The owner of a riding school is using the power of social media to make money – to offer free riding lessons, and fulfil a dream.
Chloe Tinson, of the family-run, British Horse Society (BHS) and Association of British Riding Schools approved Barnwell Equestrian Centre in Cornwall, has already raised hundreds of pounds, just by sharing content – and feels “the possibilities are endless”.
Ms Tinson told H&H the idea came to her at the end of last year, after she had completed her BHS business manager’s exam and was looking for a project.
“It’s like a pipe dream,” she said. “People don’t realise you can earn so much money from social media now, and I feel there’s so much good you can get from that.
“I’m one of those people who sit in bed at night ‘doom scrolling’, watching TikToks and YouTube, and I can see the good it can do. People are building houses, buying their own land; it’s about what you make from it. And was thinking ‘What else can I do to really give back, now I’ve got to a point in my own life and career, what else can I do to make it better?”
So instead of trying to make money for herself, Ms Tinson, aka Chloe in Cornwall, is focusing on benefiting others.
She said she considered creating a community interest company (CIC), a concern that benefits the community rather than stakeholders, as other riding schools have done.
“I’m not the most business savvy when it comes to money but I know I can make my own money, and if it’s on social media, it almost feels to me like free money,” she said. “And I can then use that to do something good with.”
Ms Tinson already had personal social media accounts, and some 700 followers on Instagram and 2,000 on TikTok, so she used those as her starting point.
“I thought it was going to be a lot harder; I didn’t expect it to blow up like this,” she said. “The first goal was to monetise Tiktok – we did that in three days by reaching the 10,000 followers you need to be able to start making money. Now I’m having an interview with H&H, British Showjumping has got in touch, and I’ve got an interview with the BBC next week. I feel like the possibilities are endless; you don’t know where it could go.”
Some five weeks in, Chloe in Cornwall has nearly 25,000 followers on TikTok, 14,000 on Instagram and 700 on YouTube, earning about £750. She has been posting videos on what happens at the yard, and updating on the project.
“For something I’m doing with my free time, it’s started taking up a lot of my time!” she said. “But I felt this might just snowball into something bigger and better. Getting yourself on social media opens a much bigger world out; I’ve had people from Australia, America, Sweden, even Africa, watching my videos. Everyone around the world can see what I’m trying to do; if you create a CIC, it’s much more local and people struggle to get funding or support. You have to build a community; why not build that community online?”
Ms Tinson has created an application form for prospective riders, and will post videos explaining how to apply, and the criteria for acceptance.
“I would love it to be for everyone, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” she said. “At the moment, I’m trying to get bums in saddles. It would be great to give people, maybe for the first time, a ride on a horse. Eventually, it would be great to be able to fund those people a block of six, to get to a point of hopefully trotting and getting off the lead rein.
“It’s all about making riding more accessible. It’s known to be an expensive sport, and riding schools unfortunately are going out of business. They can’t afford to put prices lower, costs have got so high. From my point of view I see both sides; riding schools struggling to stay open and so many people left out from accessing horses because they can’t afford it.
“I think everyone’s got to remember where they started from. If they had their own horses, they were very lucky. I was very lucky but I also know what horses can do for mental health and wellbeing, and it’s such a shame to know there are people who are never going to experience what horses can bring. I can’t afford to run sessions for absolutely free, but if I can fund them through social media, it just makes sense all round, doesn’t it?”
BHS head of business support Sarah Dale told H&H the Chloe in Cornwall project is a “great innovation”.
“At the BHS, we believe the equestrian world should be open to everyone, regardless of ability, background, culture or identity,” she said. “By creating spaces where we all feel welcome and connected, we can protect and strengthen the future of horses and everyone who loves them. It’s brilliant that, collectively, we’re able to utilise our riding centres to help make the future of equestrianism more inclusive.”
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