Uses Horses to Transform Leadership and Empower Communities – Interview with Danielle Mckinnon

Danielle Mckinnon is part of a global network of equine leadership practitioners and brings extensive experience in coaching, leadership development, and nurturing values-led workplace cultures. As the founder of Eat Sleep Ride, a rural-based Scottish charity, she integrates horses, nature, and community to create inclusive, trauma-aware spaces for growth and connection. Her work is rooted in shared leadership models and herd dynamics, supporting people of all ages, particularly young people, to step into their power, build confidence, and lead through uncertainty. She is passionate about making leadership accessible, practical, and transformative, especially in rural, underrepresented, and justice-affected communities.

Danielle Mckinnon, Equine Leadership Facilitator/ Social Entrepreneur

What inspired you to start Eat Sleep Ride, and how did the idea first take shape?

Eat Sleep Ride was born from lived experience—navigating systems that didn’t fit, growing up around social and economic disadvantage, and never quite finding a place. I didn’t have access to regular education or stability, but I did have a deep connection to horses. I still remember the first horse I ever met—I never got to ride her, but that moment changed something in me.

In my early 20s, I moved south and worked multiple jobs to gain my BHS Stage 4 qualification. It was there I really saw the stark gap between privilege and poverty. That experience fuelled a lifelong belief that horses—and spaces rooted in care and connection—can change lives. Eat Sleep Ride began as a “one-day” dream, and over time, it became real.

What has been one of your proudest moments or milestones with Eat Sleep Ride?

Taking over a landfill site and transforming it into a thriving, off-grid centre for healing and learning. We cleared 3.5 tonnes of rubbish, weathered COVID, Brexit, and the cost-of-living crisis—and came out the other side as a fully operational charity. I also became a certified Teaching Horse practitioner, which grounds our work in trauma-informed, shared leadership practices.

How do you balance growing the community while keeping it authentic and rider-focused?

For us, it's about staying grounded in purpose—we’re not growing for the sake of numbers, but to reach the people who need us most. We prioritise relationships over reach, and our community often grows through word of mouth and lived connection, not marketing.

What’s one feature or aspect of the platform you’re especially excited about right now?

I’m really excited about our new programme: HERD Dynamics. It brings together international coaches and trainers to teach shared leadership, based on how horse herds operate. It's experiential, inclusive, and rooted in emotional awareness—it's leadership that feels human.

What advice would you give to someone launching a niche community-based app or platform?

Start small and build a team you trust. Learn about finances early on (including how to get out of it if needed!). Community is messy and beautiful—be flexible, and be real.

Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

Gaining my undergrad in emotional and executive coaching with horses and joining a global leadership teaching team. For someone who didn’t take the traditional education path, that was huge.

If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

I’d challenge the elitism still present in equine spaces. Access to horses shouldn’t depend on wealth or background—these animals can teach us all something, and that learning should be open to everyone.

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

That first moment I laid eyes on a horse—I was a kid with a lot going on, and she was just… there. Solid, still, and present. I didn’t know it then, but that moment shaped everything.

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