Please Help Save Our Horse Riding School!
We are fundraising for drought assistance. Our Horse Riding School is not able to receive any assistance because we are not primary producers. We fear that we and many other people in the industry are slipping through the cracks with not being recognized as primary producers. We don't want this to take away from anyone who is a bad situation. We recognize how tough everyone out there is having it at the moment.
Read below for our story. 
About Us:
My name is Aleana Riley (26), I’m an Aboriginal Australian. I currently work and reside in the Hunter Valley.
2 years ago I ventured into starting my own business; A horse riding school for our local children and adults. We have 35-50 people pass through our gates each week and 12 horses currently on site. The business has grown faster than I could have ever anticipated and has been accepted very kindly by the community. We provide lessons for all ages and also work with children/adults who also have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It’s very rewarding and we have seen great results with our clients.
Our Current Situation:
We are currently in trouble with the ongoing drought conditions. Our dams have no water, so we are carting it in and we completely hand feeding all of our stock. Not only is the drought affecting us but the current weather conditions have now caused us great damage. We are trying to move on some of our herd to make feeding easier but we are struggling to move them in these conditions. We have lost up to 4 weeks of business due to the fires and terrible weather conditions just in this last 2 months due to hazardous air quality with smoke in our area and dangerous winds. We are in need of assistance and we want to do what we can to keep this running. If the summer continues like this the loss of income will be detrimental to our riding school. (We see it having a very positive impact on our local area and the horse community but we are struggling and I fear we will need to close ours doors next year if we cannot get some assistance.) Whilst we are in the burn scar zone we are not eligible for any assistance until a fire runs through our place.
“But don’t they have drought assistance for things like this?” You may ask.
We have looked into drought assistance but due to the nature of the work we do we are not classified as a primary production (because we don’t breed horses) therefore we are not eligible. We have tried so many other avenues and no one has been able to assist us in the work we do. This is my lively hood! I currently have 12 horses I’m struggling to feed. With raising hay prices and no rain forecasted I’m very concerned we may lose it all. We are looking for some donations (not tax deductible) to help keep us running. Not just us but some of our students are being affected by the fires in our local area and continue to be at risk this summer. I’m not one to ask for charity, I’ve worked so hard to make this a reality and I truly believe it’s had a wonderful effect on our community and it would break hearts to see it go.
We see the riding school having a very positive impact on our local area and the horse community but we are struggling without assistance. We feel as though we are doing our due diligence in not trying to add any pressure to the current situations by looking after the herd we have and even taking on a couple of horses that were in very bad condition.
The RFS have stated that without rain the fires could be burning in our area all summer. We fear that even we are fortunate enough to not have a fire run through our place the loss of income from this not we could not sustain.
Raising lesson prices to cover the cost of feed will only help so much and may result in some loss of clientele, we are in a very difficult predicament. I fear if the drought continues we will not be able to see this through. It would be a terrible loss for all involved.
We have not been able to put any money into upgrading our facilities as feed prices have increased rapidly. To give you some figures 2 years ago Hay was $9per bale. Our last load cost us $19.80 per bale and over $8,000 with delivery. It’s so important for us to stock up on Hay now before we are unable to find it in the winter. We pay $160 for a 13,500L load of water. A horse can drink up to 40L a day, especially in this heat. (Which means our horses could be drinking unto 480L per day) while this wouldn't stack up to some big farms for a small riding school this is so hard to maintain.
We understand that this is a very difficult time for so many people. These are our future jillaroos, jockeys, and grooms, etc. in the making. But not just that our students are learning to have confidence not just in riding but in life, the reward of hard work, taking responsibility for another being, coordination skills, problem solving and so much more! Our kids love riding and we’d hate to take it away from them.
If you are able to make any contribution at all (and a prayer for rain) words would not describe my appreciation. 
