Space to grow: Abingdon RDA's new indoor arena and what it means to us
RDA CEO Ed Bracher cutting the ribbon for the Barlow Arena (with the original Barlow in the foreground). Photo credit: Darren Woodlow A full sized indoor arena with all mod cons is on the wish list of every equestrian organisation that doesn't already have one - why wouldn't you want one? The reality of building one, of course, is that it costs the same amount as a small or even medium sized house, and for RDA groups that's the sort of spare change that doesn't tend to be hanging around. I can't remember the first time I heard Ann Barlow, my group's chair, tell me about her Great Plan to raise enough money to build one of these mythical structures for us. I think I must've been still at university with my head full of lots of other things when I came to the stables at the weekends, and probably thought "that's going to be a lot of tombolas" followed by "dream on, Ann" in quick succession. Half a decade on (ish), RDA CEO Ed Bracher s
