General News
12 November, 2025
Cup day for Stawell RDA
IT was all smiles and a whole heap of fun last Wednesday at the Stawell Pony Club facility with a group of young horse riders participating in a special Melbourne Cup week riding event.
Ominous storm clouds in the sky kept their distance so the Stawell branch of Riding for the Disabled Association of Victoria could put on a great morning for the kids on Wednesday, with activities acknowledging the spectacle of cup week.
The horses looked the part too, thanks to saddle blankets donated a few years ago by Racing Victoria which had been used as part of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
Stawell RDA volunteer Lynette Gunning said Racing Victoria was the groups major sponsor.
“Their support means a lot,” said Ms Gunning.
Sponsorship and donations are a huge part of making a program like RDA possible, with the cost of keeping everything compliant and safe for the kids being a significant challenge to cover.
Ms Gunning said things like rider helmets have to be replaced every five years, even if they’ve barely been used or never had any impact, in order to comply with regulations.
“We’re putting in for grants to hopefully replace the helmets, and it looks like we need to get a new saddle soon for Saxon,” she said, with Saxon being one of the horses at Stawell RDA.
Ms Gunning also said that the club had recently welcomed a new volunteer and is hoping a few more people will put up their hand to help out with RDA activities.
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