About Us
At EquiScholars HQ, our work is grounded in the belief that children and young people thrive when they feel safe, regulated and connected. Our team brings together expertise in equine behaviour, polyvagal theory, trauma-aware practice and therapeutic education, creating a setting where learning and emotional growth happen side by side.
Together, we combine evidence-based theory with compassionate, relationship-led practice to support both CYP and horses to feel understood, valued and capable.
Kate Blackmore
Centre Manager & Equine Behaviour Consultant
Kate Blackmore is the founder of our provision and an experienced equine behaviour consultant and mentor. With many years of experience working alongside children, young people and horses, she has developed programmes that mix education, emotional development and ethical equine welfare.
Kate’s specialist background in equine behaviour sits at the heart of her work. Having supported numerous horses through behavioural challenges, she designs tailored behaviour modification plans grounded in ethology (the science of animal behaviour). She is passionate about helping young people understand how horses communicate, form relationships and regulate themselves, using these parallels to support emotional literacy, safety and co-regulation.
Kate is also the founder of EquiScholars, a modular equine-behaviour curriculum now used internationally across alternative provisions, equine-assisted therapeutic centres, sanctuaries, pony clubs and other welfare-led learning environments. Through this work, she has supported organisations to embed ethical, science-informed equine education into their settings, enabling young people and horses to benefit from compassionate, experience-based learning.
Connection between humans, horses and the wider environment drives everything Kate does. Her vision has always been to create safe, nurturing spaces where children can grow in confidence while learning in partnership with horses. By combining behavioural science with therapeutic and educational insight, she ensures every participant, human and equine, is supported with compassion, clarity and care.
Claire Cottrell
Polyvagal-Informed & Thrive Practitioner, Mentor & Yoga Instructor
Claire Cottrell leads our therapeutic programmes, bringing together her academic grounding in psychology with extensive hands-on experience supporting children and young people. Her First Class Honours Degree in Psychology provides a strong foundation in human development, emotions and connection but it is her deep relational practice that defines her work.
As a Polyvagal-informed Thrive Practitioner, Claire helps young people understand their nervous systems and develop the tools they need to feel safe, regulated and resilient. She is gifted at creating warm, non-judgemental spaces where children feel seen, heard and understood.
Claire played a central role in developing our 16-week Early Intervention Programme, weaving together neuroscience, attachment theory and trauma-aware practice. Her approach ensures the programme remains flexible, relational and responsive to each CYP’s nervous system state while providing practical strategies they can carry back into everyday life and learning.
Claire also works closely with other alternative provisions, delivering staff training, consultancy and mentoring to support consistent, high-quality practice across the sector. Her calm, grounded presence shapes the culture of our provision, ensuring that both children and adults experience the safety and relational consistency that underpins all effective therapeutic work.