Woman's horsebox dream to help disabled people ride horses safely

Liz Morrison, founder of the Positive Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) in Lambourne, West Berkshire, wanted to find a way to help people with disabilities get onto horses safely.

Bringing the idea to life was something Liz really wanted to achieve and with the help of £1,500 from CLA Charitable Trust (CLACT), she was able to make her dream become a reality.

Liz Morrison - photo from Positive Riding

Ms Morrison said: "When I first started coaching, I realised that the biggest reason that adults weren’t benefitting was because of the issue of getting them safely onto horses.

“As I developed my crazy dream of a mobile service using a hydraulic lifting platform, everyone said it was a good idea but there were plenty of issues to overcome.

“So many people can benefit from riding or simply being with horses following diagnoses such as stroke, Parkinson’s, sight loss, cancer, Alzheimer’s – horses are really important to many people."

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Dubbed as the 'Happiness Horsebox', it has a hydraulic lifting platform which enables users with restricted mobility to mount and be escorted for a gentle ride.

It also allows people to meet the horses in a safe space.

CLACT has also helped cover the costs of fitting a toilet and small kitchen.

Liz's non-for-profit organisation now uses the Happiness Horsebox to create a private meeting space for equine visits.

It can be booked to visit care homes and hospices, where residents and wheelchair users can safely be lifted up on a substantial hydraulic platform through a wide door at the back.

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Liz said: "One of the limiting factors preventing people with disabilities from the joy of riding in the countryside is having the facility to get safely on and off the horse. To solve this we have a hydraulic lifting platform which is wide enough for a wheelchair user and two assistants and is high enough to make it easy to transfer onto the horse.... and ride away!"

The horse riding coach hopes to have a happiness horsebox in each region of the UK.

Bridget Biddell, Chairman of CLACT, said: “The trust’s board has recently welcomed three new trustees and we were all pleased to receive this application, and indeed delighted to be able to support it with a grant.

“The ‘Happiness Horsebox’ project really meets the aims of the trust, to help those who are disabled or disadvantaged to visit and participate in learning experiences about the countryside."