The recent three-day pilot course at Catterick Saddle Club, delivered in partnership with Phoenix House, marked an important step in developing the Armed Forces Equine Charity’s Active Recovery Programme for serving personnel.
Delivered from 17–19 March 2026, this was the first time the Charity has worked directly with the Personnel Recovery Centre to deliver an equine-assisted course aligned to Individual Recovery Plans, supporting those who are wounded, injured or sick.
Course Delivery
The programme combined:
- Equine Assisted Services (EAS) sessions
- Practical wellbeing activities
- Opportunities to build confidence and reconnect socially
Morning sessions introduced a wellbeing theme followed by Equine Assisted Services sessions to reinforce learning. Lessons were delivered at a pace suited to participants’ needs, allowing time for information understanding and development of the human-equine bond.
Afternoon sessions included further wellbeing teaching alongside simple activities to manage stress and support wellbeing, including archery and a wellbeing walk with practical photography.
Delivery of the course was supported through collaboration with HorseBack UK, drawing on their experience of equine-assisted programmes for serving personnel and veterans.
Participant Feedback and Outcomes
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with many highlighting:
- Increased confidence
- Improved wellbeing
- A renewed sense of camaraderie
All participants reported that the course had a positive impact on their recovery and said they would recommend it to others on recovery duty.
The course also recorded improvements in wellbeing using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, with all participants showing increased scores over the duration of the programme.
One participant commented:
“I recently attended the Equine Assisted course as part of my recovery and it has played a fundamental and positive part of the journey. The activities with the ponies were fantastic and really grounded the whole course… All in all, it was an incredibly positive week and one I hope to repeat soon.”
Looking Ahead
This pilot has demonstrated that Catterick Saddle Club is well placed to deliver effective recovery programmes and provides a strong foundation for future development.
The PRC Active Recovery Programme is an evolving programme which will continue to be developed in liaison with Defence Recovery to ensure alignment with Individual Recovery Plans and ongoing support to serving personnel.
