Riding for the Disabled Association

What Riding for the Disabled Association does

Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Singapore is a registered charity and Institution of a Public Character (IPC; UEN S82SS0081H) founded in 1982 that delivers equine-assisted therapeutic sessions to children and adults with physical, developmental, cognitive, and learning disabilities in Singapore. It operates from a single facility at 5 Jalan Mashhor and is the only Singapore-based provider of completely free hippotherapy and therapeutic riding, with sessions delivered six days a week (Sunday rest for the horses) to roughly 20 Special Education (SPED) school partners, Social Service Agencies (SSAs), and individual self-referred clients.

RDA's core offering consists of two programmes. The Therapeutic Riding Programme delivers mounted equine-assisted therapy in 9–10 week courses of 10 sessions for batches of 12 riders, leveraging the three-dimensional movement of the horse's pelvis — which mimics human walking patterns — to deliver variable, rhythmic, repetitive physical and sensory input. The Ground Programme offers unmounted equine-assisted activities focused on horse care, handling, motor skills, and cognitive exercises. Both are supported by a stable of therapy horses and ponies specifically trained and matched to riders with varying disability profiles (including wheelchair users), and certified instructors provide direct supervision with volunteer sidewalkers and leaders.

The business model is donation-funded. Sessions are provided free of charge to all beneficiaries despite a per-session cost of SGD 120–145; annual operating costs run approximately SGD 1.2–1.3 million, covered through a mix of individual donations, fundraising events (charity balls, movie nights, open-house carnivals, lantern projects), named sponsorships (SGD 12,000/year per horse or per rider batch), corporate giving (eligible for 2.5x tax deduction), Toteboard matching, and modest membership fee income (SGD 15–500). Government funding is explicitly minimal, and the organisation relies on a volunteer committee with backgrounds in law, finance, events, and the equine industry, plus a small core staff of approximately 21 named individuals across management, instruction, administration, and stable operations.

Name

Riding for the Disabled Association

Legal name

Riding For The Disabled Association of Singapore

Website

https://rdasingapore.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Riding for the Disabled Association Singapore is a registered charity founded in 1982 that delivers free equine-assisted therapeutic riding and hippotherapy sessions to children and adults with disabilities in Singapore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKAGAG

Gross Motor Development & Motor Learning Interventions

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Physical Therapy (PT) Services (School-Age)

Keywords

• Equine-assisted therapy
• Therapeutic riding
• Disability services
• Hippotherapy programmes
• Charitable rehabilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue source. RDA Singapore raises approximately $1.2-1.3 million annually through various fundraising initiatives including charity balls, movie nights, open house carnivals, lantern projects, and direct donations. Accepts cash, cheques, bank transfers, PayNow, GIRO, and credit/debit card donations through Giving.sg. All donations of $20 and above receive tax-deductible receipts.
2. Horse Sponsorship: Corporate or individual sponsors can sponsor a therapy horse or pony for $12,000 per annum. Includes sponsorship plaque, certificate, framed commemorative horseshoe, photo opportunities, and centre visit.
3. Rider Sponsorship: Sponsorship of 12 riders with special needs for 10 sessions at $12,000 per batch. Entitles sponsor to plaque, certificate, and centre visit. Eligible for 2.5 times tax deduction.
4. Membership Fees: Ordinary Member (aged 21+) at $45/year, Junior Member (below 21) at $15/year, Life Member at $500 one-time, Corporate membership at $500/year. All applications must be proposed and seconded by existing members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Provides equine-assisted therapeutic sessions including hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, and ground-based programmes to people with disabilities. Operates as a registered charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC), delivering services free of charge to children and adults with physical, intellectual, sensory, and developmental disabilities.

Product overview

RDA Singapore operates as a charitable organization offering equine-assisted therapeutic services free of charge. The core offerings consist of two main programmes: the Therapeutic Riding Programme providing mounted horse-riding therapy for beneficiaries from SPED schools, Social Service Agencies, and individuals with disabilities; and the Ground Programme offering unmounted equine-assisted activities focused on horse care, handling, and cognitive exercises. Supporting programmes include Horse Sponsorship ($12,000/year per horse) and Riders Sponsorship ($12,000 per batch of 12 riders for 10 sessions). Additional offerings include merchandise such as the award-winning HHH photography monograph and volunteering opportunities. All therapy services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, with the organisation dependent on public donations and fundraising to cover annual operating costs of approximately $1.3 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hippotherapy
• Therapeutic Riding
• Ground Programme
• Membership

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Singapore Disability Sports CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership to host the equestrian segment of Singapore's National Para-Games. The event enables riders with disabilities to compete at various levels, showcasing the therapeutic outcomes achieved through RDA programs.
• Special Education (SPED) SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproximately 20 schools annually partner with RDA for therapeutic riding programs. Each school receives a 9-10 week course of sessions for 12 riders per batch. Schools do not pay for the services.
• Social Service Agencies (SSAs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDay Activity Centres and Independent Living Training Centres partner with RDA for therapeutic programs for adults with disabilities. Services provided free of charge to these organizations.
• Giving.sgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform used for fundraising campaigns and processing credit/debit card donations. Enables tax-deductible donation processing and Toteboard Enhanced Fund-raising matching.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rainbow Centre Singapore: Operates Special Education Schools and therapy programmes for children with disabilities in Singapore; comparable to RDA Singapore's SPED school partners in terms of mission and beneficiary population.
• AWWA (Asian Women's Welfare Association): Multi-service Singapore social service agency providing disability and elderly services including community-based therapy; comparable as an IPC-registered local charity serving disabled persons.
• MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore): Singapore's largest community-based social service organization for persons with intellectual disabilities, with adult day-activity centres that overlap with RDA's SSA partner base.
• SPD (Singapore People's Disability): A major local disability-services charity in Singapore serving a broader mandate (therapies, vocational training, day care); comparable as a competing beneficiary-referral channel and IPC-status peer charity.

Regional players

• Cheffryn Ranch Society: Canadian charitable organization providing therapeutic horseback riding and hippotherapy for children and adults with disabilities — closely comparable service model and beneficiary mix to RDA Singapore.
• Pegasus Riding Academy: A separate equine-assisted therapy / riding organization based in Singapore; serves an overlapping mission of supporting riders with disabilities in the same Singapore geography.

Emerging players

• BraveHearts (Australia): Not-for-profit providing equine-assisted learning and therapy programs in Australia — comparable therapeutic-riding operating model and beneficiary population though operating at a different scale and geography.
• Thrive (UK): UK charity using gardening and nature-based therapeutic programmes for disabled people; comparable as a niche therapeutic charity dependent on donations and volunteers serving disabled beneficiaries.

Direct peers

• Riding for the Disabled Association (UK): The originating UK federation of equestrian activities for people with disabilities — operates the same 'Riding for the Disabled' brand and concept that RDA Singapore operates under, with shared therapy frameworks including RDA Standard Tests.
• Riding for the Disabled Association Australia: Australian counterpart of RDA, similarly delivering hippotherapy and therapeutic riding through affiliated state centres; closest international peer operating under the same organizational identity as RDA Singapore.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RDAsgp
• Facebookfacebook.com/rdasgp
• Instagraminstagram.com/rdasingapore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/singapore-turf-club-riding-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Riding for the Disabled Association