Teddy The Shetland is a true influencer. An equine influencer no less. And he doesn’t even know it! Alice Goring, Teddy’s owner, came on the Small & Supercharged Podcast to talk all about Teddy’s rise to fame. She talks about how she got started (and how they thought they’d delete his Instagram in a month if it didn’t go well), to when she knew Teddy was going to be big, the opportunities he’s had and some of the incredible work they’ve done together.
All about equine influencer Teddy The Shetland with Alice Goring
If you’re horsey and, actually, even if you’re not, you might have heard about Teddy The Shetland. This pint sized blonde bombshell was originally bought as a companion for Alice’s event horses, but quickly became a star in his own right.
At Christmas time a few years ago, Alice’s cousins persuaded her to get him an Instagram account. With her sister, they thought it would be a bit of fun, and felt that they would simply delete the account after a month if it didn’t do well. But that wasn’t the case. With a huge amount of sharing both inside equestrian circles and beyond with things like Buzzfeed too, the account grew at an incredible rate – and continues to too.
With Teddy’s growing following came amazing opportunities
With this increased presence on social media came a lot of opportunities. From working with brands like Hovis and Amazon, photoshoots with Dior, film premieres, going as press to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and a whole lot more, Teddy has had opportunities that so many human influencers would give limbs to have.
Initially, Alice and her sister weren’t sure about taking up these opportunities because they both have full time jobs, but they realised that the money he could earn from this kind of work would cover his insurance costs for the work he does with charities. And he does a huge amount. Alice talks about the work that her and Teddy do with children’s hospices and talks about one particular time on the day of the Grand National. A little girl, who was attached to a ventilator, was able to ride Teddy around the hospice in her red school blazer to many cheers. Alice describes the moment in detail… she said she had to hold back the tears. Just hearing the story made me well up.
Teddy The Shetland and Willberry Wonder Pony
Alice also talks about the Willberry Wonder Pony Charity. Alice was friends with Hannah and she still does work with Willberry Wonder Pony and Doris, who was Hannah’s Shetland Pony, to help promote the charity. Due to Alice’s work, she actually helped to set up the research side of the charity. We talk about Hannah too. She really was such a huge inspiration.
Meeting equine superstar Valegro
At Royal Windsor Horse Show this year, Teddy and Alice got the chance to meet Valegro and go on Good Morning Britain too. A late night call led to the most amazing opportunity for Teddy and Alice – and when you listen to the interview you’ll hear just how much this meant to Alice. In addition to this, Teddy has also been invited to parties (like a footballer’s child’s first birthday party), makes stand appearances and so much more.
We talk about the commercial side of it too. We talk about how people expect things for free but how Teddy and Alice have costs to cover before any profit. We talk about how influencers in other industries charge a lot more but we aren’t quite there in equestrian yet. Alice also talks about how she had to pay 3k last year as Teddy was incredibly poorly (and how his insurance would only cover him as a therapy pony or for vets fees, not both).
We finish by talking about what the future holds for Teddy and Alice; they’re going to be a very exciting duo to watch for so many reasons…
You can follow Teddy on Instagram @teddytheshetland
On Facebook /teddytheshetland
And you can email him (well, Alice!) on teddytheshetland@gmail.com
You can follow Alice on Instagram @alicegoring24
On Facebook /alicegoringeventing
Or you can find out more on her website www.alicegoringeventing.com
