Planning the Future of my Riding School

Interactive Workshop at Wellington Riding on Monday 13 May 2024

Join other riding stable owners for this interactive workshop that will help you:

  • Think about what your Riding School does and could offer
  • Consider whether you have the right legal structure to deliver riding services
  • Discuss how you can generate additional income from new services

At the end of the workshop, you should understand benefits and disbenefits of the many legal structures, including those for personal benefit and/or social benefit.  We will discuss Community Interest Companies and how you can run these alongside your existing organisation.  Using our speakers personal experience, you will hear how they have generated additional income through equine assisted services of various types.

By the end of the day, we will try to leave you with food for thought, an action plan and new contacts who are happy to share their knowledge with you and offer advice based on hard won experience.

Supporting the event will be:

  • George Baber – Director of Operations and Approvals at the ABRS+
  • Emily Walters – Hope Meadow CIC
  • Sam Humphries – SAFE Equestrian CIC
  • James Dwyer – GUL Outdoor Therapies

Finally, the workshop is open to all riding schools – regardless of your affiliation.  In this hugely challenging economic environment, we want all riding schools to be successful and be the best that they can be.  Please do join us and share your issues and successes.

 

Equine Carbon Calculator launched to Inspire Environmental Action

Click here to find out your yard’s Carbon Footprint

 

A consortium of equine organisations is rallying the industry to play a leading role in addressing the climate crisis and shaping a better future, with the launch of the first nationwide equine carbon calculator.

Pioneered by equine environmental sustainability specialists White Griffin and the Farm Carbon Toolkit, in partnership with Derby College Group, Hartpury University and Sparsholt Group, the calculator has been developed to empower equine businesses and horse owners to better understand their environmental impact and take meaningful steps to mitigate it.

The free-to-use tool – accessible here – also identifies opportunities for businesses to minimise their energy costs and maximise their potential to regenerate the countryside.

While carbon footprint tools are prevalent in the agricultural sector and play a pivotal role in government carbon reduction targets, no such tools have been available at scale for equine premises until now.

Without insights into the scale of the challenges and opportunities, the equine industry is hindered in setting meaningful targets. The equine carbon calculator seeks to bridge this gap, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions for a sustainable future.

Director of White Griffin, Ruth Dancer said: “The equine community holds a deep connection to the natural world, so we have a unique opportunity to safeguard it for future generations. By implementing the equine carbon calculator, we can better understand our emissions and find innovative ways to reduce them, saving money and paving the way for a better future.”

The launch of the carbon calculator marks the beginning of a comprehensive campaign to  educate and inspire the equine industry on environmental sustainability. This initiative will be complemented by a suite of resources set to launch in autumn, offering support to stakeholders across the horse racing and equestrian sectors.

It follows a broader industry shift toward a more sustainable future for equestrians and horse racing, underscored by the tangible impacts of climate change on the industry. Following the hottest year on record in 2023 coupled with significant flooding, the UK equine industry suffered multiple cancellations across the full spectrum of events, highlighting the urgency of addressing these challenges. 

White Griffin’s previous reports for the British Horse Racing Authority and the British Equestrian Federation, have laid strong foundations for these sustainability initiatives, emphasising the need for tools and resources to support businesses in their sustainability efforts.

Farm Carbon Toolkit project lead Lizzy Parker said: “After years of supporting agricultural farms with reducing their environmental impact through a clear and easy-to-use tool, we know how important measuring to monitor is. Our calculator allows equine businesses to properly understand their carbon footprint and make the necessary changes to reduce their emissions.” 

The equine carbon calculator is the result of a collaborative effort among academic institutions committed to driving real change in the industry.

The project began when Assistant Principal of Derby College Group, Jon Collins, began work on their own carbon footprint and discovered that while the tool had everything they needed to understand the farm’s footprint, they struggled to use it for their equine yard.

Speaking with Sparsholt College Group and Hartpury University, Collins discovered that both organisations were also seeking to develop a tool to support their equine students and businesses and therefore a collaboration was formed in order to pool resources. 

Collins said: “I chose Farm Carbon Toolkit to develop the resource because I found their tool to be easiest to use and provided the best user experience. Understanding the busy lives of equine business owners, we knew that we had to develop something that was clear, useful and also provided invaluable insight and comparisons with other equine businesses. We are proud to be delivering this with the support of Landex and will be rolling the tool out to all students, organisations and interested individuals who are seeking to make a difference in their day-to-day lives to the environment we all depend on.”

Project lead for Hartpury University, Rachel Collins, said: “We’re passionate about sustainability at Hartpury and have worked with both White Griffin and Farm Carbon Toolkit to deliver the most up-to-date training and knowledge to our students on equine sustainability. This tool represents an important step in our commitment to drive the industry forward towards a sustainable future. We are proud to be part of this collaboration, leveraging our expertise to empower stakeholders and effect meaningful change.”

Mark Treagust, Vice Principal of Sparsholt College Group said: “Collaboration within the equine sector is vital to address our industry’s greatest risk – the climate crisis. Leveraging our collective wealth of knowledge in land management and equine welfare, we must support businesses in making impactful changes. This tool initiates a large-scale process for thousands of individuals all over the country. By uniting as academic institutions and utilising the Landex network, we can effect real, much needed change.”

Member Renewals

Personalised plaques for early renewals

Renewals are very much underway now.  Please remember to complete your renewal form (link on the invoice).

An extra bonus for our members who renew before the end of April will be a special ABRS+ plaque with their centre’s name.

If you would like to become a member click here for more information and to access all of the benefits of membership.

New Rosette Awards!

We have expanded our rosette award range.

We have 11 new awards to add to the very popular existing rosettes.

Pop along to the member’s area to find out what they are and what your clients need to do to achieve the awards.

These will be available from mid/late March but it is advisable to pre-order so we know how many to stock.  Sadly, the rosette prices will increase on 1 March (first time in over 10 years!), so get your orders in now at the current price.

 

 

We also have a whole new range for client’s first introduction to ponies:  My First Time

Details are in the member’s area but we don’t have any photos yet as they are still being made.

 

And don’t forget to ask for your pack of FREE children’s gloves when you order (whilst stocks last).

  • Become an ABRS+ Approved Riding Establishment

    Applicable to all licenced equestrian premises, by becoming an ABRS+ approved riding school, trekking centre or equestrian centre allows your clients to be satisfied that you offer the highest standards of instruction, and that the equines receive a high level of care. Being ABRS+ approved has many benefits for your riding establishment including membership of the EEA and professional development.

    Find out more

  • Become an ABRS+ Certified or Approved Livery Yard

    Becoming a certified or approved livery yard allows your clients to be satisfied that you offer the highest standards of care and welfare to your clients equines, that you meet best practice industry recommendations for the services you provide, and can help develop and promote your yard and vacancies through partnerships with the EEA and LiveryList, plus a whole host of other benefits.

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  • Find an ABRS+ Certified or Approved Establishment

    Click the button below to use our interactive member search to find a certified or approved establishment in your area.

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  • Why Choose an ABRS+ Establishment?

    By choosing an ABRS+ approved riding school, or certified or approved livery yard you can have confidence of a high level of care and welfare, as well as a professional client experience enabling you to develop your own experience, knowledge and enjoyment of equines.

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  • ABRS+ Members Area

    ABRS+ members have access to a wide range of information, support and resources to help manage and develop all aspects of their equestrian premises. These can all be found in the dedicated member area where you can also find full details of all member benefits as well as other member information.

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