Volunteers help get Devon Healing Horsemanship off to a great start

Devon Healing Horsemanship was registered as a charity in May 2023 to deliver TheHorseCourse Restart: an action based intervention that partners with horses as an alternative to talk-based therapy services.  

TheHorseCourse is a well-established and well-evidenced approach that takes participants through activity sessions alongside specially trained horses and facilitators to make breakthroughs in encouraging them to engage. Following her own struggles with education and a personal positive experience of horsemanship, charity founder Louise decided to train as a TheHorseCourse facilitator. When she was offered redundancy at work she saw it as a sign to set up the charity to help engage and improve the lives of young people.  

Here Louise tells us about the role that volunteers and Reach have played in the early development of the charity: 

“When I first set up the charity there was very limited funding but at the same time a big need for help to get things going. My initial needs were for people to support with fundraising, people with admin skills to help establish efficient processes and people with bookkeeping expertise. 

“I found Reach through a Google search and then asked around and heard nothing but good things from others about using the platform, so I decided to register. 

“Reach is just a brilliant service. Through the platform I have found several fantastic volunteers who have helped me get off to a great start – and the real winners have been the young people we’ve been able to support to transform their lives.  

“One volunteer helped me pass a vital independent assessment exam. Then I recruited two web designers who worked together to set the website up from scratch. Having a good website has made such a difference to securing grant funding and to getting the word out about the charity and increasing referrals.  

“Referrals to the course are made through professionals, for example GPs, social prescribers or social services. The website has been such an important part of helping them understand how TheHorseCourse works. But it’s also been important for the young people themselves. We have videos on the website showing what takes place during sessions and this has really helped those coming on the course to overcome their anxiety about it.  

“I’ve also recruited admin and fundraising volunteers who are helping me apply for funding. One has secured a visit from the trustees of a potential funder and another is supporting me with building up relationships with commissioners and did a brilliant job getting a CRM system set up. Sadly she has moved on now, but the impact of her work on getting us established has been enormous.  

An important impact on young people

“But it’s the impact of these volunteers on the young people we are supporting which is most important. Having their expertise to help drive the charity forward has enabled me to focus on our young people.  

“For example, I’ve been working with one young person with autism for nine months. When she came to us she was an elective mute with high anxiety who didn’t want to leave home and had no friends. After 10 hour-long sessions, she was able to make the huge step of attending a Forestry School where she has been able to make friends. The family have even been able to go on holiday which would not have been possible before.  

“Another young person who was staying in temporary accommodation was struggling with anxiety and wasn’t able to discuss his feelings. This resulted in regular blowouts which were putting his place in the temporary accommodation at risk. After joining TheHorseCourse, the situation is now much more stable and he has even been able to go out and get a part-time job.  

“We evaluate the impact of our work closely and are really proud that our success rate is between 80 and 85%, which is higher than some more established centres. Being able to find volunteers with the right skills to deliver what we have needed has been a vital part of this. 

“What’s more, I have been lucky to find some incredible volunteers with strong reasons to support the cause and a genuine passion for it. I’ve found it’s more important to look for this than for those with the strongest skillset. I’m very proud of the team we’ve built and will definitely be looking to Reach for more volunteers to support the charity’s future growth.”