KAVS celebrates the work of volunteer-led organisations across the UK of all shapes and sizes and recipients come from an immense range of people of all ages – and occasionally animals are involved! One of the 281 amazing 2024 awardees is the Think Like A Pony CIC based in Horsforth, Leeds, whose mission is to empower children and families to build relationships built on trust and respect through horsemanship – and the results are transformational.
The organisation aims to provide a safe learning environment so that a young person can thrive physically, mentally and emotionally, based around an ethos of learning to respect self, respect others and take responsibility for one’s own actions. Children develop a relationship with a pony and learn practical skills and strategies such as controlling breathing, body language and voice. By learning how ponies communicate and form relationships, children and young people have an opportunity to reflect and improve on their own communication and relationship skills.
The organisation promotes the education of an holistic approach to riding, handling and caring for horses both locally at their horsemanship centre in Leeds, and nationwide through their online Club and team of freelance instructors. They offer sessions to a range of children from the local community including vulnerable children who are referred through Leeds City Council, schools and the NHS’s mental health provision for children. The offering encompasses a holistic riding school; a youth development programme which is suitable for any child with social, emotional or mental health difficulties; and a parent/carers’ programme helping to provide novel strategies to respond to emotional and physical challenges.
Think Like A Pony was delighted to receive the KAVS 2024 accolade, saying, ‘Our work empowering children, families and communities through horsemanship provides much needed support to some of Yorkshire’s most vulnerable children and their families. We are honoured to be awarded the KAVS which will support us to showcase our work and make more positive connections in the wider community. We can raise awareness of our work and inspire people to see that through horsemanship, people can form healthy relationships built on mutual trust and respect.’
The 2024 King’s Awards for Voluntary Service were announced on 14th November – HM King Charles III’s birthday – in The Gazette and Gov.uk. For more information on this year’s winners in The Gazette, see here, and in previous years, see here.