A riding centre near Penrith that supports children struggling in mainstream education has received a funding boost to enhance its work, using horses to build confidence, resilience and life skills.
Happy Hooves Riding Centre, owned and run by Alison Noble, has been awarded a £1,800 grant from broadband provider Fibrus, enabling the purchase of two new sets of show jumps. The equipment is already being used in sessions designed to support young people with additional needs, including those with ADHD, autism, learning difficulties and those excluded from school.
Part of the British Horse Society Changing Lives programme, the centre delivers hands-on, practical learning experiences where education is integrated into daily equine care and stable management.
“I’ve been involved with horses all my life,” said Alison. “I sold a large trekking centre in 2014, and while examining for the British Horse Society I saw a riding school working with children who were in care, had been abused or were out of education. They gained confidence through the horses and went on to employment. I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do’.”
Supporting up to 26 young people each week, Happy Hooves provides structured sessions where participants carry out yard duties, learn about horse care, and develop practical and social skills through interaction with horses. Activities range from weighing feed and checking horse health to riding lessons and hacking, helping embed learning in a real-world environment.
“The outcomes we work towards are communication, confidence, teamwork, responsibility, building relationships and perseverance,” Alison explained. “The horses don’t judge them. They build a bond, and it’s amazing how the confidence they gain around horses carries back into the classroom.”
The newly funded show jumps are already playing a role in these sessions, offering versatility beyond traditional jumping exercises.
“We use the poles for grid work and pole work as well, so they’re really beneficial for lots of different exercises. They’re multi-use, not just static jumps,” she said. “They’re brilliant. They’re bright and colourful, and the kids think, ‘The horse isn’t going to jump that’, but the horses don’t bother at all. It makes the kids think about how they ride and how they set the horse up.”
Alison has seen first-hand how equine-assisted programmes can transform outcomes for young people who struggle in conventional education settings.
“We had two lads who came straight out of primary school during the COVID-19 pandemic and couldn’t cope with secondary school because of anxiety. They’re now both 17, have tractor licences, part-time farm jobs, and are more confident and social than they ever were before.
“We’re so proud of them – they’re role models for the younger ones.”
Equine-assisted education programmes such as those supported by the British Horse Society are increasingly recognised for their role in supporting young people with additional needs, offering alternative pathways to learning through structured, practical engagement and emotional connection with horses.
The grant was awarded through the Hyperfast Cumbria Connections Fund, part of Fibrus’s delivery of Project Gigabit, a UK Government initiative aimed at improving broadband connectivity while supporting local communities.
Ross Jackson, Senior Associate Stakeholder Engagement at Hyperfast GB, said: “The work that Happy Hooves do with young people is as inspiring as it is important and we are pleased to be able to support them in this way.
“You could say it’s literally a boost of horsepower to their efforts.”
