HORSEBACK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Governance Trustees Chairman
Dave has had a successful commercial career spanning over 36 years holding senior executive positions within the Oil & Gas service industry, Security industry and latterly within the Support Services sector. Commencing his career as an accountant he quickly rose through the ranks culminating in being appointed CFO and subsequently CEO of ArmorGroup International PLC taking the lead in both its MBO in 2003 and subsequent IPO in 2004.
Dave has extensive International experience gained while working for Schlumberger and later ArmorGroup International. He is known for both his commercial and man management skills while having a comprehensive appreciation for operational issues and their challenges.
He's subsequently been active in the Support Service industry including leading a MBO of Resource Group a £ 120m t/o security and cleaning business, a start-up FM business in the Shetland Islands and is currently in negotiations to acquire a £ 15m T/O support service business from its founder.
Dave currently splits his time between forming his new Support Service group, an advisory role with a niche M & A business, chairing a recent start up business, Vortex IoT Ltd and chairing Horseback UK.
Dave sat on Restrata (a specialist security company) Ethics committee between 2010 and 2016 and also sat on its larger sister company Olive Group's Ethics committee for five years until it was sold in 2014.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- CO - FOUNDER
- Member of the Horseback Team
Emma has owned and worked with horses from a young age and has competed in dressage, show jumping and eventing. After leaving school, she worked in an eventing and hunt yard whilst studying to become an assistant riding instructor. Following college, extensive travel and working in London Emma joined Sussex Police as a constable where she served for 6 years.
Eighteen years ago Emma discovered western riding and the ethos behind this style of horsemanship. She also developed an interest in how horses can help people learn and subsequently improve aspects about themselves. This led to co-founding the Charity HorseBack UK with her husband Jock and the subsequent work with many different client groups.
Alongside others within the industry, Emma was more recently involved with the formation of the Human Equine Interaction Register which aims to bring together all people involved in the field of human equine interactions to ensure high quality service provision and create a greater awareness of their work.
As well as delivering the horsemanship side of the courses Emma is very much involved in all aspects of running the charity including designing the SQA qualification and the strategic growth of the organisation. She is a British Equestrian Federation Level 2 UKCC Coach in Western Riding.
Emma Watson Mack was educated at Loretto School, Edinburgh and graduated in Psychology in 1992 from St Andrew's University. She joined the Royal Artillery as an officer in 1993, serving for eight years and completing operational tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Cyprus with the United Nations. Emma was selected as the first female in the British Army in 1996 to serve in a front line role as a Forward Observation Officer.
On leaving the Army, Emma worked for the Loch Lomond Shores Management Company responsible for their Operations, HR and Events - a socio-economic regeneration project initiated by the Scottish Executive.
In 2004, Emma moved to London to work at Barclays Global Headquarters in their Sponsorship Events Team, working on the Barclays Premiership and the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race. Following this, Emma worked in private client corporate events at Barclays Wealth, working with high net worth clients based both in the UK and internationally.
In 2007, Emma moved to Goldman Sachs to head up their EMEA Event Management and Hospitality Operations focussing on supporting the business build networks and growth through effective and strategically designed client engagement programmes.
From 2012 Emma was then engaged in a variety of consulting roles primarily with the Association for Financial Markets in Europe and the Not-For-Profit sector.
Emma is now the Development Director for Entrepreneurial Scotland which aims to inspire, develop and connect Scotland's current and future leaders to build the most entrepreneurial society in the world.
Emma is a Trustee for HorseBack UK and the Officers Association, a Fellow of the Rank Foundation and a Governor of Loretto School.
Emma lives with her family in Scotland and has a passion for sports and the outdoors.
On returning to the UK Kim founded Idyllwild Horsemanship with the goal of helping people and their horses work better together through enhanced connection and understanding. She is also a recently certified NLP practitioner, and is currently studying a diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Mind Coaching.
Job Titles:
- COURSE DIRECTOR
- Member of the Horseback Team
Jay studied engineering before entering the British Forces joining the Royal Marines Commandos. He served for over 14 years and was medically discharged in late 2014 due to life changing injuries.
Jay has deployed on many operations globally and led men in some of the world's most stressful and hazardous environments, including a tour of Northern Ireland and three tours of Afghanistan. During these tours he was injured twice, once by a suicide bomber and secondly by standing on an IED. Jay lost his left leg below knee, digits to his right hand, suffered extensive shrapnel wounds, lost his left eye and suffered significant facial disfigurement in which it took 11 operations to rebuild his facial features.
Deploying all over the world from desert, jungle, and mountainous areas to arctic regions on numerous occasions, Jay brings a wealth of knowledge of leadership, teaching, coaching and mentoring to any event. He has delivered motivational and inspirational talks to various leading oil and gas companies, charities, VIP's, events, television, radio, business organisations and universities, as well as instructing and aiding in workshops for many of them all over the country.
Jay holds various certificates and awards in teaching, personal development, sports and recreation, assessing, coaching and mentoring and is also the first and most injured serviceman to conduct offshore oil and gas safety training as well as spending time on a platform in the North Sea.
Jay has worked for HorseBack UK since the beginning, having been seconded initially by the Royal Marines Commandos during his own recovery; he is now the Course Director within the organisation and a Royal Marines Support Network Officer for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Joanne has owned and been passionate about horses her entire life. She was brought up in Cornwall and was lucky enough to spend every evening after school riding her horse on the beautiful Cornish beaches. On leaving school she embarked on a round the world trip experiencing life in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Joanne managed the first Navy, Army, Air Force Financial Services Centre in Cornwall for 7 years where she met her husband Damian whilst he was serving in the Royal Navy at RNAS Culdrose. She then went on to become a Pharmaceutical Representative and a Dental Practice Manager before relocating to Scotland with her family in 2010.
She worked for Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership for 5 years before joining the HorseBack UK team where she has re-organised and given some well needed structure to the administrative systems within the Charity.
Job Titles:
- CO - FOUNDER
- Member of the Horseback Team
- PRESIDENT
Born in Dunfermline Scotland in 1962 Jock's schooling at Dollar Academy was unremarkable except for his love of horses and a year's exchange to North Carolina at the age of sixteen, through the Rotary club of Dunfermline. This experience introduced Jock to western riding and working horses which profoundly affected the way he has worked with horses ever since.
After school and a traveling break Jock joined the Royal Marines as a Commando and a Commissioned Officer. Within the service he deployed all over the world until being selected to be a helicopter pilot which he then did for The Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
After his military career Jock qualified as a commercial pilot and then went on to set up his own business in developing security strategies for blue chip clients which he ran for the next ten years.
In 2009 Jock co-founded the charity with his wife Emma and he has very much been the face of the organisation since. He is most happy working his horses and talking to people about the amazing healing qualities they have.
Kat Henderson was born and raised in the Scottish Borders. She worked abroad as a nurse in Australia before joining the Scottish liver transplant team based out of the Edinburgh Royal infirmary where she spent sixteen years covering Scotland and Northern Ireland for organ retrievals.
Despite the long and unpredictable hours working as a theatre nurse, Kat has always had a passion for the outdoors and fitness and was a champion adventure racer - Tough mudder, Total Warrior, Deerstalker, Mens Health Survival of the Fittest to name a few - as well as a keen motorcyclist and an extreme off-road mountain biker. She had a life changing mountain biking accident in France in 2019 which paralysed her from the waist down. After half a year in hospital, she started a new life in Innerleithen in 2020. She has had to overcome both physical and mental challenges as she continues to learn how to do everything all over again.
Despite lockdown, she has managed to live independently again and to bring up a young Cocker Spaniel, "Boost". Never one to be stopped by physical barriers, when she is not with her family and friends she is most often found out on her Bowhead in the hills with her pup, showing what is possible.
Matt grew up in Suffolk on the East Coast of England. He enlisted in the British Army directly from school, initially attending the Army Apprentice College. At 18 Matt moved to live in Germany and from there took part in NATO peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. On return to the UK he volunteered to be assigned to the British Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment as a communications specialist. After further training Matt began duties in Southeast England before deploying as part of High Threat Improvised Explosive Device Disposal teams to Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan, eventually progressing to become a specialist advisor in this field.
During the last of three deployments to Afghanistan, Matt undertook secondary duties as a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioner which involved the assessment and signposting of personnel involved in traumatic incidents. As a result of this experience working with people in the aftermath of severe trauma Matt decided to change paths and return to education, studying mental health at the University of the West of England. During this time he conducting elective programmes working with children on the autistic spectrum in Croatia, and people living with drug and alcohol dependency in Finish Lapland, before rounding off his study at a specialist NHS service for military veterans. After his undergraduate degree, Matt completed an MSc in psychology, during which he authored a report on Post Traumatic Growth in UK Armed Forces veterans (diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) who has attended an equine assisted learning programme.
Following engagement with Horseback UK as a military course attendee and peer mentor, Matt discovered a passion for working with horses and has been committed to learning about horsemanship and its positive impact on mental health ever since. He has visited South Africa to volunteer on project linking horses and conservation and can frequently be seen riding in the Cotswolds.
Paul has recently retired from the Royal Marines, having served over 35 years. Most of his time was spent flying and managing military helicopters. He was a qualified flying instructor, and also spent 5 years at the UK's Defence Academy, delivering Advanced Command training to cohorts of senior officers.
He holds an MA in Defence Studies from Kings' College London and a diploma in Strategic Leadership and Management. For the last 7 years, he has been a volunteer at a care farm in Wiltshire, where he is currently Chair of Trustees. The farm is committed to supporting young men and women with autism.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chief Financial Officer of Gulf International Bank
Ralph is the Chief Financial Officer of Gulf International Bank (UK) Limited and has overall responsibility for the firm's finances and financial strength. Prior to joining GIB UK, he served various roles at Martin Currie Investment Management for over 15 years, latterly as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to that he was a Finance Director at GE Capital.
After graduating from Heriot-Watt University and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant at Coopers & Lybrand, Ralph spent five years as a Senior Consultant and Financial Controller in Australia. Ralph is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Horseback Team
- PRINCE's TRUST TEAM PROGRAMME COORDINATOR
Taff was born in Pontypool, South Wales in 1962. After leaving school in 1978 he worked in a tinplate factory as a forklift operator and joined the Territorial Army in 1979. In 1983, in the midst of many industries collapsing in Wales, he was made redundant. His father advised him "go join the Army for 3 years, by the time you come home everything will be sorted". He took his Dad's advice, but went on to do much more than 3 years in the Army!
He first enlisted into the Regular Army in 1984 and deployed on several operational tours including the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, Belize, Gulf War One, Kosovo, Iraq and with the UN. He attended Section Commanders' and Platoon Sergeants' Battle
Courses. His last appointment within the ranks was Regimental Sergeant Major. He was commissioned in 2005 and has held the appointments of Squadron Second in Command, Regimental Training Officer, Unit Welfare Officer, Administration Officer, Training Major and aQuartermaster. In April 2013 he retired from the Regular Army at the rank of Major.
On retirement he was offered one of the Company Commanders posts in Aberdeen Universities Officer Training Corps Reserve Army, and in 2015 took the post of Quartermaster, Full Time Reserve Service at Aberdeen & Tayforth Officer Training
Sally-Anne is a multi award-winning fundraising and strategy professional and social entrepreneur. She has over 20 years experience providing strategic , funding and fundraising consultancy and operational support to charitable organisations, community interest companies and socially driven enterprises. Her experience covers all fundraising activities and income streams. Her specialist expertise lies in supporting organisations considering growth, scale up and Capital Appeals.
Stuart is an Educational Psychologist who has worked in the North East of Scotland since 1993.
He has studied at the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Strathclyde and worked as a Primary School Teacher in Glasgow before entering the world of Educational Psychology.
Stuart has worked as an Educational Psychologist in several Scottish Local Authorities. From 1993 until 2018 he was Senior Educational Psychologist in South Aberdeenshire. Living locally he was aware of the work of HorseBack UK and in 2019 we were able to welcome him onto the team to offer support to all our course attendees, staff and volunteers.
Tania was brought up in the Lambourn Valley. Her father, Gay Kindersley, was an amateur rider and then a trainer of National Hunt horses. She went on to read history at Oxford, and then became a full-time writer.
Tania has written six novels and then subsequently published a non-fiction namely ‘Backwards In High Heels' and is currently working on one fiction and one non-fiction. Tania moved from London to Scotland in 1997 and discovered HorseBack UK in 2012. She is an extremely valued member of the team writing on a daily basis the facebook page and HorseBack UK blog which now has many followers.