BETA'S Structure

How is BETA Organised

Our president is the Rt. Hon. Sir Adam Butler DL, a former Conservative MP and Minister and President of the British Horse Society, Chairman of the BHS Horse and Pony Taxation Committee. He is actively involved in equestrian affairs. 

The British Equestrian Trade Association Ltd is a company limited by guarantee. It is run by a Council who are elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting. The Council comprises a Chairman (Peter Lewis, Pointings Saddlery), Vice Chairman (David Stuart-Monteith, Belstane Marketing), Treasurer (Roy Aspinall, Finest Brands International) and up to twenty council members, a maximum of six of whom may come from any one line of business - ie. clothing or saddlery etc. A full list of Council members is given in the members area of this website. Also there members will find a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association for BETA.

The Council oversees a number of sub-committees:

Retail - The responsibilities of this committee include any items relating to retail members other than those discussed by the full Council. It puts forward ideas to the Council on behalf of retailers and with the Secretariat puts together the retail training programme for members. 
Public Relations - Consisting of representatives from Trade and Retail members, this committee is responsible for the promotion of BETA to the Trade (members and non-members) and Consumer audiences. It decides how best to promote the BETA brand to raise awareness of the work the Association does on behalf of its members, and of the value of membership itself to the industry.
Feed - Set up to deal with all matters affecting the equine feed industry including ethics, labeling, European legislation changes and training. It has been the driving force behind the development of an industry code of practice for the marketing and promotion of equine feed. It has representatives from retail, wholesale and manufacturers of compound, complementary and herbal feeding stuffs. 
Medicines' Act - This committee deals purely with items relating to the Medicines' Act. It is responsible for the running of the Training Courses under the guidance of the Council and was the driving force behind getting 'wormers' back onto saddlery retail shelves. 
Trade Fairs - This Committee is responsible for the management of the BETA International Fair through the organiser and EMC Ltd. 
Finance & General Purpose - Comprises the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of BETA, and the remaining sub-committee chairmen plus co-options as required. 

BETA is based near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, in the North of England and is managed by the Secretariat consisting of the Secretary, Claire Williams, appointed in April 2000. 

BETA also owns Equestrian Management Consultants Ltd (EMC), acquired in 1997 as its commercial arm and controlled by its Board of Directors, all of whom are members of BETA. EMC publishes the 'Equestrian Trade News', the 'British Equestrian Directory' and operates databases and mailing services as well as organising and running the BETA International Trade Fair annually.