Woman honoured for fight to keep carriage riding

A WOMAN who fought to keep carriage riding as part of the offering at a stable supporting disabled riders has been honoured by its national organisation.

Pippa Hughes, who helped found Wyfold Riding for the Disabled (RDA) at Wyfold Court along with her late husband Phil, was presented with an “Over and Above” certificate from the charity’s head office on Tuesday last week.

The award coincides with the RDA, which has centres across the country, celebrating 50 years of offering carriage riding at some of its locations. This allows individuals with limited mobility or who may be heavier to enjoy horse riding from a horse-drawn carriage.

At Wyfold, the experience was unavailable for nearly four years after their horse, Lucky, retired and they were unable to find a replacement.

A carriage ride involves a horse guided by a driver, assisted by helpers, with the animal controlled using reins and verbal commands. To do this, horses have to be carefully selected to ensure they have the right build and temperament.

Staff at Wyfold attempted to train three horses for the job but were unsuccessful.

Diane Lee, who is chair of trustees at the centre, said that the charity was on the verge of giving up if it was not for Mrs Hughes’s persistence.

In February, Mrs Hughes, with the help of her daughter Gemma, found Archie, an 18-year-old, 14-hands Welsh section C cob from near Sevenoaks.

With Archie, a former scurry racing horse, the stable has now been able to offer carriage driving again and is one of the few centres to still offer the experience.

Ms Lee said Mrs Hughes had been “tenacious” in her quest to bring carriage riding back to the stable. “She was instrumental in getting carriage driving started here 40 years ago,” she said. “She’s just been tenacious and determined because she recognises how important it is to give that access to people who can’t ride because they’re either more disabled or too heavy.

“We were all on the brink of giving up, and she was just determined. Without her, there is no doubt we wouldn’t be doing carriage driving in this group.”

Mrs Hughes, who is described by her fellow volunteers as adverse to the spotlight, said she was very surprised to have received the award.

Her achievement was also celebrated with champagne and a lemon and elderflower cake that had been made by volunteer Theresa De Villiers.

Mrs Hughes described her work at the centre as “a way of life,” adding: “I’ve gained a huge amount from it.”

She said credit must go to all the “marvellous” volunteers at the centre as well as her late husband. “He was absolutely marvellous backing,” she said. Before finding Archie, the previous horses the centre had tried to train had included Mary, a pony, which bolted with the carriage still attached and became stuck in the stable doorway.

Bumble, a large Comtois, reversed during his assessment, causing the carriage to jackknife and tip. Finally, Cherry, a youngster, proved “too spirited” as her strength and fitness increased.

Volunteer Loraine Maidment, from Sonning Common, described Mrs Hughes as the “backbone” of the centre.

She said: “Pippa doesn’t want the limelight but she has encouraged and helped people so much.”

Ms Maidment, who is a carriage riding instructor, said it was nice to make sure people of all abilities were included.

She said: “Horses are very therapeutic for people, especially disabled people.”

Ms Maidment added that, despite Archie’s age, he still had “plenty in him yet”.