If you don’t know Dan, he’s one of our most committed participants and volunteers. Almost always seen with a huge smile on his face, Park Lane Stables is definitely his happy place. But why is running a half marathon such a big deal?

‘What happened next? Read our update!’

Not all the new horses that find their way to Park Lane Stables make it as an RDA pony. We work with each one, quietly and gently at their pace, to see how they respond to what we ask of them.

It’s time for you to meet Santa

Estate agent Savills has generously offered to support us, with donations, fundraising, and volunteering by local staff. They’ve already cheerfully got stuck in at fundraising events and aren’t shy about mucking out the stables, either.

We’ve been reviewing the numbers from our last financial year, and if we’ve felt extra busy all year, it’s because we were! But behind the stats are the individual stories we’ve been a part of. Let me introduce you to some of them.

If you accept that horses are great therapists, then it seems perfectly logical to us that they should do occasional hospital visits. We love visiting Kingston Hospital, where staff and patients alike are invited for a pony cuddle in the car park.

On the last Saturday before our summer break, we welcomed our friends from Abingdon RDA on an exchange visit. Talk about ending on a high.

One of the highlights of a packed few weeks was a visit by a group of blind and partially sighted children from the RSBC (Royal Society for Blind Children). It was life-affirming for us as well as for them!

The whole Park Lane Stables team is buzzing after the RDA Championships at Hartpury, but at least all that adrenaline is helping to keep the exhaustion at bay. There have been so many special moments that I challenged Natalie to sum up the weekend in just 10 highlights…

An estimated 1.2 billion viewers watched our own Philippa George toss the coin at the start of the Ladies’ Singles Final at Wimbledon. We invite you to share her experience of a truly extraordinary day.

Find out how our very own Philippa George got the job of tossing the coin at the start of the Ladies’ Final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships 2023.

A spot of gardening? Picnic in your local park? Not Natalie O’Rourke, who was running in the infamous Man v Horse marathon in the mountains of Wales.

It’s a record-breaking year for us with 10 of our participants qualifying for the RDA National Championships. We’re so proud of Philippa, Michael, John, Izzy, Luke, Daniel W, Daniel Mc, Louis, Yasmina and Annalise all of whom will be heading back to Hartpury in Gloucestershire for the Championships on 14-16 July.

The planning process continues to grind slowly, frustrating for us as well as for all of you who have supported us. But there is progress.

Choose from one of four very special signed photographic prints by acclaimed photographer Paul Stuart. Read the story behind these photographs and find out how to secure one to take pride of place on your wall.

Online equestrian channel FEI:Ride came over to Petersham recently and filmed a 7 minute feature in which Natalie talks about how she came to find herself in south west London, and some of the volunteers and staff from the team explain how they came to be involved.

Tuesday 21 March was Down Syndrome Awareness Day, and to mark this and Mothering Sunday, the Sunday Times recently visited Park Lane Stables to interview Natalie, Woody and Prodney.

If you can, join us at the stables in Petersham on Saturday 1 April, from 2pm.

If you have eagle eyes you may have spotted the gorgeous pony at the top of our About us page and wondered why he wasn’t included in the team of horses. The answer’s simple.

13 year old Yasmina has a condition called Friedreich’s ataxia, which progressively damages the nervous system. During lockdown she lost the ability to walk unaided when her physiotherapy sessions were interrupted.

Last month we invited you to meet our fabulous horses. Now you can also meet the people. Many will be faces you will see if you visit us, others will be behind the scenes.