Our staff
Our biggest assets are our brilliant staff and lovely horses and ponies.
Ali Bertram
Ali has been a club member for over twelve years and now heads up our reception team. Ali has a degree in Management from the Robert Gordon University and was heavily involved in the relocation project to Anguston, supporting Sally with the admin side and making sure nothing was forgotten. Following a few months of travelling in 2017, Ali returned to ARC to take up a full-time post as Office Supervisor, running the admin side of the business. Ali has her own horse, Spring, who lives on the livery yard.
Ali has been a club member for over twelve years and now heads up our reception team. Ali has a degree in Management from the Robert Gordon University and was heavily involved in the relocation project to Anguston, supporting Sally with the admin side and making sure nothing was forgotten. Following a few months of travelling in 2017, Ali returned to ARC to take up a full-time post as Office Supervisor, running the admin side of the business. Ali has her own horse, Spring, who lives on the livery yard.
Ali Bertram
Ali has been a club member for over twelve years and now heads up our reception team. Ali has a degree in Management from the Robert Gordon University and was heavily involved in the relocation project to Anguston, supporting Sally with the admin side and making sure nothing was forgotten. Following a few months of travelling in 2017, Ali returned to ARC to take up a full-time post as Office Supervisor, running the admin side of the business. Ali has her own horse, Spring, who lives on the livery yard.
Elle Russell
Grace Muller
Martin Dargie
Level 3 Coach in Complete Horsemanship with Level 4 Riding and Teaching
Laura Cargill
Level 3 Coach in Complete Horsemanship
Laura has been with the club since 2014. She worked as the livery yard supervisor for a couple of years before progressing through her coaching assessments. Laura is a very popular coach at ARC with both riding school and livery customers.
Laura has her own horse, Tayto, who lives at the club. She enjoys riding and competing regularly with Tayto. Laura is also available for riding and schooling of livery horses, which can be booked through Ali in reception. Laura holds her full BHS Stage 1, 2, and 3 riding, care and lunge qualifications, her Stage 2 and 3 coaching qualifications and her Stage 4 Management.
Ellis Rugg
Ellis is a training student with us, who works on the livery yard. Ellis joined us when she left school as she was keen to find a position with horses where she could continue to train and learn. Ellis is excellent at handling all the livery horses and is very thorough with their care. Ellis keeps her horse, Cyrus, at the club.
SALLY MCCARTHY
Executive Director and Club Manager
BHS Stage 4 Senior Eventing Coach
BHS Stage 5 Horse Care and Business Management
BHS Coaching4All
RDA Group Coach
First Aid at Work
Mental Health FirstAid
Safeguarding certificate
PVG checked.
Sally did her initial equine training at a dressage yard in Portugal aged 16, then returned to the UK to do her BHS Qualifications at a local riding school. In 2003, Sally led the project for ARC to relocate to new premises at Oldfold Farm, resulting in ARC becoming the first UK fully not for profit equestrian centre. Sally coaches all standards of lesson, private and group and has overall responsibility for all operational activity at ARC. With a strong drive to increase accessibility to horses for everyone, it was Sally’s vision that resulted in ARC becoming an Accessibility Mark Centre and she has also done further qualifications with RDA coaching and the BHS to qualify to deliver sessions for RDA groups and participants who are accessing horses as a form of therapy. Sally also delivers our educational sessions, providing training and interactive sessions on everything from horse behaviour to equine business management and is one of the lecturers for the provision of SRUC HNC/D in Equine Studies. Sally has also volunteered as a trustee for the British Horse Society since 2019 and is currently the Chairperson of the organisation.
MARTIN DARGIE
Executive Director and Club Assistant Manager
BHS Stage 4 Senior Eventing Coach
First Aid at Work
Mental Health First Aid
Safeguarding Certificate
PVG checked
Sally did her initial equine training at a dressage yard in Portugal aged 16, then returned to the UK to do her BHS Qualifications at a local riding school. In 2003, Sally led the project for ARC to relocate to new premises at Oldfold Farm, resulting in ARC becoming the first UK fully not for profit equestrian centre. Sally coaches all standards of lesson, private and group and has overall responsibility for all operational activity at ARC. With a strong drive to increase accessibility to horses for everyone, it was Sally’s vision that resulted in ARC becoming an Accessibility Mark Centre and she has also done further qualifications with RDA coaching and the BHS to qualify to deliver sessions for RDA groups and participants who are accessing horses as a form of therapy. Sally also delivers our educational sessions, providing training and interactive sessions on everything from horse behaviour to equine business management and is one of the lecturers for the provision of SRUC HNC/D in Equine Studies. Sally has also volunteered as a trustee for the British Horse Society since 2019 and is currently the Chairperson of the organisation.
LAURA CARGILL
Coach
BHS Stage 3 Complete Coach
BHS Stage 4 Care, Lunge and Management
BHS Coaching4All
First Aid at Work
Mental Health First Aid
Safeguarding certificate
PVG checked
Laura has worked at ARC for seven years – initially working with our liveries, but then she decided she would like to start coaching so went down that professional pathway. A very popular coach, Laura coaches all standards of group and private lessons and delivers a lot of BHS Pony Stars sessions. Laura is currently training towards her Stage 4 Ride and Coaching assessments and has regular training both on her own horse (Tattie) and Lily, a jumping schoolmistress owned by ARC. Laura is also qualified in Coaching4All through the BHS, meaning that Laura has taken further training and assessment in providing groundwork and riding sessions for those who access riding as a form of physical or mental therapy.
LIAM SKEA
Coach
BHS Stage 3 Complete Coach
RDA Group Coach
First Aid at Work
Mental Health First Aid
Safeguarding Certificate
Liam has worked at ARC full time for four years now, joining the club on leaving school and starting on the professional pathway. He has now achieved his BHS Stage 3 Coach, meaning that he is now able to coach private and group lessons and is becoming a very popular coach. Liam is particularly good with young participants and delivers a lot of Pony Stars sessions and intensive courses in the school holidays. Liam also has a keen interest in increasing participation with horses and holds his RDA group coach qualification meaning that he can coach sessions for the RDA groups who use ARC as a facility. Liam also does a lot of work with riders who attend ARC for therapy riding or groundwork with horses. He is currently training towards his Stage 4 Ride, Care, Lunge and Coaching and has his own horse Millie, who he likes to compete at SJ and Eventing when time allows.
FREYA OGILVIE
Yard Staff
BHS Stage 2 Foundation Coach
First Aid at Work
Safeguarding certificate.
PVG checked
Freya has worked at ARC for two years now since leaving school and has achieved her BHS Stage 2 Foundation Coach qualification. Whilst this means that Freya could coach private and group lessons with a Senior coach on site to supervise, at ARC our policy is to wait until our team members have achieved their Stage 3 Coach qualification as it means they have a really good base of knowledge so Freya currently provides Walkies sessions for our youngest participants (lead rein walk outs) and works with another coach on Pony Stars sessions. Freya is working towards her Stage 3 Ride, Care and Coach qualifications at which point she will start to coach group and private lessons. Freya is responsible for the school horses care in her working day – everything from catching them in and grooming them, to riding any that need brought back into work.
ELLIS RUGG
Yard Staff
BHS Stage 1 Complete
Ellis has worked at ARC for ten years and works with our livery horses for most of her day, so is responsible for turning them out, catching them in, making up their feeds and doing their hays/waters. Ellis has her own horse (Archie) on site and also often rides her sister’s horse Mozart. Ellis has participated in 2 Special Olympics, representing Grampian region and doing really well at both whilst supporting all her teammates. Ellis also helps with side walking in some of our therapy and walkies sessions and has a great manner with our younger participants.
We also have quite a few teenage/young adult temporary staff who cover some evening yard shifts and weekend shifts – ARC is a great believer that providing both paid employment and work experience gives people a great start in their career so we also offer work experience for vet students, vet nurse students and are also happy to take on school age work experience placements as an approved provider with both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Local Authority.
Administrative Staff
Our reception is open every day (apart from a Friday) and our team members in reception are responsible for greeting members, ensuring they know where to find their horse/coach and taking payments for sessions.
ALI BERTRAM
Office Supervisor
Management BA(Hons)
BHS Stage 1 complete
First Aid at Work
Mental Health FirstAid
Safeguarding certificate
PVG checked.
Ali leads our administration team and is responsible for a lot of the important work that goes on behind the scenes at ARC but is also front of house and the first point of contact for most of our participants.
Ali does all our invoicing/payments/credit control/stock control and is also responsible both for each Coach’s individual coaching diary but also for the master group lesson diary and ensuring all our additional sessions are booked correctly and organised.
Ali also delivers customer care sessions and business management sessions to the SRUC students and works closely with Sally to ensure the smooth running of the business side of ARC. Ali has her own horse Spring who lives at ARC and enjoys taking lessons when time allows – she recently sat and passed her BHS Stage 1 and Riding Out Safely award, which whilst not required for her role, means that she has a great understanding of how assessment candidates feel when booking and attending assessment days as Ali is responsible for the admin behind booking devolved assessments (Stage 1) and liaising with the BHS re Stage 2, 3 and 4 assessments.
Ali leads a team of temporary and part time receptionists to ensure we always have reception cover and again we try where possible to employ individuals in these roles who would benefit from getting a “start” in a professional environment or who are trying to build a CV of experience for Uni applications e.t.c.