Clwyd Special Riding Centre
History

The Centre was the brainchild of Anne Sopwith, organiser of the Dyffryn Ceiriog Riding for the Disabled Group who operated in the beautiful Ceiriog Valley. Her wish was to set up a centre where disabled people of all ages could not only ride but could enjoy riding holidays.

She enlisted the support of several kindred spirits, including the late Miss Marigold Graham and on 24 May 1982 completed the purchase of Tyn-y-Cyffion, a small riding school that had been converted from a hill farm. Initially ponies had to be brought in by helpers for the riding sessions but by August the first group of ponies were in residence.

The number of riders attending the Centre increased steadily whilst alterations continued apace and by September Tyn-y-Cyffion was ready for occupation by the manager Kay Brown and her family. The holiday accommodation consisting of a large caravan and a portable building (Ty Ceiriog) that had been adapted to allow wheelchair access was prepared and ready to accept a National RDA pilot holiday with six adult riders.

Many National as well as Regional training courses for helpers, instructors and physiotherapists were held at the Centre, some of them residential and this coupled with the number of regular holiday bookings meant that after seven years of sterling service the holiday units needed replacing - a massive undertaking.

The plan was to erect a permanent building to replace them on their site. This new building would provide more comfortable holiday accommodation and possibly extend the holiday season. In September 1991 the day after the last holiday group of the season moved out, work started. By 28 April 1992 Ty Gwyliau was ready for the official opening by HRH The Princess Royal.

The building cost over two hundred thousand pounds but enables eighteen people to sleep in comfort in single, twin bedded and three bedded rooms all with handbasins. There are four bathrooms, two with showers and two with baths thus encouraging the independence that is so important to many people with special needs. There is also a brick barbecue immediately outside the sitting room overlooking the field in which the holiday horses are kept.

In 1996 twelve more acres of land were purchased, providing extra grazing, the opportunity to make our own hay and an attractive area for our riders to enjoy. Also, thanks to part funding from the lottery a second field shelter was built, enabling all the ponies to eat with a roof over their heads.

In 1997 Llanfynydd became the venue for training the members of the Welsh National RDA Dressage Squad, the first ever Welsh team to compete at an International event had three of the four riders from the Centre. The team gained a very creditable sixth place with one rider winning an individual gold.

Sportlot, the Lottery fund for Wales, awarded a grant in 1998 to build an all weather ride and drive track around the thirty-two acres of land now owned by the Trust. With financial support from many sponsors the fenced track was built. It includes a picnic area with corral for tying up the horses, a water splash, a conservation area with waterfalls and a nature trail, not to mention some fairly challenging hills for riders and helpers. The track was ready for use in July 1999 just in time for the Dyffryn Ceiriog riders to test out on a Thursday and the Wrexham Group holiday riders to make good use the first weekend.