It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of sweet Riding for the Disabled (RDA) pony, KC.

After a career with Crosby RDA that spanned 12 years where KC worked to give disabled adults and children of all abilities the experience of riding, she was retired to The Horse Trust in 2019 at the grand old age of 23. In her working life, KC was a firm favourite for a variety of reasons, one of which was that she would stand patiently to allow her wheelchair-bound riders to mount her assisted by a hoist which would give her riders freedom of movement they can’t experience in their daily life. She was also popular with the stronger riders and was ridden in ten regional championships!

Horses and ponies that do this type of work have to be very special characters, as the work is demanding both physically and mentally. Their bodies must be conditioned and fit enough to carry unbalanced riders who usually need the support of hoists, wheelchairs or walkers and they must have the right temperament to remain calm when their riders can become unsettled or noisy during their rides. KC held all of these attributes and was the ‘perfect lady’ throughout her career with Crosby RDA.

In her retirement here at The Horse Trust, KC loved to come in from the field to meet members of the public Thursday through to Sunday. She was popular with our visitors as she often had her head out of her stable to greet those passing by. She loved meeting everyone so much that it was often difficult to coax her back out the field at the end of the day and she would refuse to make the walk back to her field, requiring lots of encouragement to return to her pasture with her friends!

Unfortunately, KC recently fell ill with a bout of colic, which was spotted immediately by our eagle-eyed grooms. Colic is common in horses, especially when they get older, as horses have complex gastrointestinal systems that can be easily upset. KC was brought into her stable to be closely monitored and although her condition settled throughout the day, the symptoms had worsened again by the next morning, so our vet Nicky referred KC straight to the Royal Veterinary College hospital for more intensive care. Once she was made comfortable in hospital, KC’s symptoms stabilised once again throughout the day but during the night things took a turn for the worse. At the age of 26 and with other chronic underlying issues, it was decided that the stress of undergoing a major surgery would not be fair to KC and the decision was made to say farewell.

The Horse Trust relies on public donations to continue to give a forever home to retired military, police, Royal Mews and RDA horses and to care for neglected rescued horses. If you would like to be part of our story, please consider a donation today.

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