A group of students from a York secondary school recently embarked on an inspiring educational visit to New Beginnings, an ex-racehorse retraining centre in Bishop Wilton, near York, as part of an aspiration raising initiative.
The Year 7 and 8 students from York High School visited New Beginnings which retrains and rehomes former racehorses as part of their careers and personal development programme. The visit was made possible thanks to the kind and generous support of two charities: the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and Racing to School.
New Beginnings, which recently introduced a dedicated education hub, gave the York High students an up-close insight into the world of racehorse rehabilitation and equine care. The pupils had the opportunity to meet former racehorse Remy and Poppy the pony, as well as interact with the centre’s stable goats and cats, adding to the hands-on learning experience!
During their visit, students also observed a horse being exercised in the Lunge Ring and listened to an equine heartbeat under the guidance of Katherine, an Equine Vet. They also gained valuable insights into the farrier profession as they watched Liam skilfully shoe a horse. The day was filled with discussions about career opportunities within the equine industry, providing invaluable inspiration for the pupils.
Mrs Dawn Becton, PA to the Principal at York High School who organised the visit said “This was such a wonderful opportunity for our students, many of whom hadn’t been close to a horse previously, let alone a racehorse. We’re very grateful to the team at New Beginnings who shared their experiences with the students, told us all about their charity work and inspired the students with information about possible careers.
“We’d like to thank everyone for making us feel so welcome and the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and Racing to School for their generosity in making this visit happen!”
Pam Atkinson, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of New Beginnings said “We’re really proud of what we do at New Beginnings and relish opportunities to create enriching learning opportunities for young people. It was a pleasure to welcome students from York High School who were all very engaged and interested to learn. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to them about animal welfare and career possibilities in the sector. They are welcome to come back and see us any time!”
Jane, a Year 7 student at York High School said “I had an amazing day at New Beginnings learning about horses and loved meeting Remy, an ex-racehorse and Scampi, his stablemate. I didn’t realise there were so many career opportunities working with horses, so it’s really given me lots to think about.”
Racing to School is an education charity that aims to inspire young minds through the provision of free, interactive, and healthy outdoor educational events for schools, staged at a variety of racing venues.
The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust (GLCT) supports charitable causes, including the British Racing School (BRS) and the Racing to School Education Programme. The GLCT’s work focuses on increasing access to careers in horse racing for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
York High School belongs to Excel Learning Trust alongside Millthorpe School, Inspire Academy, Carr Junior School and Knavesmire, Scarcroft and Woodthorpe Primary Schools.
12 February 2025
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