Description
The importance to the UK economy of horse businesses, and small riding schools in particular, is underestimated, as is their contribution to social renewal. A Christian perspective brings deeper respect for horses, and a duty to help them glorify God. The article ends with a theological section on the inclusion of animals in the parousia.
Riding – an important industry According to Defra, the UK’s equestrian industry’s gross output is worth approximately £4 billion a year and employs up to a quarter of a million people, either directly or indirectly. This compares favourably with the UK farming industry, a separate industry defined as food-producing, which contributed £5.8 billion to our economy in 2007 and employs over half a million people, in farming itself or in ancillary services.1
At the latest count, there were about four and a half million British riders and it has been estimated that there are now more horses in this country than there were in Victorian times. The ancillary services for horses include farriery (shoeing), equine medicine, saddlery, equine and human clothing, feed and bedding. Further, conserved grass is vital to get animals through the winter in a healthy state and provides welcome income to farmers who have the necessary machinery, whereas most horse owners do not.2 The industry is highly diverse. At the top there are large-scale and highly lucrative commercial activities such as racing and breeding. Next come yards for competition horses; large riding schools with 40 or 50 horses and livery yards3 for privately-owned horses ridden for recreation. The latter are often on the fringes of conurbations.
The bottom layer in size and probably income is comprised of small local riding schools, of which we are one. However, For most people, the riding school is their introduction to the horse industry. If this experience is good, a life-long involvement is born. If it is not, then a potential participant (and advocate) may be lost forever. Moreover, a significant proportion of riders do not own horses, and rely on riding schools to continue in equestrianism. Riding schools can offer a wide range of activities, not just teaching. Often hacking and/or livery are offered from the same premises: ‘riding centres’ could perhaps be a more accurate description, and be one that is more attractive to adults. All equestrians, and all parts of the horse industry, need to recognise and support the integral role of riding schools, as the bedrock of the industry, in creating and maintaining mass participation.
Reinforcing their role is a vital accompaniment to the other measures proposed in this chapter to help increase participation. The Henley Centre report found that riding schools are sidelined within the industry, to the detriment of social inclusion and potential sporting excellence. Riding schools offer everyone the chance to ride. They should be promoted as an asset for the local community, like sports clubs or leisure centres. They should act as a feeder into top sport, in the same way as, say, local gymnastics or athletics clubs. They can also be a focus for the entire local equestrian community and its activities, including equine education, welfare promotion and career
