At West Lothian RDA, we provide therapeutic riding and stable management sessions for adults and children of all ages with various disabilities. We only have outdoor facilities, therefore do not operate throughout the winter. Our group is operated by volunteers and throughout the winter our lovely horses are looked after daily by a small team of dedicated volunteers who give up their time in all weathers. Generally costs of looking after the herd are much higher in the winter as we need to bring in feeds and extra supplements.

The pandemic has added extra pressures and although we managed to restart our service this year, there are pressures on our finances. We are therefore looking to raise some funds to support us through the winter months and be ready for the 2022 season.

We currently have three ponies that need to visit the equine hospital for treatments by our lovely vets. Morris needs laser treatment for sarcoids and will require 3 days in hospital. This treatment is essential to prevent the sarcoids spreading as well as providing much needed comfort in the summer months when fly's increase irritation. Tango and Jay need to visit the hospital for a day for some dental work to keep their teeth healthy and allow them to carry on grazing and munching on tasty carrots and apples supplied by our volunteers and participants (in moderation of course!).

The estimated cost of the treatment for all three plus transportation to and from the hospital is approximately £3,000.

Now the grass has stopped growing, we bring in hay from now until spring. A bale of hay is £35 and we go through around 4 bales per week. We will spend around £2,500 over the winter on hay. In addition to hay, most of our horses and ponies will also need some extra supplements and feeds throughout the winter.

Typical feeds we use are Fast Fibre, Conditioning Cubes, Ready Mash, Vet Vitality & Grass Nuts which cost between £15 to £25 per bag.

The main supplements we use are Superflex, General Purpose Supplement and Think Pink. These range between £12 for refill bags to £60 per tub

Some also require Danilon for pain relief which we purchase from our wonderful vets at Clyde Vet Group.

Our ponies, participants, volunteers and trustees thank you for your interest in West Lothian RDA and appreciate any donation you can spare to help us with these costs.