Welcome to Clwyd Special Riding Centre

Clwyd Special Riding Centre (CSRC) is a registered charity located in Llanfynydd, near Wrexham, North Wales. The Centre provides state-of-the-art facilities that are fully accessible and inclusive for a wide variety of equine-based activities, benefitting people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities and additional needs, including mental health and well-being.

CSRC is run by a small team of experienced staff, governed by the board of trustees, supported by a large pool of incredible volunteers and a loyal team of RDA approved horses and ponies.

The Centre opened in 1982 and is an approved Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and British Horse Society (BHS) Centre.

If you feel you could benefit from any of the equine assisted services we offer, or you support someone and would like to find out more, please do get in touch.

Who We Are

Clwyd Special Riding Centre (CSRC) is an independent registered charity that provides accessible facilities to offer a variety of equine experiences and therapy for people with additional needs.

CSRC is run by a small team of experienced staff, managed by a board of trustees, and supported by a large pool of incredible volunteers. And of course we would not be here without our loyal team of RDA approved horses and ponies – lovingly referred to as ‘the boys’.

Set in over 30 acres with around 20 horses of all sizes and types, the aim of CSRC is to provide a beneficial experience to all persons through riding, carriage driving, equine assisted therapy and hippotherapy.

CSRC is an approved Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and the British Horse Society (BHS) Centre, but we are an independent charity and as such, we do NOT has access to any donations given to the RDA generally. Therefore, we rely on public generosity, fundraising and grants to help fund the upkeep of our facilities, horses and to help us run the services we provide.

Registered Charity number: 1118241
Registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales number: 06033558

Equine interaction is proven to support physical and emotional well-being…

Our horses play a vital role in helping to develop a wide range of skills and generally helping to improve health and well-being.

 Riding a horse at a walk stimulates the internal organs just as walking on foot does. The movement of the horse helps to:

  • normalise muscle tone

  • improve balance and reactions

  • stimulate trunk and head control

  • improve overall posture

  • mobilise pelvis, spine and hips; and

  • improve coordination and motor function.

Horses live entirely in the present moment, and they can help us to do that too. In each session - no matter what their needs - participants can escape their differences to focus on what they and their horse can do as a team.

How it all began…

The Centre was the brainchild of Anne Sopwith, organiser of the then Dyffryn Ceiriog Riding for the Disabled Group. Her vision was to set up a Centre where people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities and special needs could ride. She also envisaged that the Centre would have accommodation facilities to enable Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) groups from around the country to enjoy a holiday.

In 1982, she purchased Tyn-y-Cyffion, a small riding school that had been converted from a hill farm in the village of Llanfynydd, Flintshire.

The developments at the Centre continued over the years and the number of riders gradually increased. By 1984, the Centre was ready for its official opening by HRH Princess Anne, in her capacity as President of the Riding for the Disabled Association.

Over the years, the Centre has developed significantly with facilities being created to allow for a wider range of people with additional needs to be able to benefit from the enjoyment that equine assisted therapy can bring.

Celebrating 40 years of improving lives through horses…

During 2022 and 2023, the charity proudly celebrated 40 years of improving lives through horses. As we move forward, we are ever more determined to retain our role as a key provider for equine assisted therapy for those with additional needs for the next 40 years.

We would love for you to be part of our story as we move on into the next chapter. Only with the generosity of our sponsors, donors and grants can we continue to provide our centre of excellence to those who need our help.

Use the arrows below to scroll through this timeline image of our history in pictures from 1982 – 2022.

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Meet the Office Team

  • Sophia Greenwell

    Acting Centre Manager

  • Kate Kerr

    Marketing and Communications Manager

  • Fizz Morris

    Finance Assistant

  • Sara Henney

    Volunteer Coordinator & CLTH Coach

  • Pam Jones

    Head Coach & Participant Coordinator

  • Caroline Dingwall

    Fundraising Manager

Meet the Equine Team

  • Ceri Wilkinson

    Yard Supervisor

  • Kovu Reid

    Groom

  • Emily Williams

    Groom

  • Mali Jennings

    Groom

Our Partners

Lucy Brookes - Spirit Hippotherapy

Lucy Brookes is a qualified Physiotherapist and Hippotherapist, who runs our Hippotherapy, and mechanical horse sessions.

Lucy is also the Riding for the Disabled North West regional physiotherapist, providing advice and assistance to all groups within this region.

  • Registered with the regulatory body of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

  • Member of the professional body of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP).

  • Member of the Chartered Physiotherapists in Therapeutic Riding and Hippotherapy (CPTRH).

Sarah Whiteside - Independent Riding Sessions

Sarah is a BHS AI freelance horse riding instructor who runs our riding sessions for our most independent participants with additional needs, including neurodiverse participants and those who ride for therapeutic benefits, such as those with anxiety disorders.

Our Trustees

  • Mrs Victoria Everall

    Trustee & Chair of Events Committee

    As the daughter of the charity’s founder Anne Sopwith, the Clwyd Special Riding Centre has been a huge part of my family since childhood. I became a trustee in 2011 and it is wonderful to be able to continue our family connections.

    I live in Shropshire with my husband Paul, and we have two daughters: Ella and Poppy. I currently work full-time as a Specialist Independent Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist.

  • Mrs Kate Hill-Trevor

    Trustee & Chair of Fundraising Committee

    I am an Organic Dairy Farmer & Corporate Events Manager at Brynkinalt Estate on the Shropshire/Wales border. I am also a member of the Historic Houses Welsh Committee, and between 2023-2024, I was High Sheriff of Clwyd.

    Having been a CSRC trustee since 2018 and seeing it survive the challenges of the Covid pandemic, I am driven to take the Centre forward, with a key focus on increasing efficiencies, while maintaining the vision and ethos of the founders and past trustees.

    Raising awareness of the Centre and the benefits of equine assisted therapy is vital to the survival of the Centre, and I am very keen to explore how we can extend our services to help more people, including those with mental health issues, dementia and anxiety related needs.

  • Mrs Angela Roberts

    Trustee & Finance Committee Member

    Many moons ago my passion used to be ponies and then horses. Nowadays it’s more at home riding on two wheels at any available opportunity!

    I have been a trustee at the Centre since 2022, and I am a member of the Finance Committee which ties in with my part-time work as Office Manager of an Architectural Practice in Chester. Fellow trustee, Jill Walton, (whom I have known for over 50 years!) invited me to become involved with the Centre, and I am do glad I did!

  • Mr Keith Thompson

    Trustee

    I was born in County Durham and brought up in the North Riding of Yorkshire. I moved down to Wales in 1986 with my wife, Vicky, to run our own dairy farm.

    I have always had great admiration for the Centre and the amazing difference it makes to people’s lives, so as soon as I had the time in life, I got involved as a trustee.

    My role is more of a practical one, using my rural skillset and knowledge to advise and help maintain the land and the Centre’s assets. 

  • Mrs Jill Walton

    Trustee & Events Committee Member

    I have been a trustee of Clwyd Special Riding Centre for nearly 29 years, so it is a very important part of my life. I rode all my childhood, and my two daughters were members of the Wynnstay Pony Club - I was DC for four years which they hated!

    I've been involved with Hippotherapy as a volunteer for about 10 years. I love being hands-on and involved with the horses - and all the people here.