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6 | THE REVIEW MARCH 2026 Horse riding gives Charlie a chance to grow From palliative care as a newborn to riding horses as a 6-year-old, Charlie sure is motivated. By MELANIE LOUDEN For Charlie, who lives with Cerebral Palsy, going to RDA each week does more than fuel his love of ponies and horses. Riding for the Disabled (commonly known as RDA) has taught him balance, coordination, to listen to instructions, to use his words and give instructions. Charlie attends the Auckland Central RDA at Meadowbank Pony Club and “absolutely loves it”. “He’s always so excited to see the horses,” says mum Esther. “And there’s no fear. He’s a little boy but when he sits on a horse you can just sense that ‘I’m one with this horse’. He’s learnt so much. He’s always smiling there. There’s something about him and the horses,” Esther says. “The sunshine beams out of him.” Esther says when Charlie, 6, first sat on a horse, he was really floppy. He couldn’t keep his head up much and he needed lots of holding. “But it’s like he’s grown up. Horse riding has really facilitated his development.” She says RDA isn’t about riding around a ring.