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From the President
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The end of the year is a time to reflect on everything we’ve achieved together — the lessons learned, the goals reached, and the laughter shared along the way.
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This year we have welcomed several new faces into important roles within our team. Gary Endacott has joined us as our Patron, Sarah Ritchie as our Operations Manager, and Jess McCarthy as our new Arena Assistant. Thank you all for stepping into these key positions and for the energy and dedication you bring to CRDA.
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We have also been fortunate to welcome a number of enthusiastic new volunteers, as well as a few wonderful ponies and horses who have joined our equine family. It is always exciting to see our team — both two-legged and four-legged — grow.
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CRDA has once again been blessed with generous support from our wider community. We have volunteers extraordinaire running raffles and bake sales, generous funders and donors, thoughtful bequests, and local businesses who not only sponsored horses but also contributed time and hard work to help maintain our centre — your contributions make a real difference. We also extend our sincere thanks to our unsung heroes: our vets, farrier, and equine dentist, who work tirelessly to ensure our horses remain happy, healthy, and ready to support our riders.
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As we wrap up 2025, I wish our entire community of riders, families, volunteers, staff, supporters, and friends a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. To all the athletes taking part in the National Special Olympic Summer Games, we wish you the very best — may you enjoy every moment and feel proud of your achievements. At CRDA, we are excited and cheering you on. Bring it on!
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Looking ahead, 2026 is looking bright and we can’t wait for you to continue to join us on the CRDA journey.
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Therapy Plus Room – official opening
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Friday 7th November marked the official opening of our new Therapy Plus Room. The room has been in light use since its completion at the beginning of the year while we gathered the resources needed to fully stock the space. It was exciting to finally make it official.
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We were honoured to have Jono Clarke (Ngāti Kahungunu/Rongowhaakata) bless the space supported by waiata from Halswell Residential College Te Otu Mātua. The ribbon was cut by CRDA patron, Gary Endacott MNZM. The room is the result of more than five years of planning and fundraising by CRDA. It was funded with support from The Rata Foundation, Lamar Charitable Trust and a private bequest. We are so grateful for the ongoing support of our community to help us complete this project.The Therapy Plus Room is a multi-use space. It provides private space for rider assessments, a warmup area and a quiet space for riders to re-regulate. The room is available for hire to community groups outside of RDA hours.
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Grandparents and Special People Week
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In the week leading up to the opening of the therapy plus room, grandparents and special people were invited to Christchurch RDA to see their rider in action. It was wonderful to see smiles all round from our riders and their lovely guests. To mark this memorable time, our visitors went into a draw to win a double pass to Silky Otter Cinemas, plus we had a busy shop with 2026 calendars hot off the press, t-towels, mugs, and frisbees. The sale of raffle tickets to support hosting the equine Special Olympics were also popular with thanks to Orana Wildlife Park, Willowbank Reserve and Silky Otter Cinemas for providing the prizes and Warehouse Stationery South City for printing the tickets. Big thanks to everyone for coming to support their riders and RDA.
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Unmounted sessions at RDA
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The last two weeks at the Christchurch RDA have looked a little different. With the upcoming, and highly anticipated, Special Olympics being held in Christchurch this year, the horses needed a well-deserved break to prepare for this exciting event. So, with only a handful of horses still at the RDA, the coaches put their heads together and came up with two weeks’ worth of unmounted lessons plans to engage all riders.
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Week one saw the therapy room put to good use, filled with all sorts of activities including the new riding simulator, Selina Rose. The riders had a brilliant time exploring the room. The heat outside meant it was a nice cool place to be. Out on the concrete we created a horse care obstacle course that included activities such as filling a hay net, carrying water and putting on a cover. In the arena and outside we used the horses to play musical poles and riders got practise their leading and handling skills. Sticking horse part names to a real horse was a hit too!
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Week two was made magical by celebrating Christmas. The Christmas tree was put up and riders got to decorate this, themselves and their volunteers. The therapy room was open to all and proved to be a great hit once again. A Christmas themed sensory trail on the concrete was well enjoyed. Outside, the riders dressed the horses for a Christmas parade and completed a scavenger hunt. Finally, riders made a Christmas wish that was written on a star and posted into the mailbox.
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Phew, what a wonderful, hot and busy few weeks! We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas break and a happy new year.
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2026 Calendars available now!
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$20 Can be ordered from the office and posted before 15 December.
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Phone 03 3484374 or email admin@chchrda.org.nz
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Our mission is to provide goal-based riding activities to increase the ability, strength and confidence of people with physical, intellectual, emotional and social challenges.
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Our focus is to make a positive difference enriching the lives of our riders through our horse’s movement and interaction.
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We thank all our hard-working volunteers for their dedication and many hours spent supporting our riders, coaches and horses.
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Being a volunteer with CRDA gives you the
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- opportunity to work with horses
- satisfaction from helping our riders
- challenge through learning new skills
- knowledge from our training workshops
- companionship from a great team of volunteers
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Our next New Volunteer Induction Workshop will be on 26 February 2026. Please click the Volunteer button below or go to the Volunteer page on www.chchrda.org.nz to enrol and receive more details.
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Gabi and Annie, Volunteer Support
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13 -19 NZ Bloodstock Sales.
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26 New Volunteers' Workshop
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A huge thanks to our funders, sponsors and donors
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Annabel and Celia Allison
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In Memory of Kathryn Ward - Odel Morshuis
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Canterbury Education Trust - Odd Socks Day
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Christchurch West Inner Wheel
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Rotary Club of Christchurch
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G and B Davies Charitable Trust
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Rubicon Valley Horse Treks
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Physiotherapist Jax Crutchley
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Lions Club of Christchurch South
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Connect Chiropractic Ferrymead
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Geoff and Julie Stevenson
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Brenda Coster and Anne Peglar
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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
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Warehouse Stationery South City
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Plus a big thanks to all our participants in fundraising events this term including Winterslow trek, the inaugral Christchurch RDA Awareness Week (cake bake, raffles, t-towel and pinecone sales), senior citizen visits, book sales, entertainment book donations, gear donations, silent auctions, Special O raffle sales, calendars, volunteer expertise and services.
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Office
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Sarah Ritchie - Ops Manager
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027453 8180 or funding@chchrda.org.nz
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022 1761632 or president@chchrda.org.nz
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Elizabeth Smith - Riders' Rep
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027 2376974 or eliric@xtra.co.nz
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Physical Address
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Northcote Drive, inside Canterbury Agricultural Park, Wigram
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Arena Booking Enquiries
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