0:00:10 > 0:00:13'Spend time around horses
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'and you're bound to feel a connection
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'with these beautiful animals.'
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I've seen how horse riding can have a massive,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26life-changing effect on the wellbeing of children
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and adults with disabilities,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32and that's because I'm involved with a charity that for decades has
0:00:32 > 0:00:36improved hundreds of lives through horse riding,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40and that charity is the Riding For The Disabled Association,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and I'd like to take just a few minutes now
0:00:42 > 0:00:45to tell you just how impactful their work is.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'Sarah Pendleton was looking forward
0:00:50 > 0:00:52'to becoming a parent with her husband Nick.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'I had a pretty normal pregnancy, relatively comfortable,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00'with a nice little neat bump that everyone was busy admiring,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02'and then suddenly I started getting these pains
0:01:02 > 0:01:04'and everything speeded up terribly fast,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08'and within three hours of arriving at the hospital she was born.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'Sarah's daughter Amy had arrived nearly three months early,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'and her life was hanging in the balance.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'It was quite shocking to see her in the incubator.'
0:01:18 > 0:01:20She was absolutely tiny and very, very red
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and breathing really, really, really fast.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25'Amy survived,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29'but the premature birth left her with a variety of difficulties.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'Amy was incredibly unstable. She had absolutely no core strength,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37'so she would fall out of chairs all the time.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:41She was like spaghetti, she would just wobble and then tumble down.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45'Amy's problems made it hard for her when she started at nursery.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'She didn't start to walk, she didn't start to talk.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52'There were so many things that she wasn't doing normally.'
0:01:52 > 0:01:54"What was he to do?"
0:01:54 > 0:01:57'She was falling further and further behind her peers at nursery.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58'We were really worried about
0:01:58 > 0:02:01'how much that was going to limit her enjoyment of life.'
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Well, thankfully for parents like Sarah,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10the Riding For The Disabled Association is there to offer hope.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Anyone with a physical or learning disability, however young or old,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18can really benefit from time spent with the RDA's ponies and horses.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24'I first heard about the RDA back in the Nineties,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'when I was making my show Challenge Anneka.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I cannot believe the transformation
0:02:29 > 0:02:31from the green field that was here yesterday!
0:02:31 > 0:02:34'We were rebuilding a riding centre of theirs
0:02:34 > 0:02:36'in a gritty corner of west London.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39'And I was so moved by what I saw that I've been
0:02:39 > 0:02:42'a supporter of the RDA ever since.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'The centre we built is still run
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'by the horse-riding nun Sister Mary-Joy.'
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- Hello! - Hello, Anneka!
0:02:51 > 0:02:57Aw! Sister Mary-Joy, who set us the challenge 21 years ago.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- We're still alive! It's a miracle. - Thank God for that, yes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And it's lovely to see Robbie... Hi, Robbie.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07..who was a youngster, was a teenager
0:03:07 > 0:03:09- when we did that challenge.- He was indeed.- And he's still riding.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14So, how could you sum up the benefits of riding for a disabled person?
0:03:14 > 0:03:18People don't realise that they're not just sitting on a horse,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20they're actually using their muscles.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Riding will help a child or an adult to develop core muscles,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27which are so important for strength and stability.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31The fact that they're with an animal so much bigger than themselves
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and they're actually on the animal, then it will lead to confidence.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38'The benefits are endless.'
0:03:40 > 0:03:42'The RDA have centres all over the country.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48'Amy's school suggested she might benefit from riding classes.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'I'd expected it to be a problem,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53'physically getting her onto the horse
0:03:53 > 0:03:55'and how on earth she'd balance on it,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'but as soon as she got on the horse she sat up straighter
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'and she just beamed and something was working brilliantly for her.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03'It was like magic.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08'The trained coaches at the RDA have worked with Amy for a year now.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:11The change in her has been just so astonishingly dramatic
0:04:11 > 0:04:13in so many ways.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19Her strength and her posture are just so hugely improved.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23# If you're happy and you know it Tap your hats!... #
0:04:23 > 0:04:24'She was so unstable,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29'and she fell all the time, and now she's much more stable.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32'She can run, and she's starting to learn to jump.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38'Academically, it's made her more able to focus in class,
0:04:38 > 0:04:43'to listen to instructions, to sit still at the table and work.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- AMY:- A!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'I think also for her it's wonderful to have something
0:04:49 > 0:04:50'that's she's just so good at
0:04:50 > 0:04:52'and she can really enjoy and feel herself
0:04:52 > 0:04:54'when she's on the horse.'
0:04:54 > 0:04:58The amount of progress she's made through horse riding has
0:04:58 > 0:05:02really made us think that, you know, she can be like all the other kids
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and she can have, you know, any future she wants.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It's really, really wonderful.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13'And horse riding can also become a lifelong passion.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16'Sophie Christiansen was born with cerebral palsy,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'a condition that means she only has limited control of her limbs.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24'But after a childhood of riding with the RDA, she went on to represent
0:05:24 > 0:05:28'the UK at three Paralympic Games, including London 2012.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33'I remember going into my first test
0:05:33 > 0:05:37'and seeing the backdrop of Greenwich Park.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39'And I thought,'
0:05:39 > 0:05:42"I'm actually here!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45"Oh, no, I've got a job to do. Get a grip!"
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'It was just amazing.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'Sophie went on to win three gold medals,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56'but it's been a long road to Paralympic victory.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59'As a child, Sophie had difficulty with movement,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03'relying on walking aids and a punishing routine of physiotherapy.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05'Life was tough at school, too.'
0:06:05 > 0:06:12When I was little, I used to be really shy of my disabilities,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15especially my speech.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21You know, at school it was quite difficult talking to other kids.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25I worried that they wouldn't understand me that well.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31'Sophie's school suggested she visit a local RDA centre.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:36I just fell in love with riding and horses.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40I remember having a sense of being free
0:06:40 > 0:06:42'when I was on a horse.
0:06:42 > 0:06:49'I could almost forget about the difficulties that I faced in life.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:54So it gave me the skill to really believe in myself.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00Without the RDA, I would not be a gold medallist,
0:07:00 > 0:07:07and being an elite athlete has given me so much in my life.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13'Every single member of equestrian Team GB at the London Paralympics
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'started out riding with the RDA.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20'But the aim of the RDA isn't just to create Paralympians.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24'This charity gives disabled people the chance to find
0:07:24 > 0:07:27'a better quality of life in so many ways.'
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Riding has been the most amazing thing for Amy,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and there would have been no way for her to do riding like this,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36nor would we have known how amazing riding could be for her
0:07:36 > 0:07:37if it weren't for the RDA.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42- And there will be a high five for you!- High five!
0:07:42 > 0:07:46The RDA really does transform lives in the most amazing way,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50because they understand that horses have the power to heal.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53But they're in constant need of funds to support this work,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55because they'd like to offer the chance to ride
0:07:55 > 0:07:57to many more disabled people.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This is where you come in.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Please give what you can, and let's try and make this dream a reality.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09Please go to the website - bbc.co.uk/lifeline -
0:08:09 > 0:08:11where you can donate.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15To give by phone, call 0800 011 011.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23You can also donate £10 by texting SUPPORT to 70121.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and the whole £10 goes to the RDA.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Full terms and conditions can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41please make your cheque payable to RDA and sent it to Freepost,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45BBC Lifeline Appeal, writing "RDA" on the back of the envelope.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And if you want the charity to claim Gift Aid on your donation,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51please include an e-mail or postal address
0:08:51 > 0:08:54so that they can send you a Gift Aid form.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Thank you!