Ride High

Ride High transforms the lives of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Milton Keynes by teaching them ride and care for horses and through associated creative and educational projects. We effect lasting change in their attitude, self-confidence & life prospects so they become happy young people who are positively engaged in the outside world.

www.ridehigh.org Fundraise for us

info@ridehigh.org

01908 696169

Registered charity no. 1138260

Member since February 2021

Latest News

Enter our online Baking Competition - bake the best of it

Get involved in our new online baking competition and help raise some dough to support vulnerable children in Milton Keynes.

'Bake the best of it' will run from Tuesday 26^th - Friday 19^th February. We need a minimum of 200 bakers to rise to the challenge to help us raise £2,000 to support Ride High's vital work in the community.

Participants can enter one of three categories: Best horse-themed cake, Best coronavirus-themed cake and Best Valentine's-themed cake. Children and adults will be judged separately.

We have some fabulous prizes

There will be a child and adult winner in each category and an overall winner too. The overall winner will receive an amazing Half-day one-to-one baking class with International Pastry Chef Claire Clark! There are also fabulous prizes for the winners of each category, including baking photography shoots and delicious bakes from Oh My Cakery - all donated by our judging panel.

How to take part

To take part all you need to do is to register online at www.ridehigh.org/bakethebestofit. If you would like to make a suggested donation via our 'Bake the Best of it' campaign page (suggested donation £10) we would be extremely grateful, but it is not a requirement of entering and all participants will be treated equally regardless of whether or not they have donated. Once you have registered online we will send you an email with your competition number together with details of how to submit your entry.

You can register anytime between Tuesday 26^th January and Friday 19^th February, but you must submit your entry by 5PM on Friday 19^th February. All the entries will be added to the Ride High Facebook page and the winners will be announced live on Saturday 27^th February on the Ride High MK Facebook page.

Whilst the competition is running we will be sharing helpful hints and tips on our Facebook page Ride High MK (and other social channels) so make sure you follow us and if you're posting yourself please use #Bakethebestofit.

So what are you waiting for … Bake the best of it!

About us

Ride High is a registered charity which uses horses to transform the lives of some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Milton Keynes. The children learn new skills and Ride High helps them to change their outlook and behaviours.

Ride High works with 88 children every week. All our children are referred to us by childcare professionals so we can prioritise those most in need of our help. They each face overbearing challenges that make everyday life a struggle. They may be:

• unable to attend school due to emotional trauma or mental ill health • caring for a parent or siblings so unable to attend school full time • living in poverty and failing to thrive • socially isolated with no friendship group and a sense of hopelessness • living in foster care and struggling to cope with everyday life • exhibiting signs of serious self-harm and/or suicidal ideation.

For many of these children who often have no other support - Ride High is their lifeline.

When they are referred to us all the children are lacking in confidence and self-esteem and some are not speaking at all. The children join a group of eight and from that point they become Ride High members who attend every week – that’s when the transformation starts.

It is impossible to overstate the impact that the horses have on children who feel so hopeless. With their help we are able to connect with the most hard-to-reach children in a way that other interventions have previously failed.

The faces of the saddest children light up when they see the horses. Riding and caring for the horses each week provides a new challenge for the children and the opportunity to do something special and enjoyable that in most cases wouldn’t be accessible to them. They benefit from the satisfaction of learning new skills (which at first seem difficult) and develop a sense of pride at their achievements. Time spent with the horses is also very therapeutic and helps our children to manage negative feelings relating to anxiety and depression. When the children come into contact with the horses their stress levels seem to vanish and they begin to develop essential qualities that many of them lack, such as patience and concentration.

Our results are striking and sustained over time. By giving children new skills, a place of care and safety and a sense of belonging and hope, Ride High transforms lives… around 90% of our leavers are in full time school, or in college or work experience AND are thriving.