Equestrian Statistics
Equestrianism is an extremely popular and healthy activity for people of all ages. It is a diverse and family-friendly sport. It is one of very few sports where men and women compete on an equal footing. It extends from amateur and community participation to international success.
The most recent British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) National Equestrian Survey (2005-6) indicated that:
- 43 percent of GB households (11 million) have a household member with some form of interest in equestrianism (including racing)
- 4.3 million people have ridden in the previous 12 months (that is, seven percent of the population)
- The 1999 estimate was 2.4 million, indicating a substantial growth
- 65 percent of equestrian participants are from socio-economic groups C, D and E
- 75 percent of horse riders are female
- 31 percent of horse riders are aged under 16, 18 percent are aged 16 to 24
- The urban/rural split amongst frequent riders is 50:50
- Horse owners, carers and riders in Britain spend more than £4 billion per year in gross output terms
- There are 1.3 million horses in Britain
- They are owned or cared for by 720,000 people, or 1.2 percent of the UK population
- The average annual expenditure per privately owned horse is £2,166
- Leisure riding is the main equestrian activity, showing an increase of five percent in just over five years
- Riding has become far less seasonal: 95 percent of riders now ride all year round, compared with 61 percent in 1995.
International Equestrian Competition
In 2007, 'Equestrian Team GBR' won a total of 32 medals; almost half of them were gold (1).
Between 2000 and 2008, in the eight FEI disciplines, Team GBR won:
91 medals across Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping at Youth Level
63 medals in Para-Equestrian Dressage
20 senior medals in the Olympic Sports
Three medals in Driving
GB Youth Teams currently have three individual European Champions and hold the team title in five competitions at this level. They won 13 medals in 2008.
In terms of media coverage in the UK, equestrian sports were ranked seventh out of 28 Olympic disciplines, compared with fifteenth worldwide (2).
At the 2008 Olympics, 42 national teams took part in the equestrian disciplines, together with individual riders from some other nations. FEI competitions worldwide are steadily increasing: from 583 held in 1998 to 2,401 in 2008.
International (FEI) events organised by the national federations in the UK have increased from 24 held in 1998 to 103 in 2008. (By comparison: In Germany 59 to 230, in France 70 to 305, in Spain 15 to 69, in USA 32 to 224).
Zara Phillips is the current Eventing World Champion. Britain has won 19 medals since the championships began in 1966, more than any other nation.
Lee Pearson has 100 percent record in three Olympic Games, with nine gold medals in Para-Olympic dressage.
In 2008, GBR finished fourth in the FEI Senior World Reining Championships, behind Italy, USA and Germany. Reining was approved as an FEI discipline in 2000.
When BETA sought views on the 2012 Olympic Games in London, more than 90 percent of respondents believed that the 'Olympic effect' would raise the profile of horse sports and generate more interest in riding.
National Societies and Associations
At the end of December 2009 the Society had 70,935 members.
There are 430 BHS-affiliated Riding Clubs with more than 38,000 members. Regional competitions in dressage, show jumping and eventing are run annually, resulting in national championships.
There are 153 BHS-Affiliated Bridleway Groups and 192 volunteer Bridleways Officers.
In 2009, there were 717 BHS-approved riding schools and livery yards in the UK.
There are 2,593 registered BHS-approved instructors.
In 2008, more than 11,000 candidates sat BHS examinations, ranging from Stage 1 through to the Fellowship exam. Approximately 4,000 people took the Riding and Road Safety Test.
BHS Welfare Officers responded to more than 600 reported welfare issues in 2008.
By the end of 2008, the BHS had issued 28,401 horse passports.
In 2008, there were 34 TREC competitions run in the UK. The BHS is the national governing body for this relatively new sport which includes orienteering on horseback.
The Pony Club, a national youth charity, has 35,000 branch members and 15,500 centre members. There are 350 Branches in the UK and 600 Centres (3).
The Riding for the Disabled Association provides riding and carriage driving opportunities for more than 25,000 adults and children with physical disabilities. Each year more than 18,000 dedicated volunteers give a total of more than 3.5 million hours of their time (4).
British Dressage has more than 14,000 members, 10,000 registered horses and runs 2,000 days of competition per year. It is one of the fastest growing equestrian disciplines in the UK. All the judges, approximately 1,000, are volunteers (5).
British Showjumping manages more than 4,200 shows each year, providing in excess of 4,350 days of competition for its members (6).
British Eventing ran 210 scheduled events in 2007, up from 161 in 2000 (7).
Endurance GB provides and manages well over 100 competitive events a year for its members, as well as many social and pleasure rides to encourage non-members. Endurance is now second to Show Jumping in the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) calendar. In 2008, 488 international events were held worldwide (8).
The Hurlingham Polo Association is the governing body for 100 affiliated polo clubs and associations in the UK and Ireland and also 25 overseas (9).
There are more than 40 breed societies in the UK.
The Equine Industry
Horseracing is a major industry in the UK. Racing is second only to football measured by revenue and spectator numbers (those either
paying to attend race meetings or watching the sport on television (10)).
The core racing industry sustains more than 18,800 full time equivalent jobs; with an estimated 52,000 full time equivalent betting operator jobs (11).
There are 60 racecourses in Britain. In 2008, 1,504 fixtures were programmed, providing more than 9,000 races. Total racecourse attendance in 2006 was just under 6m (5.86m).
There are around 9,500 active racehorse owners, and overall some 50,000 people are involved in racehorse ownership through various types of co-ownership. There are approximately 14,500 horses in training and more than 90,000 runners in a year (12).
The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) represents about 800 manufacturers, distributors and retailers of equestrian goods and services (for example, feed merchants, saddlers, hat manufacturers).
Walsall, in England, has the largest concentration of leather workers in northern Europe, led by the numbers of saddle and bridle makers who export to all parts of the world (13).
A third of all veterinary practices treat equine species (14).
There are about 2,500 registered farriers (15) and 442 apprentices. All working farriers in Great Britain (excluding the Highlands and Islands of Scotland) must be registered with the Farriers Registration Council. Numbers are growing, but there are still areas of the UK that have a shortage of farriers (16).
Since 2005, all UK horses and donkeys are obliged to have a unique passport. There are more than 70 authorised passport issuing bodies in the UK (17).
In 2008 there were 2,006 licensed riding schools, seven more than 2007 (18).
Unlike the rest of the European Union, in the UK, the horse is not considered to be an agricultural animal because we do not consider them to be a food animal.
In excess of 1.2million people attend the top ten shows hosting showjumping each year (19).
Burghley and Badminton eventing each attract an audience of more than 150,000 each year (20).
The majority of equestrians require access to off-road routes for their leisure and sport.
Shortages of places to go riding and/or lack of opportunity are identified as the deterrents for greater participation in equestrian leisure (BETA Survey 2006).
Of the 188,700 kilometres of Public Rights of Way in England (21) only 22 percent carry rights for horse riders. Carriage drivers can only use the five percent that are byways and restricted byways. Most of these paths do not link to form an off-road circuit.
Of the 33,000 kilometres of Public Rights of Way in Wales (22), only 21 percent carry rights for horse riders; carriage drivers can only use the six percent that are byways and restricted byways. Most of these paths do not link to form an off-road circuit.
Of the 153,246 hectares of land which have been made available for open access by walkers in England under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, only 0.24 hectares has also been made available to horse riders (23).
The proposed Marine and Coastal Access Bill does not provide any new statutory access rights for equestrians in England and Wales.
In Scotland, under the Land Reform Act 2003, horse riders and carriage drivers enjoy a statutory right of responsible access to most land and inland water, including to the coast and the foreshore.
In 2006, the number of officially recorded road accidents in which a person was injured and a horse was involved were: three fatal, 26 serious injuries, 95 slight injuries (24).
The number of equestrian road accidents voluntarily reported to the BHS in 2006 were: three riders killed and 22 injured, 19 horses killed and 32 injured (25).
80 percent of the road accidents involving horses which were reported to the BHS were on minor roads.
The BHS considers that road accidents are significantly under-reported.
Footnotes:
1 www.bef.co.uk/Downloads/TeamGBR_SponsorsPack.pdf
2 www.fei.org: FEI Annual report 2008
3 The Pony Club Year Book
4 www.rda.org.uk/about.aspx
5 www.britishdressage.co.uk/about_bd/about_dressage
6 www.bsja.co.uk/page/Facts-and-Figures
7 www.britisheventing.com/page.asp?section=0001000100290001§ionTitle=An+Overview
8 www.endurancegb.co.uk/html/sponsorship.html
9 www.hpa-polo.co.uk
10 www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/media
11 www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/media/publications_and_reports/Economic_Impact_of_British_Racing_2009.pdf
12 www.britishhorseracing.com/resources/media
13 www.walsall.gov.uk/index/leisure_and_culture/leathermuseum/history_of_leather.htm
14 www.rcvs.org.uk/files/4082637/FileName/RCVSFacts2009.pdf Fig 6
15 www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/document.asp?page=registeredfarriers
16 www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/
17 www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/id-move/horses/horsepassport.htm
18 Horse & Hound 19 March 2009 p12
19 www.bsja.co.uk/page/Facts-and-Figures
20 www.bef.co.uk
21 www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/access/prow/about.htm
22 www.ccw.gov.uk/enjoying-the-country/public-rights-of-way.aspx
23 Letter dated November 2008 from Dr Tim Hill, Director Regulatory Services and Access, Defra
24 Department for Transport 2009
25 www.bhs.org.uk