Free Rein
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Free Rein
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See moreThe inspirational, powerfully told story of how former Marine Jock Hutchison founded a charity to help injured veterans regain hope through working with horses
The inspirational, powerfully told story of how former Marine Jock Hutchison founded a charity to help injured veterans regain hope through working with horses
‘Moving and refreshingly irreverent’ John Nichol
‘A brilliant book that gave me hope for the future’ Dr Duncan Harding
The powerful and heart-warming story of how horses and humans can find happiness.
On a remote Scottish farm, something remarkable happens. Broken people—the war wounded, the vulnerable, the desperate seekers of happiness or well-being—start to feel whole again. Because a man in a cowboy hat, helped by a large herd of horses, shows them how he learned to live. He has known great success but also suffered failures, humiliations and mental health challenges. And so have his horses. But they have found a way to heal.
Even as a small child, Jock Hutchison was fascinated by horses. His first pony gave him an escape from a difficult home life and offered him solace. His career took him from Royal Marines officer to helicopter pilot but it ended abruptly. He ran a successful business but that culminated in a breakdown. Then horses called Jock back. He rediscovered their transformative power and in 2009 co-founded the charity HorseBack UK, initially for veterans recovering from injury but in a short time for everyone battling to find their path in life.
Jock takes the reader on a vivid ride with a group of struggling teenagers as they learn how to work with their horses and with one another. On the farm, they leave their anxieties and their phones behind as, supported by his talented team, he shares powerful lessons from his own mistakes and triumphs.
Inspirational and compelling, Free Rein is a story that shows how there is always a way forward, no matter how tough the challenges.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781037200960
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 27 August 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 156.0mm
Height: 236.0mm
Weight: 465g
Pages: 272
About the Author
Jock Hutchison was born in Dunfermline in 1962, but it was time spent as a teenager in North Carolina that transformed his understanding of how to ride and work with horses. He went on to serve as an officer in the Royal Marines before becoming a military helicopter pilot. After running his own successful business, he moved to a farm in the Aberdeenshire countryside and, in 2009, set up the charity HorseBack UK.
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