Adventure | Healing | Connection
We promote adventure and wellbeing through the power of the horse
The Big Hoof journeys support charities with a focus on mental health, wellbeing & child welfare. We have raised over £93,000 for charities in UK and Europe, and have travelled over 5,000 km in 5 different countries.
We promote and discover routes new & old, encouraging accessibility, community & sustainability. In 2024 we made our way across the Highlands, raising £8,200 for two local suicide prevention charities. Join a 2025 journey and help make a difference.
The Big Hoof is a Scottish charity that organises long-distance treks, with horses at its heart and a clear focus on mental health: Free and accessible to everyone.
Our aim is to improve mental wellbeing by inviting and inspiring people to go outdoors, using the horse as a vehicle for connection.
Upcoming Journeys
FareWays 2025:
3 days around Loch Tay
On the evening of 27th March, The Big Hoof will travel to one of the most pristine places in Scotland: Loch Tay. Situated in the very heart of the country, this mystical stretch of water will form the centre point of our first 2025 journey, raising funds for Alzheimers Research UK. On this short but very sweet three day trekking, we invite you to disconnect from your screens, get lost in the landscape and find a certain stillness whilst constantly moving.
Come for an afternoon, day, or all the way. You don’t need a horse, just a good pair of shoes and a willingness to do some good.
Join us on our 2025 March journey around Loch Tay, free and open to all! Please DONATE and spread the word far and wide.
Every year we travel 200 miles in the UK for a given cause. The FareWays journeys are wild, inclusive and travel through the most unchartered parts of the UK. Have a listen to the BBC Radio 4 short documentary about our 2023 trip across Scotland.
May:
Beach of Dreams &
Fife Pilgrim Way
Join us as we collaborate with the nationwide Beach of Dreams project and travel 180 miles across Fife, Scotland. To celebrate the importance of the British coastline, we will be journeying along the Fife Coastal Path and then down the Fife Pilgrim Way. Come for a day, night or more!
“Today's biggest mental health issue is to
"feel alone". If I was a doctor, I would prescribe everyone to walk with their neighbour...”
— Tristan, 2024 Fareways participant
In Other News
The Big Hoof Feast!
Oh what a night! On 29 November 2024, we hosted our first ever Feast. Raffi Parker, chef and member of The Big Hoof team, cooked up a delicious spread, and there was live music from Elio Rojas Latin Jazz trio. Artworks were sold, The Big Hoof Christmas Postcards and much more. The evening was to raise funds and awareness for the ME Association and The Big Hoof. [ Small Beer Brewery, Southwark, London ]
Talks
This September, our Director of Programmes, Kiki, was invited to give the opening lecture for the yearly AAI Symposium [Animal Assisted Intervention] at the University of Applied Sciences in Dronten (NL). Big Hoof founder Louis Hall also spoke at the Royal Geographical Society in October. In our public talks, The Big Hoof aims to inform people about the transformative power of the horse, address problems surrounding mental wellbeing and promote the outdoors.
Read more about Big Hoof Talks here
BBC Radio 4 ‘Highlands With Horses’
Wondering what a Big Hoof journey is really like? Listen to journalist and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota’s ‘Open Country’ piece as she joined us on our recent ride across Scotland.
Listen now on BBC sounds here
The Big Hoof is currently supporting Insulate Ukraine
After spending three weeks in Izyum, in the Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine, The Big Hoof have teamed up with NGO Insulate Ukraine. This UK based organisation has pioneered a glassless solution to one of the greatest issues faced by the devastated communities of eastern Ukraine: windows blown out by the war. emergency home-built solutions to replace windows blown out by the war.
Hooves and Healing:
Big Hoof Collaborations
In May, The Big Hoof team rode into Dunfermline town, Scotland, to meet folk from inner-city areas to introduce them to the horses. Two weeks later, we hosted a group at the farm to garden, ride, enjoy the open spaces and make some delicious fresh pesto! All in collaboration with the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.
‘The horses’ impact in just a couple of hours was remarkable, even for those who were wary of getting too close. It was lovely to be able to facilitate this session especially as it turned out to be such a big hit. There were smiles all round, and a feeling of real achievement for the group….’
