New Zealand Riding For The Disabled

What New Zealand Riding For The Disabled does

New Zealand Riding for the Disabled Association (NZRDA), founded in 1972 and headquartered in Porirua, is a registered charity (No. CC38921) and the national umbrella body for over 40 independently incorporated local RDA groups operating throughout New Zealand. The organisation's core product is goal-based, individually tailored therapeutic horse riding delivered by qualified specialist coaches using a roster of approximately 450 horses, supported by around 1,700 volunteers. Programmes serve over 3,000 children and adults annually who experience disability or specific challenges, addressing physical (balance, core strength, coordination), emotional (confidence, self-esteem), social (communication, community connection), and cognitive outcomes. Adjacent product lines include the RDA Education Programme aligned to the NZ curriculum for school-aged riders and Sport and Recreation Classes for advanced riders.

The business model is donation-funded and community-led: riders pay what they can towards session costs, with the gap between cost and rider contribution covered by individual donations, corporate sponsorships (notably PETstock), community trusts (Pelours Trust, Lindsay Foundation, New Zealand Community Trust), coaching scholarship funds (Moira Scott Coaching Scholarships at up to $10,000 per coach), payroll giving, gifts in wills, and event-based fundraising. NZRDA monetises through voluntary contributions rather than fees; the donation infrastructure runs on a Salesforce-hosted giving portal with Windcave PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing. The national office is a small team (1–10 employees) providing standards, NZQA-recognised coaching certification (Level 3 Assistant Coach, Level 4 Coach), and central support to affiliated groups. Distribution is through the federated group network, with awareness driven by media coverage, a monthly e-newsletter, rider and volunteer stories, and ambassador activity including broadcast journalist Samantha Hayes and royal patron HRH The Princess Royal.

Name

New Zealand Riding For The Disabled

Legal name

New Zealand Riding for the Disabled Association

Website

https://rda.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Zealand Riding for the Disabled (NZRDA) is a registered charity that delivers goal-based therapeutic horse riding programmes through over 40 affiliated local groups, serving more than 3,000 children and adults with disabilities annually across New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Horse Riding / Disability Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gross Motor Development & Motor Learning Interventions (EDAKAGAG), Staff & Caregiver Training (Transfers, Safe Handling, Home Programs) (EDAKAGAK)

Keywords

• Therapeutic riding
• Disability services
• Equine-assisted therapy
• Adaptive horsemanship
• Community health programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Porirua

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization relies heavily on donations from individuals, corporations, and community groups. Riders pay what they can towards their RDA therapy, but this does not cover the full cost of providing the specialist care.
2. Coaching Scholarships: Coaching Scholarships at $10,000 each (with provision for contributions of $1,000 or more) help train qualified coaches at RDA groups.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies like PETstock Assist provide product donations and Christmas campaign fundraising support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NZRDA delivers therapeutic horse riding programmes for children and adults with disabilities or specific challenges. Sessions are goal-based and individually tailored, delivered by qualified specialist coaches with support from trained volunteers and specially selected horses through a national network of over 40 affiliated local RDA groups throughout New Zealand.

Product overview

NZRDA operates as a therapeutic horse riding service provider organized as a national umbrella association supporting over 40 local RDA groups. The core product is therapeutic horse riding sessions, which are goal-based and individually tailored to each rider's abilities. Supporting services include an Education Programme aligned with NZ curriculum for school-aged riders, Sport and Recreation Classes for advanced riders, a Coaching Qualification Programme (NZQA Level 3-4) to train qualified coaches, Horse Welfare and Management systems, and an Ambassador Programme for awareness and fundraising. The organization serves over 3,000 riders annually with approximately 400 horses and 1,700 volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Therapeutic Horse Riding
• RDA Education Programme
• Coaching Qualification Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 riders benefit from RDA programmes annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• PETstockcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024Petstock Christmas Campaign 2024 raised funds for groups to support riders enrolled in the Education Programme, which focuses on school-aged riders with goals linked to the NZ curriculum.
• PETstock AssistcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2023PETstock Assist donated products for RDA horses including clothing, saddlery, fly masks, eye covers, and rugs in March 2023. They also conducted in-store campaigns and Facebook campaigns in 2022, with Christmas campaigns continuing in 2023 and 2024.
• HRH The Princess RoyalflagshipOthers · 1 February 2023HRH The Princess Royal is the Patron of NZRDA. She visited Wellington RDA on 16 February 2023, presenting riders with rosettes and unveiling a commemorative plaque. This royal patronage provides significant credibility and international recognition.
• Samantha HayesflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Samantha Hayes, broadcast journalist and Three's news anchor, is an ambassador for NZRDA. She won Dancing with the Stars in 2018 with NZRDA as her charity, raising over $120,000. She has been a big supporter over the years.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Riding for the Disabled Association (UK): The UK counterpart and namesake of NZRDA, delivering therapeutic horse riding and carriage driving to people with disabilities through a network of local groups. Highly comparable in mission, federated structure, volunteer-led delivery, and reliance on donations and royal patronage.
• Riding for the Disabled Australia (RDA Australia): Australian sister organisation providing therapeutic horse riding to people with disabilities through affiliated centres nationwide. Same federated model, same international RDA affiliation, and same donor- and volunteer-funded cost structure as NZRDA.

Regional players

• Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center: A long-established US therapeutic riding centre serving riders with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. Comparable as a single-centre operator running goal-based riding programmes with volunteers and qualified instructors, though US-based and centre-led rather than federated.

Broad incumbents

• Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.): The US-based accrediting body and broader industry association for equine-assisted services. Comparable as the umbrella/membership organisation for therapeutic riding centres, setting standards and credentials that parallel NZRDA's coaching qualification programme.

Emerging players

• Horses & Humans Research Foundation: A US-based nonprofit funding and disseminating research on equine-assisted therapy. Comparable as it sits in the same equine therapy evidence ecosystem that NZRDA draws on to validate its therapeutic outcomes and expand programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-zealand-riding-for-the-disabled

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 New Zealand Riding For The Disabled