1. A pilot project funded by Sport England and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) looked at the effect of direct support on the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The study worked with 5 Member Groups and achieved an overall increase in volunteers of over 10%. Using this as the basis, a nationwide project is now planned, for which funding is currently being sought.
2. As part of the research for this project, a major survey of volunteering across RDA was carried out. The survey confirmed the objectives of the project which are to increase volunteering (in particular young people as volunteers) and to ensure that standards of volunteer management are raised across RDA. The AGM in November was also followed by a presentation and discussion on volunteering.
3. As part of the general improvement of IT services across RDA, with the support of The Higher Education Active Community Fund and Reading University, 57 websites were created for RDA Groups in the UK. The project also funds the cost of hosting the site for three years.
4. Many RDA Groups struggle with the burden of managing their Group. To help with this we devised and piloted a “Governance Roadshow” for Trustees of Member Groups. This was delivered, very successfully at 7 locations, to over 200 Trustees and it is planned that this will now be extended.
5. Meetings were held for “Large Centres” across the UK. These have helped identify specific problems for large Groups and allowed them to share best practice.
6. The annual Coaches Conference at Leicester University attracted more than 130 delegates including, for the first time, Carriage Driving Coaches.
7. Regions were also active in their training and support for local Groups. 112 training days were held at Regional level, benefiting almost 2,740 volunteers. Additionally, 39 other events were held for the benefit and support of Groups, attracting 3,300 people.
8. Member Groups continue to receive support in the form of grants from RDA National. In the year to March 2007 a total of £18,250 were given to 6 Groups. Additionally, Penniwells RDA Group (in NW London) received a grant of £338,492 from the “Harrow Weald Fund”. This fund was created specifically to support riders and carriage drivers in the London Borough of Harrow and with the agreement of the Charity Commission, we have been able to use it to support this Group.
9. In addition to Grants given from National Office, Regions made grants totalling £70,829 to 61 Groups during the year. This included £55,000 given by the Wooden Spoon Society to support Groups in Edinburgh and Borders.
10. In partnership with ASDAN – the educational awarding body – we piloted a programme for the Community Certificate in Volunteering (CCV) in Northern Ireland. The pilot aims to encourage the participation of younger volunteers and provide a strong training basis to their work. The project will be evaluated in May 2008.  

The support and development of riders, carriage drivers and vaulters

• The pilot Education Programme, run in conjunction with ASDAN, was completed and culminated in 6 students receiving awards from HRH The Princess Royal in May 2006 – these 6 were representing the 88 students who took part. The programme proved very successful and provided clear evidence for the educational validity of RDA activity. Although administratively complex for the volunteers, the programme is now being expanded and more funding sought.
• Together with British Dressage and the BEF, the Long-Term Athlete Development pathway (LTAD) was defined for riders with disabilities, which enables coaching to be tailored to the specific needs of riders according to their position on the pathway. Importantly, this also links the progress made in RDA with further achievements for the most talented riders. A similar process is ongoing for Carriage Driving.
• Once again the National Holidays programme was run and included 62 holidays, providing places for 447 individuals. This is a decrease of 18% from the 2005 figure and we are planning to revitalise this programme. Once again, £4,000 was given in grants to Holiday Organisers and individuals.
• Participation was given a higher profile more generally and as part of this process we appointed a new Trustee from among the riders/drivers, specifically to represent their interests. We now aim to have a participant present on all RDA committees.

The support of specific disciplines within RDA

• 4 Nancy Pethick Training Awards and 8 Stella Hancock Training Awards were given to volunteers to support their training.
• A £1,000 Carriage Driving Grant was given to Cobbes Meadow Group to purchase a new vehicle.
• Four Carriage Driving Conferences were held, taking place in Bannockburn, East London, Leeds and Gloucester.  A total of 180 delegates attended. · Carriage Driving Shows took place in North Wales and Sussex, attracting 50 drivers.
• Carriage Driving Holidays were held in Stirling & Escrick Park, North Yorkshire.

Dressage

• Dressage judges training days were held in four RDA Regions, and almost 100 volunteers attended ·
• RDA continues to work well with British Dressage to promote high level dressage and we are now planning to promote dressage at “grass roots” to ensure that riders at all Groups have the opportunity to take part.

Vaulting

• Support for vaulting was identified as an area of need and a member of staff at National Office has now been assigned to help the development of vaulting.
• During the year, the number of vaulting Groups increased to 13.

Side Saddle

• RDA is creating clear guidance and training opportunities for Groups wishing to involve side saddle riding in their activities.

Additional Activities

In addition to the activities listed above, the following highlights have contributed to attaining the objectives of RDA.

Communications

• In July 2007, RDA was featured as the charity on the BBC’s Lifeline programme. As well as providing an excellent opportunity for publicity, this also led to donations of over £7,500 and over 100 new volunteers.
• The Scottish Parliament hosted a dinner for RDA in February 2007, at which more than 100 local business leaders gathered to learn more about the Association.
• At the National Equine Forum in March 2007 RDA made a presentation to the leading figures of equestrianism in the UK.

IT

• The website is constantly developed and improved.
• Visitor numbers have increased by 400% with over 15,000 page views per week.

Fundraising

• The third RDA Golf day returned to Wentworth and raised £14,000.
• During the year RDA appointed Action Planning to manage its trusts fundraising.

Office Building

• The plan to build a new office on the edge of Warwick was reviewed and it was decided that it would be more cost effective to sell the land and move to a ready built office.
• This process has been rapidly achieved and RDA moved to its new office in Tournament Fields – on the edge of Warwick, in October 2007.