Equine businesses include:

  • Riding schools
  • Livery yards
  • Training yards
  • Breeding services
  • Equine welfare charities
  • Trekking
  • Breaking/ schooling
  • Competition yards
  • Horse sales
 

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The Equine Industry

Anything to do with horses, ponies and donkeys.

Equine Facts

  • Over £4 billion is spent on equestrianism every year
  • 720,000 people own horses in the UK
  • Over half of equine businesses employ less than 5 members of staff
  • It costs as much to buy a horse as it does to keep it for a year
  • The industry is dominated by women - about 70% of total employment
  • In 2008, over 341,700 people participated in equestrianism every week

Did you know?

  • Racing is the country’s second biggest sports after football.  In 2008 £3.4 billion was generated through horse racing.
  • Equestrianism is one of Great Britain’s top five Olympic and Paralympic Sports, and one of the few sports where men and women compete on equal terms.
  • The National Equine Database, launched in 2008, is a database of all horses that anyone can access online.
  • The way everyone in the industry works has changed following new laws on domestic and captive animals – the Animal Welfare Act and the Animal Welfare Act Scotland. It demands the workforce to keep up-to-date with legislation so our welfare standards remain something to be proud of.

 

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On-the-Job Training

Learn more about apprenticeships in England, Northern Ireland,Wales and Scotland and how they can help you and your business grow.