Elizabeth Beckerlegge

Director

Elizabeth is a Chartered Physiotherapist with 50 years experience of working with riders with additional needs, having started as a volunteer with RDA as a teenager then going on to be an RDA Physiotherapist and coach at group and national level. She practices hippotherapy both independently as Riding for Rehab and with RDA. As a result, she has extensive experience of EAS within the charitable sector and in private practice. Elizabeth was Chair of ACPEA 2013 -2023 and is a member of HETI and the European Equine Assisted Therapy network (EEATn) and has a clear view of the ‘bigger picture’ and the development of EAS worldwide.
She is an Expert Witness for medicolegal cases involving EAS and is also a National Classifier with British Equestrian for athletes wishing to compete in Para Equestrian events.

Rosie Bensley

Director

Rosie is co-founder of equine therapy charity Strength & Learning Through Horses. Over the last 10 years as CEO she has grown the charity to become one of the UK’s largest equine therapy centre benefitting 400+ Young Londoners per year. The charity offers equine assisted therapy; a range of alternative education services; social groups; parenting programmes & outreach work in prisons. Rosie is committed to the development of the Equine Assisted Services Sector with an appreciation of the value of a wide range of modalities and different services

Ed Bracher OBE

Director

Ed is the Chief Executive of Dogs for Good – one of the UKs leading assistance dog charities that delivers animal assisted interventions and activities, through connecting people with dogs. Before this he was Chief Executive of RDA for 17 years. During that time the organisation grew significantly, based around engagement with volunteers and robust research.
Ed has a strong commitment to the human animal bond and the value and benefit that this connection can bring – helping people gain confidence and be more visible as well as finding specific benefits for health and wellbeing.

Dr Celia Grummitt

Chair

Celia is Managing Director of Gul Outdoor Therapy which operates from 5 sites across the UK, 3 of which major on Equine Assisted Services( EAS). Celia is the author of “Horses and Human Health” and provides national training for several bodies as well as Continuing Professional Development training. As a medical practitioner Celia brings years of experience in the NHS, the Armed Forces and the prison service as well as in the field of EAS. Celia also works in the clinical area of autism diagnosis as well as in therapeutic sessions in Outdoor Therapy. Her aspiration for the Partnership is to see an increase in recognition of the work in health settings, not just as an alternative provision to education. My goal is to have well-run services available throughout the UK so that more people can access EAS and benefit from the amazing effect that working with horses can have

Michael Bishop

Director

Michael became Chief Executive of RDA UK in April 2024, bringing leadership experience from the public, voluntary and private sectors. Michael has  expertise in strategy, organisational development, programme management, and income generation.

His passion for horses began in local riding schools, and continues today as an amateur event rider. It is his belief in the transformative power of the equine-human bond that drives him, seeking to make it accessible to all who can benefit, underscoring the important role horses continue to play in society.

Michael joined  the EASP Board to elevate the sector’s recognition within health, education, and social impact fields.

Emma Hutchison

Director

Emma is Co-Founder of HorseBack UK, a Charity which over the past 15 years has delivered equine assisted services, accredited educational courses and rural skills as part of their wellbeing programmes. Beneficiaries include military personnel, disengaged youths, schools, community groups and the NHS all of whom work alongside the HorseBack herd of 30 horses. Emma has always believed in the power of the horse as a partner in improving wellbeing and enabling an individual to learn about themselves. She was a founding director of the EASP and is excited to see how the partnership will develop and grow.

Rosie Scott-Ward

Director

Rosie is the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Hartpury University. She has provided a vital link with education in EAS and was a founding Director of the Partnership. Rosie is the senior manager responsible for all University academic activity and the wider Equine activity at Hartpury and has developed EAS education research and courses

Dr Helen Sharp

Director

Helen has been involved with equine assisted services for six years in various capacities including as the Founder of Groundwork Equine Assisted Services in Northern Ireland which offers EAL to military and police veterans, their families and their carers.

Helen has also  been a freelance equine journalist for the past 12 years and has worked full-time writing for The Irish Field, Ireland’s widest read equine publication.  She has also written for many internationally recognised publications including; Horse and Hound, World Breeding News For Sport Horses and Concordia.
She is a qualified Equine Sport Therapist from the College of Animal Physiotherapy in the UK.
Helen believes that EASP offers the genuine support organisation practitioners NEED offering practical support and advice. Her incentive is simply to help EASP flourish and grow safely

Alison Blackmore

Director

Alison is Head of the The British Horse Society Changing Lives Through Horses programme and has  worked cross sector to gain support for and showcase the impact of the programme – which has included raising awareness of the broader benefits of equine facilitated learning.

Alison brings over 30 years experience working in the education sector – with wide ranging understanding, skills and knowledge of special education needs, education policy and practice. She supports  EASP to further understand and engage with the education sector at both National and local level by connecting those children and young people with unmet needs within educational provision and EAS providers to show the impact and validity of what the sector can offer.

She aims to connect BHS and collaborate with the wider EAS sector through the work of the EASP, sharing knowledge and understanding and working towards common inclusive outcomes.

Anna Collins

Membership and Marketing Co-ordinator

Anna is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and of the Consultation Institute with 20 years’ experience operating at senior level in the public sector before becoming Director of Maktub Consulting Ltd. She has a passionate interest in equines particularly thoroughbreds and is involved as a volunteer with Retraining of Racehorses, the Aftercare Accreditation Project and with Endurance GB. Her project management experience assisted with the creation and ongoing development of HEIR and the Partnership. She is also a Director of Autism in Racing and has many connections throughout the equine world. She competes at endurance with the her former racehorses and was the winner of the RoR Elite Endurance championship in 2017.