horseback uk
In November 2008 Jock and Emma Hutchison moved with their young family to Ferrar
just outside Aboyne in Aberdeenshire. Their plan was to set up a business using
American Quarter Horses and western riding to explore the beautiful scenery of
Royal Deeside. That Christmas several friends, many of whom were either serving
or ex-military came to the farm to celebrate New Year. Having played around with
the horses during the day and whilst sitting around the bonfire a comment was
made. “This is what the guys should do when they come back from War”. And so the
seeds of HorseBack UK were sown. As an ex-marine himself who had served at 45
Commando in Arbroath, Jock approached the current Commanding Officer. 2008 had
been a particularly traumatic year for 45 Commando as in their recent tour of
Afghanistan they had lost 9 of their own in combat with a further 16 suffering
life-changing injuries. Jock and Emma offered the farm as somewhere that the
injured marines could come to as a break away from clinical recovery and over
the next 12 months had several groups come and visit the farm.
