The Association was founded in 1965 as the Advisory Council on Riding for the Disabled with 9 Member Groups and became Riding for the Disabled Association in 1969 when membership had grown to 80 member groups. The president at that time was Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk with HRH The Princess Anne as Patron.

The Association used an office in the British Horse Society building and moved to Stoneleigh Park in 1975.

1975 also saw the introduction of Carriage Driving as an activity and RDA drivers took part in the first World Driving Championships in 2002.

In 1986 HRH the Princess Royal took over as President.

The first RDA National RDA Dressage Championships took place in 1981 and were expanded to include all RDA disciplines with the First RDA National Championships.

1981 also saw the launch of the Association's in-house magazine, RDA News, which is circulated three times a year.

The Association became a Federation of Member Groups in 1999 and RDA National became an incorporated body in 2004.

2007 Saw the National Office move from Stoneligh Park to it's current location in Warwick.

The association now has over 500 Member groups which cater for more than 25,000 Riders and carriage drivers.