Barrow Farm – Page 2 – Riding and Carriage Driving For the Disabled

Ashfields Carriage Driving Days

For the last four summers Barrow Farm has been lucky to have been hosted by Ashfields Carriage and Polo Club for three days allowing us to offer an amazing carriage driving experience for some of our drivers. Ashfields is set in 500 acres of land, so as well as space to set up cones courses, obstacles and skills courses, there are also tracks to drive around and of course everyones favourite the water splash to drive through. Due to the generosity of Ashfields Equestrian Trust lending us their RDA assessed pony, Thlay, we are able to offer this experience to three drivers on each of the three days.

A big thank you to all our volunteers, without which these days would not be possible. To find out more about volunteering take a look at our volunteering pages. And a big well done to our carriage driving coaches Sally and Jo, who ensure the horses are prepared, arrive safely, looked after well and arrange all the activities. Thanks also to Araminta Winn who coached those driving Thlay and also did daily talks on the best way to drive cones and obstacles.

RDA National Championships 2025: A Weekend to Remember

From 11th to 13th July 2025, our amazing team travelled to Hartpury, Gloucestershire for the RDA National Championships—and what a weekend it was!

We took seven riders and, for the first time ever, two drivers to compete. Our superstar ponies, Summer and Boycie, were absolute champions throughout the event.

Driving Success

Kay and Alex took 1st and 2nd place in the driving competition with Summer—an incredible achievement!

A black and white horse pulling a carriage containing two women in navy polo shirts.

Countryside Challenge Highlights

Duncan won his class on Summer.
Pearl and Tianna both placed 2nd in their classes on Boycie.
Rose came 6th in her class on Summer.

A girl riding a pony in a riding school with lots of obstacles that you might find during a walk in the country.

Dressage Success

Claire and Boycie won both the Grade 1 Championship and the Grade 1 Freestyle.
Emma placed 6th in her Championship class and 1st in the Freestyle on Summer.
Emelia came 8th in a large Championship class and 3rd in the Freestyle on Boycie.

A female rider in a black jacket riding a bay pony in a dressage arena.

Endurance & Best Turned Out

Duncan and Pearl completed a 1km endurance ride, enjoying a special moment listening to Summer’s heartbeat with the vet afterward.
Rose took part in the Best Turned Out and received compliments on how smart she and Summer looked.

A girl wearing a navy jacket riding a black and white pony with a man in shorts looking at how clean they are.

Well done to all the drivers and riders. And a big thank you to all the volunteers and staff that made this trip possible. Duncan’s mum shared the following message, highlighting just how much taking part in competitions means to our riders.

“Duncan has three older siblings who have all ‘achieved’ in their lives and to do well in both competitions has been such a boost to his confidence and self esteem. This opportunity has given him something to be proud of. Even if he had not done as well at the National level, just to be able to take part was an amazing experience.”

Barrow Farm awarded recognition as a Dementia Friendly Community

A woman with brown hair and a blue lanyard presenting a certificate to a man wearing a blue sweatshirt. — Lin presenting the certificate to Martin, who is the Chair of Trustees

On Tuesday 3 June 2025, Lin Adams from Alzheimer’s Society attended our Tea with a Pony session to present us with our Dementia Friendly Certificate. We have been working with Lin and Alzheimer’s Society since 2024 to ensure we can provide a supportive, person-led experience to visitors, volunteers and staff living with dementia.

A woman wearing a purple coat in a wheelchair and a woman in a pink coat with a walking stick looking at a palomino pony who is putting his head over the barrier to be stroked. — Two of our visitors at Tea with a Pony making friends with Nicco.

People’s Postcode Lottery – A Wonderful Win for Barrow Farm

Recently we learned that Barrow Farm RDA had been selected to apply for a £50,000 grant as part of the People’s Postcode Lottery – Millionaire Street Grant Fund. Each month, People’s Postcode Lottery players in a winning postcode share a £1 million prize, and £1 million is also awarded to local causes. Barrow Farm was awarded a grant because we are located near the winning postcode and because of the positive impact we make in our local community.

A big thank you to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery!

Congratulations to Sally

Sally holding her certificate stating Shortlisted, Coach of the Year 2025.

Sally, our Equestrian Manager has been shortlisted as RDA Coach of the Year. Whatever the outcome we are very proud of her. Sally who is an Advanced Coach, Driving Coach and Coach Educator. She not only creates a great rapport with her riders and drivers ensuring they reach their goals and potential but also supports other coaches both at Barrow Farm and across the county and region. Well done Sally!

Horsebox Appeal

Our new horsebox has arrived. It was much in need as our old one had become unreliable. We are still trying to fundraise the last little bit of the cost. To donate, follow this link to our JustGiving Campaign.

The new horsebox will enable:-

• Our ponies to go to local competitions, which is an important part of their training.

• Our riders to continue to compete locally and nationally and

• Our ponies to go to the vets for assessment and treatment when needed

A navy coloured horsebox with the ramp down.

Competing in Regional and National Championships is a simply wonderful experience for our riders in a challenging environment away from Barrow Farm. Prior to going to these events the ponies need to go out to smaller local competitions with staff members to gain experience and to make sure that they are calm and collected when it matters most.

With generous funding from external grant makers we have managed to raise over £40,000 towards this purchase, but we still have a way to go. If you could please give a donation, this is the difference you could make:-

From a Mum whose son competed at the Regional Competition:

‘Today was so special and watching my son ride with such confidence was so beautiful I don’t have the words. Thank you too for making us a part of the Barrow Farm family – my son felt every bit of kindness and support. He was smiling and laughing right before he went on! We can’t wait to see where this journey takes our son but the difference the last six months have made in his life is more then we even knew was possible.’

To donate, follow this link to our JustGiving Campaign.

Spotlight on the RDA website

Have you seen us on the RDA website? We were featured as spotlight group. It is an overview of our achievements and successes for 2024 turned into a year in the life of a RDA group.

Chelmsford Young Farmers February Challenge

We are very grateful to Chelmsford Young Farmers who are walking and cycling 1336 miles around Essex in February to fundraise for Barrow Farm RDA. If you would like to support them you can scan the QR code below or click this link to their JustGiving page. Thank you and good luck with the challenge!

Chelmsford Young Farmers Charity Challenge
1336 miles in 28 days

Trustee Vacancy

Barrow Farm RDA is seeking a trustee with a lead for Social Media, Marketing and Communications. This is an exciting opportunity to join us in a voluntary role and work with the Business Manager and board of trustees as we approach our 50^th anniversary in 2026.

Please see the role description for more details.

Closing date 28^th February.