Overview of the National Equestrian Survey

Equestrianism is an important activity which attracts a large and diverse number of riders and horses. With a total spend of over £2 billion per annum, equestrianism is the second largest spender in the British countryside. It can though be a difficult activity to measure accurately due to its very complexity. 

Contributing to this complexity are factors such as:

• The relatively small proportion (4%) of the population who actively ride. Many of those who do, do so irregularly and often do not own the horse they ride.
• The widely spread nature of riders both geographically and demographically. This means not only are riders scattered across the whole of the country, but vary widely in age, sex and lifestyles. 
• The fact that riders greatly outnumber horses. Many ride but do not own their own horse, while others own but do not ride. Others ride and own a number of horses. 
• The multitude of uses for which horses are kept. Some are trained to compete across several disciplines and to differing levels ( point to point, hunting and eventing), others are kept solely for one purpose , whether this be breeding, hunting, or riding school use. Others are kept to ride for pleasure only.
• The different ways and forms in which horses are kept. Some are kept in livery yards on behalf of their owners, some are owned for teaching others are kept at home. Many 'professional' establishments also fulfil multiple functions, eg. being riding schools, livery yards, breeders and trainers, all at the same time. 

Scope of the Survey

Two main sectors are examines in the survey 

• members of the public who ride and/or own horses 
• the professional sector

Amongst members of the public a difference was drawn between horse riders and horse owners, though many fell into both categories. Riders were asked not only about their riding habits, but about their expenditure on riding, (lessons, clothing, tack etc.) and their readership of equestrian publications. 
Owners were asked about the horses they owned, particularly on the related expenditure. 

Professionals (including riding stablesm breeders and trainers) were asked about 

• - the characteristics of their business ( numbers of horses owned, looked after and uses to which they were put)
•  the expenditure on those horses
• the general running costs of the business
• how satisfied they were with the quality of service provided by their suppliers.

Key Findings

• A £2.5 billion industry.
• Number of horses and ponies up since 1995 to approximately 900 000.
• Over 2 million riders, of which about a third are under 15 years of age.
• Riding lessons worth over £500 million.
• Time is the great enemy both for riders and non-riders.
• Hunting was the third most important reason for keeping a horse, with leisure riding by far the most important reason.
• Based on the average cost of horses, it costs as much to buy a horse as to keep it for a year. 
  
  
  For further information or to place an order, please contact:
  Claire Williams at BETA by email or click here for full details.

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With 900 000 horses and 2.4 million riders in Great Britain equestrianism is the second largest economic activity in the countryside.