Doncaster area riding school offers carriage driving for disabled people

Plumbtree Farm, which is based in Bircotes, is run by qualified instructor Gemma Owens, who was born with spina bifida and Ehlers Danilos Syndrome.

She said: “We started the riding school in 2004, our aim being to bridge the gap from learning to ride to horse ownership.

"All our horses are experienced schoolmasters and can teach from beginners to advanced clients.

"We pride ourselves in maintaining our horses education and schooling.

"Our philosophy has been to have competition horses that work in the riding school, ensuring that our customers ride and drive very well educated horses and ponies.

“Being born with Spina Biffida and Ehlers Danilos Syndrome, I’ve suffered from invisible disabilities all my life.

"I didn’t receive a diagnosis until my late 30s. As a consequence , I had chronic pain all my life that doctors, family and friends just didn’t understand.

“The only time that I am anywhere near pain free, is when I’m either riding or carriage driving.

"My brain is occupied with focusing on an activity that I truly love. Interacting with horses is rewarding on so many ways, they don’t judge your disabilities, or react to you feeling down due to chronic pain.

“We view invisible disabilities as “special abilities” - don’t be ashamed, be proud.”

A qualifed instructor for 30 years, Gemma has produced and successfuly competed her own horses at affilliated showjumping, eventing, dressage and driving trials.

She said: “My love and passion is dressage and I have produced horses from breaking, through to medium level.

"My second love is carriage driving and I have produced my ponies and horses, again from breaking up to National Advanced Pony Pairs, Open Horse classes.”

In 2018, Gemma started using a mobility scooter to teach from and she said: “During this time I was networking to promote the business and had a terrible experience.

“When I went into the room on my scooter to network, absolutely no one made eye contact.

"The assumption was that I wasn’t representing a business because of being on my scooter.

"Words can not express how damaging this was to my mental health, it was devastating, I lost all confidence in myself as a businesswoman.

"Then other areas of my own industry started to question the safety and my abilities to both run a business and safely teach from my scooter. It was horrendous and still very challenging.

“There was an upside to all of this, it gave me the confidence to ask for help from the people around me that I trust.

"This gave me the idea for our non profit club to support those with invisible disabilities, to provide a non judgemental place of support, sanctuary , to enjoy equine interaction and equine sports.

"My desire was, to enable those with conditions that effect their physical and mental states of mind, to be part of a club.

"Our club views invisible health conditions as special abilities, making an environment where we can confidently discuss our needs, to feel the support of others in similar circumstances.”

The Carriage Driving Community, which focuses on accessibility and wellbeing, is inviting beginners and experienced drivers alike to take part in its activities.

The group welcomes people with physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, neurodiversity, and a wide range of health conditions, with the aim of making carriage driving more accessible and socially inclusive.

Participants can learn, compete, and connect through sessions designed for both single and multiple turnouts. Organisers say the community is about more than just sport—it’s about building confidence, connection, and enjoyment through working with horses.

To mark the launch, the group is running a special half-price introductory offer: one hour of carriage driving for £37, reduced from the usual price. The promotion is intended to encourage newcomers to try the activity and see whether it’s right for them.

Carriage driving, which involves driving a horse-drawn carriage rather than riding, is often seen as a more accessible equestrian discipline for people who may find riding difficult. The organisers hope the new community will become a hub for people who have previously felt excluded from equestrian sport.

Those interested in taking part or learning more can contact the organisers via email at [email protected].