Grade 1 Certificates for Freemantles Rider – 26 Nov 2024
We’ve had lots of new riders this Autumn and this young man from Freemantles has impressed us all. He’s been so keen to learn and obviously loves his riding and his pony, Romeo. It’s been a pleasure to have him back after the half term so that he could complete his Grade 1 Riding Certificate and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificate too!
Grade 1 Certificates and SAMBER Superstars – 2nd July 2024
The last day of term is always bittersweet. We have to say goodbye to some of our riders who are moving on to different schools and new adventures and we always miss them terribly. Others we just have to say goodbye for the summer and we will welcome them back again in the new academic year. Either way, it’s a wonderful time to celebrate their success. Our two young twins from White Lodge received their SAMBER Superstar Certificates (and now they both have their Grade 1 Certificates!).
Regional Challenge Day – 15th May 2024
This year we were able to take 7 fantasic Samber riders to Hickstead to showcase what they’d learnt and compete against RDA riders from the whole of the South East Region (Surrey, Kent, East and West Sussex). This was the highest number of riders we have ever taken and they all did incredibly well – in the Countryside Challenge Class, with 17 entries, all 7 Samber riders finished in the top 9!!! We also took 2nd in the Dressage! We are so proud of all our riders! A huge thank you to Gayle, Lauren and Claire from Higher Park Farm, for taking the day off to box up and drive the fabulous RDA ponies, Romeo, Leah and Monkey; to all our amazing volunteers who came along on the day and to the families and teachers who gave up their time to bring the children all the way to Hickstead too – thank you everyone who was involved – as you can see by the pictures, a fabulous day was had by all!
Easter Egg Hunt 2024
On our last session of the Spring Term we incorporated an Easter Egg hunt into our riding session. The children were able to search for Easter bunnies, eggs and chickens and collect them in their baskets to ‘eggs-change’ them for chocolate Easter Eggs to take home with them. As you can see, lots of fun was had by all our riders.
Christmas Ride 2023
Our last session of the Autumn 2023 term was our Christmas Ride – complete with Elf costumes, reindeer antlers, Christmas jumpers and Santa hats! As you can see from the pictures, the children had great fun, with many of them collecting up the baubles that were dotted around the arena and then transferring them on horseback to the various ‘trees’ in the centre of the school, getting them all decorated in time for Christmas! At the end of the ride, all the children went home with some chocolate treats that Santa had left for them!
Freemantles School riders achieve Grade 1 Horse Riding and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates – October 2023
This first Autumn half term we initially had a mix of riders from Freemantles, as the school established which of their new intake of children would best love horse riding! We ended up with a wonderful group who excelled in learning about their Horse Care and Horse Riding and who passed their Grade 1 Certificates with flying colours! We are really proud of this group who took to riding so quickly and really enjoyed their visit to the stables to see where their horses live and learn about what they eat too!
Hermitage School rider achieves Grade 1 Horse Riding and Horse Care Certificates – June 2023
This year we have a wonderful rider return to us after many years away. He used to ride with us when he was a pre-schooler, via White Lodge, but now, he’s returned to SAMBER through the Orchard Centre at the Hermitage School. It’s been tough getting back into the saddle after several years away and takes a tremendous effort to sit up in the saddle due to his disability. But he loves riding and the effort he puts in to strengthen his core muscles is evident by the progress he’s made. We were very proud to award both a Grade 1 in Horse Riding and Grade 1 in Horse Care to this fine young rider!
Hermitage School riders achieve RDA Grade 2 Horse Riding Certificates – May 2023
Usually in May we would have taken the oldest Hermitage Riders to the Regional Challenge Day, although sadly the event was cancelled this year. Instead, we created our own SAMBER Countryside Challenge Course and used it to progress the riding skills of three of our riders. Two had been absent previously when Grade 1 Certificates were being awarded, so we quickly got them back up to speed and they passed both their Grade 1 in Riding and Grade 1 in Horse Care. Each week we learnt new sections of the Countryside Challenge Course, which included weaving round various objects, riding a figure of eight around two barrels, and even riding a serpentine (S-shape) to further their steering abilities on horseback. They learnt to stop and look both ways at the T-junction, to open and ride through a gate, and rescue a toy cat from a tree and place it gently in the bucket below! They even learnt to lean slightly forward with a light seat going over a pole on the ground and to walk their pony on a long rein to allow the pony to stretch their neck. At the end of the five weeks, the riders were awarded with their well-earned RDA Grade 2 Horse Riding Certificate and badge, which is a huge achievement! Congratulations to them all!
RDA Grade 1 Horse Riding and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates for Freemantles Riders – May 2023
The first half of the summer term brought some excited new autistic riders to try horse riding for the first time. It was lovely to see how much enjoyment riding brought them. Using Makaton signs for some, this helped them learn to sit still and upright in the saddle for longer, increasing the length of time they were able to ride and enjoy the experience. Others were able to use their voice to ask their pony to “stop” and “walk on” and to answer questions on where their pony might live and what they like to eat and drink. Turns out we all love to drink water! At the end of the half term, SAMBER awarded a mixture of Endeavour Awards and RDA Grade 1 Certificates at the end of the half term to reflect their excellent learning skills.
RDA Grade 1 Horse Riding and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates for Freemantles Riders – Spring 2023
It was a great start to the year with some very capable young autistic riders from the Freemantles school, who all passed their RDA Grade 1 Certificates. They demontrated their riding skills by verbally asking their pony to “Stop!” in a ‘stop-box’ made of four poles. Once stopped they answered various questions about where the pony lives and what they like to eat and pointed to various points of the horse to gain their Horse Care Certificate. Verbally asking their pony to “Walk On!” to successfully leave the box and continue around the arena completed their Horse Riding Certificates. We are very proud of their achievements and the riders were all very excited to receive their certificates and badges.
RDA Grade 1 Horse Riding and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates for Hermitage School Riders – 29 Nov 2022
We had some fantastic female riders in our Autumn Half Term. They learnt about basic points of the horse and tack for their Horse Care Certificates and progressed wonderfully as young riders for their Horse Riding Certificates; they learnt the correct aids to walk on and also to ‘halt’ their pony (at one point, even doing this unaided, without a pony leader at all!). They also demonstrated their steering abilities, weaving down our slalam course. Since test day was also our final Christmas Ride, the children answered questions about their ponies and received decorations wrapped in tinsel, which they had to take on horseback and hang it on the SAMBER Christmas Tree. All our riders achieved an amazing 100% on their test scores!
They, and all the other riders from the term, received a little chocolate Santa from SAMBER as a gift to take home.
Regional Challenge Day – May 2022
After a two year break due to Covid, the South East Regional Challenge Day was back on Thursday 19th May 2022! SAMBER was excited to take four of our most experienced riders (as they will be moving onto new schools soon) from the Orchard Centre within the Hermitage School, St John’s, Woking, to compete against riders from RDA Groups all around the S.E. Region. We participated in the Countryside Challenge, where riders must navigate a complicated course with various numbered obstacles which vary from steering around seven objects to picking an apple from a tree, opening a gate, stopping at a road crossing, and posting a letter etc. After only four short weeks of practice, all four riders produced ‘personal best’ rides and came in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th!! We are so proud of each and every one of them!! Huge thanks to the school and teachers for bringing the children and to Gayle, our riding school owner, who boxed up and drove Romeo (the bay) and Misty (the piebald) to the event for us at the Felbridge Showground. SAMBER also entered the Fancy Dress – the theme this year was Television Programmes. We chose the BBC’s Blue Planet as our theme – one of our riders dressed as Sir David Attendborough, whilst others dressed as a turtle and a fish (who also doubled up as an excellent cameraman!). We also had an ‘octopus’ rider on our pony Romeo who had a blue blanket representing the sea. The children all created pictures of sea creatures which we sewed onto the blanket, along with various soft toy sea creatures and netting. To highlight the pollution that was addressed in the show, our volunteers created ‘bin bag’ outfits using items that we regularly throw away, plastic containers and items that can be recycled but not in our own postcode. It was a real eye opener even for our most avid ‘green’ volunteers, just how quickly we could gather items to include. Sadly there were no other groups competing in the class but we all had great fun on the day and are happy to retain our Fancy Dress Trophy for another year!
Grade 1 Riding and Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates – November 2021
Three fabulous riders from the Hermitage School achieved both their Grade 1 Riding Certificate as well as their Grade 1 Horse Care Certificates and badges on the last day of term in 2021! They are our first riders to achieve this since we re-opened after Covid closures. The Horse Care Certificate covered the basic points of the horse and tack, then the riders demonstrated their ability to stop their pony, giving the correct aids to walk on and demonstrate their steering abilities around our new coloured cones for their Riding Certificate .
Congratulations to all three riders, we are so proud of you all!
Sitting Upright – November 2021
In the RDA, we recognise great achievements at all levels. Many of our riders from the Freemantles School have severe autism and some have no language at all. One of our riders in particular shows sensory seeking behaviour and when he first came he insisted on laying down over the ponies withers for the whole ride. Whilst it was rewarding to see the connection he was having with his pony, this bent forward position compromises balance and makes the ride difficult for pony, rider and volunteers. After a few patient rides, with a very understanding pony, a lot of help from our volunteers and some basic Makaton signs, our rider has really worked hard and is now sitting up and able to enjoy the ride from a whole different perspective. For his efforts and improvement our young rider was rewarded with our
Pandora Award
Judging by the intermittant giggling, this new upright position definitely seems to meet his approval!
Harrison’s Success – November 2019
Our fabulous rider Harrison has made huge improvements this year and in November 2019 he was awarded with this Grade 1 Riding Certificate as well as his Grade 1 Horse Care Certificate! Well done Harrison!
Regional Challenge Day – 9th May 2019
In May 2019 we took three female riders from the Hermitage School to the Regional Challenge Day at East Grinstead’s Felbridge Showground. Here they competed against riders from other RDA Groups in the South East Region. There was a Handy Pony Competition and a Countryside Challenge Course, with various obstacles and tasks to negotiate, including picking an apple from a tree, posting a letter, walking under a low branch, joining a ‘road’ and opening a gate. Although great fun, this also tests riders’ steering, balance and focus and through achievement, their confidence improves. All our riders did brilliantly!
SAMBER entered the Dressage Competition for the first time ever – and picked up first prize!
There was also a fun Fancy Dress competition in the afternoon, with the theme being ‘Childrens’ Books’. SAMBER picked up first prize here too with our Little Red Riding Hood costumes. A huge thank you to the teachers, parents and volunteers who supported the children on the day and thanks also to Gayle at Higher Park Farm and Clare (Indy the pony’s Mum!) who allowed us to borrow their ponies for the day – they went above and beyond, boxing up the ponies, driving them there and back and looking after them all day. Thank you to everyone involved – and congratulations to all three children – we are so proud of you!
White Lodge Riders Excel – 3rd July 2018
Our two young riders from White Lodge received their well-earned Certificates and badges from SAMBER for all their hard work and effort this year. One received his Grade 1 Certificate in Riding Proficiency and Horse Care, the other his Endeavour Certificate, with a view to pursuing his Grade 1 next year when he’s a little bit older. These two riders have progressed so far this year – when they started with us they struggled to sit upright unaided – just look at them now!
Regional Challenge Day – 1st May 2018
There was also a fun Fancy Dress competition in the afternoon, with the theme being ‘Films’. SAMBER picked up a second place with our Toy Story costumes. A huge thank to all the teachers and parents who supported the children on the day, all the volunteers who helped on the day (and made the fancy dress costumes beforehand!) and also to all the staff at Higher Park Farm who allowed us to borrow their ponies for the day – they went above and beyond, boxing up the ponies, driving them there and back and looking after them all day whilst they weren’t being ridden – allowing us to focus on the children. Thank you to everyone involved – and congratulations to all the children – we are so proud of you!
Sue wins RDA Regional Volunteer of the Year 2016!
I can’t believe we managed to keep this a secret from her, until the Winner of the Regional Volunteer of the Year was announced at the Regional Conference in October 2016 and the award was presented by Gold medal-winning Paralympian Sophie Christansen!!!
Here was her nomination; Sue Turok is an exceptional volunteer. She began as a side-walker at the SAMBER Group back in 1999 and soon became our Group Instructor. Nearly a decade ago she become our Group Chairperson as well! She has stuck with us through good times – and more recently this year when we ran into severe difficulties sourcing ponies and facing potential closure of our premises. Despite living over in Cowfold, Sue regularly made the 1 hour 15-minute journey into Chobham and was instrumental in sourcing new premises with their large selection of ponies. She organised the RDA sign-off with RDA staff and then worked closely with another of our volunteers (Alison, a solicitor) and the new Yard Manager to discuss and finalise our new contract. She travelled up regularly outside of ‘SAMBER hours’ over the Easter holidays to familiarise and train up the new ponies with our toys and equipment and kept the schools up-to-date with our progress. She always kept a cool, calm head even when everyone else was losing theirs! We firmly believe that without Sue’s dedication, loyalty and hard work our group may have closed this year but with her caring nature, positive attitude and dogged determination and belief in preserving the great work that we do, SAMBER is now successfully settled in our new premises.
We have already held a school fun day, gymkhana and SAMBER Superstar Certificate* presentation in front of parents and teachers (*the curriculum for which was, of course, written by Sue!). Her wealth of knowledge, sensitivity and patience regarding both children with disabilities and horses makes for a fantastic combination. On top of all of this she reliably attends the First Aid, Safeguarding, Volunteer and Coach training to keep us up-to-date on how best we can help our children (and visits the children prior to term starting to assess their individual needs) and is always a key member when organising fund-raising events too! She is always so thoughtful and generous in thanking all our volunteers for their own individual contribution to our Group, but this year (in particular) Sue really deserves her own mention and is definitely our Volunteer of the Year!
SAMBER Superstars
On 26th April 2016, riders from White Lodge completed their SAMBER Superstar Certificates! The children had all been working hard, learning about basic horse care, improving their riding and asking (or signing for) the ponies to ‘walk on’ and ‘halt’, and naming different parts of the horse and tack. Parents and teachers were invited along to the presentation, where the children were each given a big rosette, badge and Certificate. It’s really wonderful to see these little ones progress!
Regional Challenge Day – 12th May 2015
The weather was much improved on last year, as volunteers, parents, teachers and children from the Hermitage School’s Orchard Centre attending the event, along with Carol and her horses, Fionn and Thunder. We all had a wonderful day out, all the children won rosettes in the Handy Pony competition and one of our riders took 1st in their class in the Countryside Challenge event, with another rider achieving another great score in their other class! We even won the Fancy Dress competition in the afternoon – the theme was Heroes and Villains, so we were all dressed up as Peter Pan and Captain Hook – with many of the volunteers as Hook’s motley pirate crew!
SAMBER meets HRH Princess Royal
This picture was taken at the RDA Supra Regional Conference, which was held at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 14th April 2015. The event was attended by over 300 volunteers from the South East, Greater London and South Regions RDA groups, as well as our RDA President, HRH The Princess Royal. The day itself comprised of a number of informative presentations and a carriage-driving demonstration, and during the lunch break, a number of volunteers were presented to the Princess Royal. One of our esteemed volunteers and Safeguarding Officer, Vikki Kitcat, is pictured here proudly representing SAMBER.
RDA Supra Regional Conference held at the RMA Sandhurst
Regional Challenge Day – 8th May 2014
The weather was awful but it did nothing to dampen our spirits, as volunteers (including Carol and her horses Fionn & Thunder), parents, teachers and eight children from the Hermitage School’s Orchard Centre attended the event. All the children won rosettes in the Handy Pony competition and two of our riders even took 4th and 5th in the Regional Countryside Challenge event, something which SAMBER has never even entered before! We even won the Fancy Dress competition in the afternoon – and finished off with a well deserved ice-cream! Thank you to everyone who was involved!!!
