100 people from 15 RDA Groups attended the RDA North West Region’s Annual Conference, which was at Craven Arena near Skipton (part of Craven College).

The Conference was held in the fantastic indoor arena with a range of interesting speakers who inspired an audience made up of RDA volunteers, coaches, trustees and participants.

The first speaker was Allan Black (Group Coach at Pendle RDA) with a talk titled “My journey as a coach with a visually impaired rider”, which included a beautifully ridden demonstration by Amelia Riley.  Many coaches and volunteers may not have experience of working with a visually impaired rider and Allan’s experience was of great interest   The audience next was given an introduction to biomechanics by Natalie Fizio who is an advanced biomechanics trainer as well as a chartered physiotherapist and veterinary physiotherapist. Natalie used two riders and horses to give a fascinating insight into biomechanics making us very much aware of how small changes to rider position can make a big difference.

After everyone had enjoyed a well earned lunch, all celebrated the amazing RDA volunteers who are at the heart of the work carried out by the RDA groups throughout the Region.  Many volunteers have helped support their Groups for years and long service awards were given out to mark many outstanding lengths of service (awards were given out for thirty-five, thirty, twenty, fifteen and ten years of service).  Amelia Riley, from Pendle RDA, also received two awards.  One was the prestigious “RDA Over and Above” Award for her exceptional fundraising efforts for her group and  then she was presented with a trophy, by Pendle RDA, for Volunteer of the Year.  What an achievement!

The audience was then introduced to Paul Maynard, an RDA Trustee.  Paul is a former RDA rider, and also a former MP, and gave out further awards to those who had contributed so much to the Conference. 

In the afternoon, the audience heard two further talks.  The first was by Claire Pope who discussed “Introducing showjumping to your group”.  Claire is an RDA Coach and a Regional Showjumping Rep and worked with two riders during the demonstration.  Not all groups do showjumping so Claire’s experience was invaluable.

The afternoon then finished on a high note with an inspirational talk and demonstration given by international carriage driving star, Faye O’Hara, and her beautiful horse Majestic with whom she has built such an incredible relationship.  Faye’s story was inspirational demonstrating what is possible with the right mindset.  Everyone left the Conference with warm hearts (but cold toes!) inspired by the talks and the knowledge that they are part of an amazing RDA family.

The Region would like to thank Craven Arena and Craven College for their generous support of the event and the fantastic speakers and volunteers who made the day possible.