Photos from the South Region Qualifier
The Photos from the qualifier are now available directly from Karen’s Website
Link: https://shop.wrightstride.com/
Articles by Katy
Blue Cross X RDA CPD Training
In Person Training Session – Tuesday 16th June
Open to all RDA Staff, Coaches, Volunteers
£5 for RDA Coach/Volunteer
£10 for Approved Centre
£15 for External Delegate
This collaborative open day with Blue Cross offers a practical insight into equine behaviour, rehabilitation, rehoming, and positive reinforcement training- with a particular focus on building confidence, communication and emotional wellbeing in horses.
Led by Grace Shayler, Blue Cross Horse Rehabilitation & Behaviour Advisor, the day combines discussion, practical demonstrations and real-life case studies to explore how horses learn, respond to new situations, and build trust through clear, consistent handling.
Alongside practical training sessions, attendees will also gain an understanding of the support Blue Cross can offer horse owners through both their Adoption and Home Direct schemes.
The day is designed to provide practical, realistic approaches that can be applied within everyday equestrian settings- whether supporting horses within RDA groups, introducing new training approaches, or simply building confidence in understanding equine behaviour.
What Will This Session Cover?
What You’ll Learn
- An introduction to the Blue Cross Adoption Scheme and horses currently looking for homes
- Understanding the Home Direct Scheme and support available for horse owners needing to rehome
- How horses learn through positive reinforcement and clear communication
- Techniques to help horses stand calmly and confidently for mounting
- How to introduce horses to novel objects and unfamiliar environments safely
- Understanding emotional responses in horses and reducing stress around new stimuli
- Practical approaches to improving confidence, safety and trust between horse and handler
- Opportunity for discussion and Q&A with Blue Cross experts
Programme Schedule
10:30 – Welcome & Introduction
Overview of the Blue Cross Adoption Scheme, including meeting horses available for adoption, alongside an introduction to the Home Direct Scheme and Q&A opportunities.
12:00 – Lunch
Please bring your own lunch.
13:15 – Session 1: ‘Parking’ Your Horse
Practical training session focused on helping horses stand calmly and confidently, particularly around mounting blocks.
14:00 – Session 2: Introducing a New Object
Exploring how horses respond to unfamiliar objects and environments, including techniques to support confidence and reduce stress responses.
15:00 – Q&A and Closing
Location:
Blue Cross Burford Rehoming Centre
Shilton Road
Burford
OX18 4PF
United Kingdom
Book using this link: Blue cross X RDA Booking
Equine Welfare talk with World Horse Welfare CEO
We missed out on a key speaker at our South Region conference back in April. It was Roly Owers who was presenting about Social License and Equine Welfare. He is CEO of the World Horse Welfare and has been for the last 8 years. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon and his early career included serving with the Royal Army Veterinary Corp. He plays an active role in the charity’s work supporting the horse-human relationship across 4 continents.
As he couldn’t get to the conference, he has agreed to deliver his presentation on Teams and as we have an hour booked, there should be an opportunity for questions too.
It’s booked for the 26th of May at, so next Tuesday from 6pm till 7pm and its free!
Please register on the link below
South Region Qualifier 2026 – Results
A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone who attended the Qualifier!
The results can be found here:
Have Your Say: RDA Brand Survey!
RDA National Office has launched a short brand survey to gather feedback on some early ideas for future brand designs. No decisions have been made – these are simply initial concepts, and your views will help shape the direction we take next.
We’re encouraging everyone across the RDA community to take part and share the survey with others in your groups, networks, and regions.
How to Take Part:
The survey is open from Friday 15 May until midnight on Monday 25 May and takes around 10 minutes to complete.
You can access it by clicking on this link: RDA Brand Survey
Your feedback will help us understand which design direction best reflects RDA and the impact of our work.
Accessibility
The survey has been designed to be as accessible as possible and includes:
- an option with larger text and Makaton support
- compatibility with screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack)
- best performance on the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge