Horse riding should be made accessible to all – that is the belief of Wight Horse Community Interest Company director, Louise Buckner.
Setting up the not-for-profit organisation on the Isle of Wight a year ago, Buckner and her husband, Paul, have built links with schools in Newport to provide young people with learning and physical disabilities with the chance to ride horses.
Speaking at a Club Leaders event celebrating Sported’s tenth anniversary at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, the 39-year-old expressed the importance of increasing involvement to those suffering with social disadvantages as well.
Louise said:
“Horse riding is quite an elitist sport, and as a horse lover I think there’s a real niche for children to be able to ride, it’s something to look forward to and aspire to, but be able to do it even if they couldn’t afford to come along, it’s open to everyone.
“We set up the Wight Horse CIC (Community Interest Company) last year so we’re relatively new to do with disadvantaged children in horse riding on the Isle of Wight.
“It’s a huge step, we’ve started to get involved with different schools, we work with a disabled school called St George’s that comes and rides with us but we’re going to try and push this year for disadvantaged children too.
“That will be our next leap of what we’re going to do, so hopefully with Sported and TSB we’ll be able to progress.”
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TSB and Sport for Development charity, Sported, have come together to help local community groups like Wight Horse use the power of sport to make a positive difference to young people and the communities they are part of. With their support, Wight Horse will become stronger over time, so they can help even more local young people.
Louise added:
“For me, events like this are hugely important. Getting to know other people and other charities and what’s available out there is great, also to raise our profile and our awareness.
“Using Sported and TSB to progress with Wight Horse CIC, I think it’s very important to work with a company that has already established themselves and we can work together raising our profile in such a small community that the Isle of Wight is, it should hopefully work really well.”
TSB, in partnership with Sport for Development charity Sported, is proud to help local community groups across the UK use the power of sport to make a positive difference to young people and the communities they are part of. #TSBLocalPride
