Danielle Mckinnon is the founder of Eat Sleep Ride which is a social enterprise based in East Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. Today, their team of seventeen horses operate from a solar-powered facility and aims to empower youth and amplify the voices of the unheard, in particular from low-income and rural communities. Eat Sleep Ride offers youth awards, community support, environmental projects and therapeutic services in educational and professional contexts with a focused on mental and emotional wellbeing.
Dani’s Story
My journey started when I was fourteen, navigating the challenges of care, homelessness, and being out of school. By sixteen, I was living in my first hostel, where I learned the invaluable lessons of resilience, bravery, and empathy. These experiences shaped the foundation of my life and the work I do today. I learned to get up no matter what life throws at me, and to approach everyone with empathy and love, without bias. These principles have stayed with me throughout my life, leading me to my work with horses and the creation of Eat Sleep Ride CIC.
As I grew older, I found that the lessons I learned in that hostel paralleled what I would later discover in the world of horses. Much like my journey, herd dynamics in horses teach us about resilience, trust, and shared leadership. The horses, like the people I met in those early days, rely on each other for survival and success. I saw an opportunity to connect the dots between these experiences and develop leadership programs that reflect those lessons of collaboration and trust.
Horses live in herds where leadership isn’t about power or rank—it’s about knowing when to step up and when to let others lead.
Here’s what herd dynamics have taught me:
- Roles, Not Ranks: Leadership in a herd is shared. There is no single leader all the time, but rather, different horses take the lead when the situation calls for it. This taught me that true leadership is flexible and allows others to shine when they are best suited for the role.
- Non-Verbal Communication: Horses communicate through body language and energy. This reminded me of my time in the hostel, where I had to rely on observing others and responding with empathy, often without words. In our leadership programs, we focus on helping people become more aware of their own non-verbal communication.
- Trust and Empathy: Just as a herd relies on trust, I learned at a young age that trust and empathy are essential for survival and growth. This is at the core of how I approach my work today, both with horses and with people.
Building Eat Sleep Ride CIC
With these principles guiding me, I built Eat Sleep Ride CIC to offer more than just equine experiences. We focus on leadership development, personal growth, and building resilience through hands-on interactions with horses. In addition to riding lessons, professional pathway training, Eat Sleep Ride also provides a variety of therapeutic riding and leadership development experiences.
My qualifications, including becoming a certified practitioner with Teaching Horse and a trauma-informed practitioner, are all rooted in the belief that lived experience and emotional intelligence are powerful tools for growth. As part of a global network of practitioners, I use this innovative methodology to help individuals and teams navigate today’s leadership challenges, including team cohesion, communication, and stress management. My background enables me to guide participants through transformative experiences, drawing on the natural behaviors of horse herds to inspire leadership growth and build stronger connections.
Our nature-inspired programs reflect my commitment to practical, immersive learning, going beyond traditional leadership models to encourage real-world application and immediate impact. Through these hands-on experiences, participants gain essential skills such as enhanced communication, effective stress management, and self-awareness—empowering them to lead with confidence and resilience.
More recently, we have also developed our ‘tiny houses’ to offer off grid eco experiences. These are perfect for a range of activities, from large events like weddings and corporate gatherings to wellness retreats, therapy sessions, and outdoor adventures. With facilities for workshops, mindfulness activities, scenic hikes, and coastal walks, guests can immerse themselves in both personal growth and the natural beauty of the area.
As Eat Sleep Ride grows, it will soon be offering a range of other experiences, including E-bike trail riding, guided nature walks, therapeutic planting, flower dyeing, food growing, willow weaving, as well as having a pond and outdoor space to enjoy.
A vision for the future
My journey, from living in a hostel at 16 to founding Eat Sleep Ride CIC, has been driven by the lessons I learned from both people and horses. Herd dynamics, much like life, are about adapting, trusting, and leading with empathy. These are the principles that shape the leadership programs we offer, helping individuals and teams navigate challenges with resilience and grace.
If you’re interested in learning how these principles can transform your leadership or team dynamics, I invite you to join us at Eat Sleep Ride CIC and experience the power of equine-assisted learning.
Dani holds her BHS Stage 4, APC NLP, is a trauma informed practitioner and EquiScotia Equine Assisted Development Coach. She is also a work based assessor for direct and indirect assessments for the principles of team leading.
You can find out more about the work of Eat Sleep Ride CIC on their website, and you can follow Danielle’s work on LinkedIn. You can also follow their work on Instagram and Facebook.