Horses have been a longtime passion of the Duchess of Cornwall, so it came as no surprise when it was announced she would become the new royal patron of equine therapy charity HorseBack UK.
Based in the Scottish Highlands, HorseBack UK’s goal is “to improve health and well-being by inspiring recovery, positive change and renewed purpose amongst those who need it most and improving education and employment prospects for those who are disadvantaged or marginalised.”
The charity uses horsemanship, equine-assisted learning, rural skills and the outdoors to achieve this, offering programmes for military veterans, young people, the NHS, and other groups. Working with horses encourages these participants to acquire new coping strategies, life skills, and lasting resilience whilst gaining nationally recognised awards and qualifications.
Like many members of the Royal Family, the Duchess of Cornwall is an enthusiastic equestrian and learned to ride as a child. In addition to HorseBack UK, she serves as patron of several other horse-based organisations, including the British Equestrian Federation, The National Stud, and the Shetland Pony Stud-Book Society. She also has championed organisations working with veterans, young people, and health, making the partnership with HorseBack UK a natural fit.
At the time of her patronage announcement in July 2021, the charity’s co-founder, Emma Hutchison, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Duchess of Cornwall for accepting the invitation to become our Patron. As a keen equestrian herself, HRH understands how horses can help have a positive impact on our well-being and recovery.”
Hutchison spoke with Royal Central about their new royal patron and what’s on tap for the charity’s future.
Kristin Contino: How did your relationship with the Duchess of Cornwall begin?
Emma Hutchison: We have a good relationship with the Lord Lieutenant, and a visit was arranged in 2019.
What has your experience been like working with Camilla so far, and what have your clients thought of working with her?
Unfortunately, we went into lockdown fairly soon after her visit, but it gave us time to request that she become our patron and complete the necessary checks. She will be re-visiting in the near future, and our clients are very excited about that.
Have you seen a greater number of donations or social media followers coming in since the Duchess was announced as your royal patron? What does it mean for you as a charity moving forward to have her support?
We have not seen any change in social media followers or donations, but we did receive a great deal of media coverage when we announced her patronage. Her support brings with it a certain acknowledgement of our professionalism and our dedication.
Like all of us, HorseBack UK was forced to pivot and come up with new ways to interact over the past year and a half. How difficult has it been to adjust services when it wasn’t possible to meet in person? What type of impact has this had on people who rely on your help?
We have found that for those who were suffering from mental health issues, the pandemic multiplied these, and our support was critical. We set up group chats, peer support and many Zoom calls to facilitate this as well as one-to-one support. We were able to engage with our new clients via Zoom in groups which initially we were sceptical about but found that it actually worked really well and is something that we will continue to use even now that our courses are back on-site.
Tell us more about your new programme to help NHS workers, carers, and care home workers. How can working with horses alleviate the intense pressure they’ve been under during the global health crisis?
Horses do not judge, but they are great examples of how you can overcome stresses such as anxiety. The NHS courses were run via Zoom with a professional team, including storytellers who have themselves been through some sort of trauma, either physical or mental.
What’s up next for HorseBack UK? How do you see the Duchess of Cornwall being involved in the future?
Through the pandemic, we have developed our Youth Development Programme, which incorporates the Prince’s Trust Team Programme. This is targeted at 16-25-year-olds within the local community and is a personal development programme working on confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. Our Schools Development and Military Programmes will be continuing alongside this and the NHS programme.
We have also delivered some courses to military families as well as family groups from within the community referred to us by Aberdeenshire Council. We hope that, as someone who is highly involved with our local Royal Deeside Community, the Duchess of Cornwall will become a regular visitor and help us to spread the word about our work.
For more information about the charity, visit www.horseback.org.uk.
