Chair’s report 23/06/2026
Forest RDA has had yet another busy year: We have some keen new recruits joining our established group of excellent volunteers, and four qualified coaches plus one in training who is well on her way towards qualifying. We have had some new riders join us this year, all of whom have settled in well and are progressing really well
Our riders continue to grow each year, meaning that we are constantly having to reassess which horses they are matched to. Severnvale have allowed us to start using Izzie, who is great despite being blind in one eye, and looks like being be very useful in the future. Unfortunately, Lance has gone back to his family home and is very much missed.
3 of our riders entered the Virtual National Championships last autumn, each entering both showjumping and dressage. Although none of them won rosettes, they gained some really good individual scores, especially in dressage and we are very proud of them all.
Fundraising continues to be a struggle, but we have a committed group of volunteers who doggedly run coffee mornings, stalls at village fetes, and recently, some of our volunteers ran a tombola stall and judged the novelty classes at the Dean Forest Riding Club show, with one of our riders Freya judging the fancy dress competition. We have a bingo night coming up soon, plus the Ross bandstand collection. Dorothy and Pat have started to look at grant applications, and as part of one - thanks to Pat - we now have our own RDA rap!
Thank you to everyone who has helped over the past year – from the volunteers, coaches, riders, parents and carers, but especially to Severnvale Equestrian and their fantastic horses and ponies!
Fiona Davis Chir Forest RDA