THOSE of us who love horses and riding know very well the power they have to improve our lives and make us feel better about ourselves. I know people who swear a much-treasured horse has saved them, freed them from a life of depression, given them hope and a reason to get up every day. They may have suffered an illness, had mental health problems, or suffered some trauma, but having a horse in their lives has brought them through it.

It doesn't have to be about riding either, the every day routine of having to care for a horse is a wonderful and rewarding distraction. The very routine of grooming a horse, filling a hay net, or even mucking out can be therapy itself, and much appreciated by anyone with a stressful job at the end of a long day.

It therefore comes as no surprise that the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) charity has grown in the way it has, with hundreds of branches across the country. Without a branch in Craven, riders have the choice of Pendle RDA, based in Barnoldswick, or over in Bingley or Haworth.

Just recently, Skipton Community Hub, based on Belmont Bridge, held a bingo night, with proceeds going to the Riverside RDA group, in Bingley. The hub knew people who rode at the group and wanted to do what it could to help. The group has been based at Ravenroyd Equestrian Centre, Riverside, for eight years and is run by Moira Wragg and Tracy Lopez-Moreno.

Moira, a retired teacher who worked at Cottingley Village Primary School, and an RDA coach, is a firm believer in the benefits of riding and being around horses and ponies for disabled children and adults. She started as a volunteer 'leader' and ended up jointly running the group.

"We have parents who tell us their child's consultant has asked what they are doing, because their balance has improved, it's really nice to get such feedback and very rewarding," she says.

As a former teacher, she believes it is because animals want nothing back that can make the horses work so well for people with disabilities.

"With people, it is a two way thing, but our riders don't always want to give something back and the horses don't expect them to," she says.

"It's very calming to look after horses and we encourage our riders to take them back to the stables after they've ridden and we teach them how to feed the horses."

One child when he started coming to the group was very uncommunicative and said nothing for some months. But then one day, he called out to one of the horses.

"Within the nine months of him coming to us, he spoke. It was the first time he had and it was a very special moment," she says.

The group has more than 40 regular riders, many who come over from Craven, with their youngest just three years old, and their oldest, a woman in her 50s. They have blind and partially-sighted riders, riders in wheelchairs, children with cerebral palsy, autism and Downs syndrome, as well as others who come to them for some 'equestrian therapy'.

The group currently has eight horses and ponies, ranging in height from 11hh to 15.2hh, and all are quiet and safe to ride. The group has an outdoor school and also has access to a riverside path, where riders can hack out - particularly useful for those who benefit from riding in a straight line, rather than going around in circles. In addition to riding, the group has a classroom where riders can go when the weather is poor and learn horsemanship skills, such as feeding and stable management.

Riders can also take up the opportunity to achieve awards and qualifications with the ASDAN programme, an awarding body which offers nationally recognised qualifications.

The cost of running the group is of course astronomical - as anyone who has even one horse will know. Moira says it costs on average around £1,000 a month to run, taking in the cost of feeding the horses, vets bills and shoeing. Then there's the additional costs, such as riding hats for the riders, which the group does provide, and has to update to comply with the latest safety standards, and all the expensive tack and rugs. So, fundraisers like the bingo night run by Skipton Community Hub are very much welcome. Of course, in addition to volunteer leaders, to help to lead the riders who need it, there is all the help needed to care for the horses, the mucking out, feeding and keeping them in tip-top condition.

"We have a very god band of young ladies who help out, but of course, they eventually go off to do GCSEs or go to university, so we'll never turn volunteers away," says Moira.

A bad winter means very little riding, as the group does not have an indoor school, but the horses still need to be brought in from the fields to the stables.

For more information about the group, to find out about joining, volunteering, or to donate some money to help them to continue to help disabled people to ride, visit the website riversiderda.org.uk

To find out more about Riverside RDA visit its website riversiderda.org.uk