After a six month search for a new home a local riding charity is preparing to get back in the saddle with a brand new venue in the north.
Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man has teamed up with Guilcagh Stables Riding School near Andreas to build a specially designed indoor arena and stables.
It’s the end of nearly a year of uncertainty for Riding for the Disabled, which has given hundreds of adults and children with disablities the chance to enjoy horse riding.
Last year the charity found itself without a riding venue and has been searching for a new home that can accommodate so many participants: up to 100 school children with a range of disabilities regularly ride in twice-weekly sessions during term time.
Joan Waters, chairman of Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man, said: ‘We’ll be celebrating our 40th year in 2016 and it feels like we’re starting a whole new era for the charity.
‘For the last nine months we haven’t been able to ride and the children have been missing out, but once this is up and running we’ll have a fantastic facility,’ she continued.
‘We’ve started from scratch and designed it together from the ground up.’
Once completed, the venue will boast kitchen facilities, a common room, 10 stables and an indoor arena.
The steel frame for the 60 metre-long building has sprung up in the last three weeks and it’s hoped that the facility will be officially opened in June.
Rose Crellin, owner of Guilcagh Stables Riding School, said: ‘We’re both thrilled that it’s all finally coming together and we hope it’s the start of a long and happy partnership.
‘Riding for the Disabled will have a venue built specifically for their needs and we will have an indoor school to run our business all year round.’
Joan said that the work of the charity can have a huge impact on children’s lives: ‘The difference that riding can make in the young people’s lives can be amazing. It goes far beyond just enjoyment, they gain coordination, control and confidence.
‘One of the students said that when they’re sitting on the horse, they’re no different to anybody else.
‘We’re also hoping to be able to expand as we settle in, perhaps offering evening rides for people who can’t attend during term time.’