Charlotte Winterbottom

Charlotte Winterbottom's love for horses began at a young age, inspired by her father, who had been riding all his life, and her older sister, who kept a pony at home during her upbringing. As soon as she was big enough, her neighbour, father, and sister taught her how to ride and care for any available pony. Spending Saturdays at the local riding stables, she exchanged mucking out for lessons or hacks on her favorite ponies, Nosey and Posey. Despite the inevitable rain every Saturday, Charlotte persisted, often coming home to warm her feet on the radiator and nurse chill blains.

 

Her childhood was filled with riding other people's mischievous ponies until she was old enough to inherit the ride of their family pony, Bandit, a striking bay Arab-Dartmoor cross. Together, they ventured into various equestrian activities, from pony club to hunter trials, long forest hacks (often bareback), and hunting, solidifying Charlotte's love for Arabian horses.

 

After Bandit, Charlotte loaned several horses and continued her equestrian pursuits, eventually competing in pre-novice and novice Eventing. During her time at Cardiff University, she competed and captained the University Teams, achieving national competitions several times. Her horsemanship journey continued during her PhD at Manchester University, where she exercised endurance horses in the picturesque Peak District.

 

A significant turning point came during her tenure in the oil industry in Abu Dhabi, where Charlotte crossed paths with a natural horsemanship trainer mentored by Clinton Anderson. She collaborated with the trainer for three years, focusing on resolving challenges with horses and starting and training young horses, predominantly Arabians.

 

Returning to the U.K. in 2017, Charlotte dedicated herself to working with challenging and young horses and ponies, providing training and solutions to their owners. Her journey took another turn when she became an Equestrian Coach at Sedbergh Prep School, earning her Level 2 Coaching certificate. There, she cherished coaching pupils, guiding them through school competitions and pony club badges, while witnessing their growth in confidence and skill.

 

Now, as a freelance Riding Coach at Bigland, Charlotte seeks to expand her coaching horizons and make a difference in the lives of children from diverse backgrounds through the Changing Lives Through Horses program. She finds immense satisfaction in boosting both children's and adults' confidence in handling and riding horses, with aspirations to offer confidence-focused coaching courses in the future.