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National Inclusion Week: Fiona Pearson from Gordon RDA and her thoughts on inclusion

Sunday, 01 October 2023

To bring our coverage for National Inclusion Week to an end, our final inclusive industry leader gives us her insight on all things inclusion. Fiona JD Pearson is the Chairperson and a trustee at the Gordon Group Riding for the Disabled Association and Inverurie Therapy Pony Centre based near Inverurie, in Aberdeenshire. Running for over 50 years, Gordon is a centre that uses horses to improve the lives of individuals with physical, intellectual or mental health diffculties and challenges. With seven ponies, 50 regular clients and over 70 dedicated volunteers, Gordon is a community, not just a riding centre.

Fiona is a leading light at Gordon and she kindly took time to answer a few questions on inclusion...

What does inclusion mean to you?

Inclusion means the action, practise or policy of providing equal access or being included within a group. Inclusion means being given the opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded such as people with physical or intellectual disabilities.

How have you seen inclusion in motion within the equestrian industry?

I am the Chair person and a Trustee of a Riding for the Disabled group in Scotland my experience since joining RDA has been a positive one and the ethos of RDA is we aim to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for everyone and we want to challenge all forms of discrimination. We ensure we do not discriminate against anyone based on their protected characteristics. RDA is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and inclusion for all staff members, volunteers and most importantly our participants.

What would you like others in my position to know/understand about inclusion?

My fellow Chairs of RDA Groups are all working hard to move with the times for example the changes in digital communication over the last few years. Speaking on behalf of our RDA group we are finding more and more children and adults are not being able to ride due to weight constraints, our ponies can only carry 12.5 stones, or simply not wanting to ride so we are exploring other options so that they can still be included in our group. We have introduced new non-ridden sessions, including Stable Management / Pony Care courses, Tea with The Ponies events, Equine Facilitated Learning sessions and in future we are planning to take our smallest ponies to visit care homes, schools, and hospitals.

We believe it is vital for other groups facing the same issues as we have to think outside the box and look at different ways so more physically and mentally challenged individuals can be included and have the opportunity to enjoy ponies and the huge benefits they can bring. As we always say our ponies are the therapists.

What would you want others not in my position to know about inclusion?

I would like others to understand the importance of the work of RDA and about how we are all working together nationally and locally to make our services as inclusive as possible not just for our participants but also for our volunteers. Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is a charitable organisation which has been going since 1969, so many of today’s RDA groups are now providing new opportunities not just for riding but for a variety of other horse related experiences which allows even more inclusivity for their clients.

 Why do we need to be more inclusive?

I personally believe that it is important for our RDA Group to be as inclusive as we can possibly be so that the tremendous benefits of horses and ponies can be acknowledged and understood by more people. I’ve witnessed so many of our clients, who have severe physical and mental health challenges, response in such a positive way once they are on horseback or when they are grooming or stroking a pony. The ponies do not judge, but bring so much joy, happiness and calmness truly amazing animals.