Chatting A Bit with Hooves & Love

Horse lover and owner Emma Batcheler has a passion for finding unique gifts for her friends and family. Hooves & Love was born out of that joy buying gifts for someone special or simply treating yourself can bring. Samantha Hobden from Haynet recently caught up with Emma in its Chatting A Bit series to find out more about the story behind her brand:

Being a horse mad mummy, your love for horses is strong. Were you brought up in this environment as a child?

Neither of my parents are horsey but I was introduced to them when I was young by my Aunty, who had horses. I used to go riding when we went to visit my grandparents, and that soon turned into lessons at my local riding stables which then turned into pony days and the love and passion blossomed from there.

What was your childhood ambition? Was it to always work in the equestrian world?

I really wanted to be in the Mounted Police when I was a child. I thought it would be the greatest job ever to do on horseback. But then I found out that you had to do 2 years ‘on the beat’ before going into the mounted division and I’m a wimp in the dark so decided I couldn’t do that! I always knew I wanted horses in my life though.

In the last year you have launched a unique gift box company aimed at the equestrian industry. What made you step into this area of the business?

After having children, I was keen to get back into work but wanted to do something where I could work around the children and horses but also stay connected to the equestrian world because I’m so passionate about it. I’m a self-confessed shopper, I can google things all day long and after seeing many posts on social media and forums where people would ask what to buy their horsey friend/partner/mum etc I thought it would be a great idea to source some unique products and bring them all together into a gift box.

Tell us about Hooves & Love and its vision. What are you particularly proud of with your company?

I’m really proud to have made such wonderful connections with suppliers and customers and I hope this continues into the future. I am completely passionate about Hooves & Love in every way. My aim is to inspire people with unique gifts and to make someone really feel special when they receive one of my boxes. From the very first moment of opening the parcel, I hope to engage their senses and put a smile on their face.

What have been the up and downs of working within this area of the equestrian industry?

The biggest ups for me are when a customer tells me they love the gift box, or who they’ve given it too loves it – that really makes my heart smile. Sometimes a customer will tell me a story behind the giving of a box and I’ll do some extra little touches to make it really special for that recipient. I’m totally in my element when I’m putting an order together.

I don’t think there is a specific downside with the equestrian industry but the downside of running your own business is time – because of family commitments and the horses, I can’t work 9-5 hours so I’m usually up very early before the children wake to get some work done, then do some during school hours and then late at night. So it can feel like I’m never not working!

What would be your key advice for a school leaver that wanted to work in the equestrian industry?

Surround yourself with people who are encouraging, supportive and positive towards your passion and dreams. Always sponge in information – I have so many people around me who are amazing at what they do and experts in their field, and I am forever learning from them in order to better myself and expand my mind.