Local Faces – Abbigail Williams

Abbigail Williams is 14 and lives in Belgard Green with her family. She has just finished second year in St Mark’s Community School and is a volunteer with the Fettercairn Youth Horse Project.

My name is Abbigail and I go to the Fettercairn Youth Horse Project every day after school. However, now that I’m on my summer holidays I’m at the project every day from 9am until the evening.

I usually muck out the stables first and then hang up the hay nets. After that I groom the horses and get them ready for the morning lessons.

I’m breaking in a rescue horse at the moment called Elise. She’s a rescue horse from My Lovely Horse Rescue and I love spending time with her.

I’m helping to get her ready for her forever home. I’m really close to Elise (the brown horse pictured above and below). 

We spend a lot of time together and it will be very sad when she goes but I’m happy that she has found her forever home.

During the day I do different jobs and also lead the horses for some of the classes before getting the evening hay bags ready. 

I love being with the horses. Around four years ago I wanted to do something different and my mam brought me around to the horse project.

I had no idea how much I would love it.

I feel really calm around the horses and I get excited every time I walk into the stables, I just can’t wait to see them.

I love volunteering in the horse project. It’s a challenge but it teaches you independence and how to look after animals.

And, I think when I finish school I’d like to be a farm vet.

I like the way all of the horses have their own funny personalities and you never know what humour they will be in when you arrive.

Some kids like football and some like Gaelic but this is for me.

I can’t really explain how I feel when I’m with the horses but I think that having interaction with a horse is something very special.

All images taken by Aidan O’ Neill