Equestrian YouTube star This Esme launches World Horse Welfare Stable Squad club in Somerset

Equestrian influencer Esme Higgs - better known as This Esme - has delighted hoards of young fans at the World Horse Welfare (WHW) Stable Squad launch event. Patron for the charity, the YouTube Kids star also brought along her very own rescue pony, Duke.

The Welsh Mountain Pony is a real rags to riches tale. Abandoned on a mountainside at just a day or so old, he was taken in by WHW and when Esme met him during a shoot, decided to adopt him. The little Welshie is now world famous thanks to his appearances in Esme's vlogs.

On Thursday (August 15) the 23-year-old met with adoring fans, chatting, signing and posing for photos, all completely starstruck by the wholesome horsewoman at WHW’s Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset. And one young fan, Purple Jones, even got the chance to interview her idol, asking her questions about everything from riding gear to cheese and onion crisps.

Talking about whether she has plans to add to her stable of four horses and ponies, Esme said: “In the future I would love to rehome more horses from World Horse Welfare, it's been so rewarded having Duke. At the moment, I think, for the lifestyle and the life that I live at the moment, four is probably enough for me, because I want to make sure that I have enough time to give them all the love and attention that they deserve but definitely in the future I would love to rehome again from World Horse Welfare.”

Revealing her favourite colours by equestrian brand Le Mieux - which, if you ask any pony-mad youngster, is important to know - Esme admitted: “Well I think the answer I'm going to have to give is the one that I've recently come out with, which is the corn blue, which is my own collection. But before that, before that, I would say I love all sorts of like pastelly colours, so the mist, the wisteria, the new fern are probably my favourites.”

With three other centres across Britain - in Aberdeenshire, Lancashire, and Norfolk along with their Somerset branch - WHW’s mission is to work with horses, horse owners, communities, organisations and governments to improve welfare standards and stamp out suffering in the UK and worldwide. Funded entirely through donations, bequests, and grants, their latest fundraiser is the Stable Squad. The charity’s very special club for young horse enthusiasts gives members exclusive access to ‘horse-some’ opportunities and fun-filled learning. They will meet the ‘squad’ made up of ponies Jet, Sage and Crumpet and have the opportunity to earn rosettes by completing activities about respecting, showing compassion for and understanding horses.  

As well as the opportunity to meet Esme in person, visitors to the launch event were also treated to live demonstrations, a behind the scenes tour of the Rescue and Rehoming Centre, a Rescue Pony Agility Derby and had the opportunity to befriend the horses, ponies and foals currently in the charities care.

To find out more about the work carried out by WHW, make a donation or see which horses and ponies are looking for a new home, visit the World Horse Welfare website.