AN intrepid toddler is taking to the saddle to help Haslemere-based Pony Pals Therapy Team raise £1,000 for Quest Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA).

One year-old Verity Seignot-Griffiths will be riding team stalwart, ‘Super Noodles’, for a Quest RDA sponsored ride on Sunday, October 14.

The Shetland’s most recent Pony Pals therapy visits have included working in Winchester Prison, meeting children and staff at Naomi House Children’s Hospice, and bedside cuddles for patients of Southampton Children’s Hospital.

Verity’s mum Caroline said: “This will be Verity’s first sponsored ride. She will have had her first birthday two days prior to the event, and is by far the youngest rider to take part in this sponsored ride.

“Verity and Super Noodles have previously competed in two shows together. In one she was dressed as a soldier on a field of poppies, the other was a child’s first pony class.

“I am always promoting the great work of the RDA and the opportunities that they make available for children and adults who are disabled.

“The RDA are an awesome charity, where riders have gone on to reach the Paralympics. The sheer determination and courage of these riders amazes me.”

Quest RDA was founded in Chobham, Surrey, more than 40 years ago by a group of enthusiasts who were determined that disability should not be a barrier to the enjoyment and therapeutic benefits of horse riding.

Pony Pals, formerly based in Haslemere, uses miniature therapy horses to visit residents of nursing/residential homes, children’s hospices, community centres and nursery schools.

The team bring a house-trained pony inside for residents to groom, plait, cuddle, and lead either walking or from a wheelchair.

The team’s hands-on visits have proved to be very therapeutic and also involve some physical exercise, through grooming, and hand to eye coordination, through plaiting and threading ribbons in the pony’s mane.