Louis is an 11.2hh Welsh Polomino pony who pulls the cart and loves to eat! Louie arrived at MRDA in December 2006, from Invercargill where he had been for the previous 5 years.
Fable is one of our most valuable horses. She is used for most of our therapy rides because she has a beautiful temperament and a smooth and even gait. She is an all round pony who does well in dressage and has been to pony club and loves jumping. She is 13.3hh, 19 years old and a lovely chestnut colour.
Hall is a black/brown thoroughbred owned by one of our after-school riders. He was born in Australia where his previous owners bought him as a two year old and imported him to New Zealand when they moved. He has been at RDA since March 2006. He is a very good horse for our beginners and advanced riders alike, with his quiet nature and good training. Hall does well in the A&P shows, dressage and jumping competitions with his owner.
Billie grew up in the North Island as a farm hack before coming to MRDA in 2005. She was once on Country Calendar chasing wild bulls! Billie is 15.2hh, has an awesome nature and is one of our most used horses.
Dudley is a 14.3hh part Clydesdale born in 1989. When he first came to MRDA in 2007 he was on loan and we had the opportunity to purchase him at the end of 2008. He is a well loved horse and can be ridden by anyone. He spent a few years before coming to MRDA at a riding school and babysitting foals.
Spice is a 13.1hh bay Welsh pony, with a good temperament, is forward moving and is easy for children to ride. When she first arrived in 2006 she was on loan and we have now purchased her. She is used a lot by our smaller riders and those who need a fast moving pony to keep them concentrating.
All Sorts is a 15.3hh half Hanoverian, 1/4 standardbred, 1/4 coloured horse. She is a very safe weight bearing horse for our nervous adults. She is broken to harness and has done the South Island Calvacade for a number of years.
Sarna is a 15.3hh thoroughbred/ Clydesdale cross, with an unusual allergy to the sun. She has to wear a mesh facemask all of the time, otherwise she flicks her head badly. Before Sarna’s allergy developed she was competing and doing very well at elementary dressage in Christchurch.
Phoenix is a 14.3hh grey purebred Arab around 10 years old. He has only been at MRDA for a short time but is working happily in our programme. Before he came to MRDA he had done some competitive trail riding with his previous owner, but had no dressage or jumping training. However, he is a very quick learner and we have had no problems teaching him these skills.
Bonno came to MRDA as an 8 year old in 2004. He is a grey 14.2hh 3/4 Connemara, 1/4 Arab. When he first arrived he was terrified of balls, drums and poles, but with a lot of work and training, he is now over his fears and will happily jump up to 1.05m (only at home though!) He does very well in Dressage and Showing. He won Reserve Champion and the Marlborough A&P Show in 2007.
Abby is a 15.3hh very solid weight bearing horse. She came to us from the Hutt Valley RDA and is a good asset to our programme. She has competed in Dressage and has been to Pony Club.
Doc is a 15hh quarter horse gelding and at 28 years old, still has plenty of energy left in him! He has been one of our top therapy horses for many years. Before coming to RDA he was a top cow cutting and barrel racing horse in the South Island.
Lilly is a bay 16hh Holsteiner, Thoroughbred, Clydesdale cross. Her mother is Sarna and her father Corlando. At only 7 years old, she has some growing up to do, but is fairly quiet in most situations. We are currently teaching her to jump, so hopefully she will be a good all-rounder. We are also hoping she will be our vaulting horse.
Penny was purchased by MRDA in 1999 when she was 12. She is a Welsh mountain pony and came from Nelson. Before coming to MRDA she had done all sorts of work including Western Riding, Eventing and Pony Club. She is wonderful for teaching beginner riders as she is very trustworthy.
Rosie is a 14.1hh chestnut Clydesdale cross. She was purchased by one of our after school rider’s families and they take her home during the holidays. Before she came to MRDA she belonged to a Pony Club home, so has done a lot of competing in Dressage, Jumping and games.
Yoyo is on loan to us from one of our rider’s families. He is a 12.3hh grey Welsh pony around 16 years old. He is a willing pony who loves to go out for rides and jumping. He has related to Louie, as they both share Gundigai as their mother.
Kahlua is a 14.2hh Kimanawa/ Appaloosa cross from Gisbourne. We have had him for 3 years now and he has learnt a lot of things during this time. He can now jump and do some dressage and we have also used him for a bit of vaulting.
