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A grant from full fibre broadband provider Fibrus has given Happy Hooves Riding Centre a welcome leg-up, helping the centre clear a new hurdle in its work with young people by funding two new show jumps.
The new equipment is already proving to be a boost for sessions at the centre near Penrith, which supports children and young people who struggle in mainstream education. Owned and run by Alison Noble, Happy Hooves uses horses to help children and young people build confidence, resilience and skills for life through practical, hands-on learning. The centre is part of the British Horse Society’s national Changing Lives programme, supporting children who may have ADHD, autism, learning difficulties, education and care plans, or those excluded from school.
Alison said: “I’ve been involved with horses all my life. 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’.”
Happy Hooves now supports up to 26 young people each week. Sessions at the centre are hands-on and practical, with learning woven naturally into daily tasks. It also has a horse simulator and mechanical horse for those youngsters who are nervous around the real thing.
“They do morning stables, weigh feed (so they are learning maths), check horses for health, groom them, learn about land management, and then they might have a riding lesson or a hack,” Alison explained.
“The outcomes we work towards are communication, confidence, teamwork, responsibility, building relationships and perseverance.”
She added: “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 £1800 grant, from the Hyperfast Cumbria Connections Fund, delivered by Fibrus, funded the new jumps, but far from being a one-trick pony, the new equipment is used in a variety of ways.
“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,” said Alison.
“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 the programme can indeed change lives.
“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.”
She estimates Happy Hooves has supported at least 45 to 50 young people to date and has ambitions to expand further into care farming and agricultural skills.
“We just want to give them more opportunities,” Alison said. “Otherwise, they would be in bed or on the Xbox; they wouldn’t be going to school. When they come to us, they’re getting fresh air, they’re making friends, and learning to work as a team.”
Hyperfast GB, delivered by Fibrus, is working to connect communities across Cumbria through Project Gigabit, the UK Government’s rollout of lightning-fast, reliable broadband. As part of Fibrus’s delivery of Project Gigabit, it has committed to various social value initiatives that will bring wider benefits to local communities. The Hyperfast Cumbria Connections Fund has already supported more than 35 local causes across Cumbria, ranging from youth groups and busy village halls to small grassroots projects.
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.”
To find out if you’re connectable through Hyperfast GB’s Full Fibre broadband rollout, please visit www.hyperfastgb.com/ check-availability/