Strategy for the Horse Industry in England and Wales 9487 Horse Strategy Covers 4Th 10/11/05 9:57 Am Page 3
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9487 Horse Strategy Covers 4th 8/11/05 9:47 am Page 1 Strategy for the Horse Industry in England and Wales 9487 Horse Strategy Covers 4th 10/11/05 9:57 am Page 3 Front Cover of the Strategy for the Horse Industry in England – Photograph descriptions 1. Thoroughbred mare and foal 2. Horse being lunged in an 3. Exmoor ponies – grazing – Thoroughbreds outdoor arena – The An endangered native have been bred here for over estimated value of riding species, used here to aid 300 years and 5,000 lessons is £500 million conservation in water thoroughbred foals are annually. meadows. produced yearly. There is also an important section of the breeding industry devoted to producing Sport Horses. 4. Horse racing – Over five 5. Riders enjoying open 6. Great Britain’s Olympic million people visit the 59 countryside – 2.4 million Eventing team won Silver in racecourses in Great Britain people ride, and many more Athens in 2004 – the each year. have an interest in horses, Olympics and the reflecting the industry’s Paralympics form the peak growth potential. of equestrian sport. 7. Equestrian businesses – 8. Agroup of disabled young 9. Shoeing a horse – Farriers The horse industry’s gross riders practise a drive to are one of the many output is estimated at £3.4 music – Horses can provide professional services forming billion and includes valuable therapy and part of the horse industry. equestrian businesses such learning opportunities for Other services include as tack/feed shops, livery young people and adults specialist vets, saddlers and yards and riding schools, alike. many more. amongst others. 1. © Thoroughbred Breeders Association 2. © Defra Photo Library 3. © Defra Photo Library 4. © British Horseracing Board 5. © Defra Photo Library 6. © British Equestrian Federation 7. © British Equestrian Trade Association 8. © Defra Photo Library 9. © Defra Photo Library Strategy for the Horse Industry in England and Wales Prepared by the British Horse Industry Confederation in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the Department for Culture, Media and Sport the Welsh Assembly Government December 2005 British Horse Industry Confederation Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Nobel House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR Telephone 020 7238 6000 Website: www.defra.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2005 Copyright in the typographical arrangement and design rests with the Crown. This publication (excluding the logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright with the title and source of the publication specified. Further copies of this publication are available from: Defra Publications Admail 6000 London SW1A 2XX Tel: 08459 556000 This document is also available on the Defra website: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/horses Published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Printed in the UK, December 2005, on material containing 80% post-consumer waste and 20% Elemental Chlorine Free pulp. Product code PB 11323 2 Contents Page Ministerial foreword 6 Industry foreword 8 Executive summary 10 Introduction 18 • The purpose of this Strategy • Vision for the Horse Industry • The nature of the Horse Industry • The extent of the industry • Equine Health and Welfare • The importance of the industry • The future of the industry • The preparation of this Strategy • Strategic aims Strategic aims and objectives 1. Bring the Horse Industry together and develop its 26 national, regional and local impact a) Bring the industry together nationally b) Develop the industry’s regional and local influence 2. Increase participation in equestrianism and the social 32 contribution of the Horse Industry a) Increase participation in equestrianism b) Work with Government to develop the social, educational and health benefits of association with horses 3. Boost the economic performance of equestrian 42 businesses a) Raise standards of business performance b) Encourage co-operation to improve business opportunities c) Ensure strong links with Development Agencies d) Ensure a level fiscal and regulatory playing field e) Reach an industry view on the status of the horse 3 f) Address problems associated with insurance & health and safety risk management g) Enhance the value of equestrian goods and services h) Increase equestrian tourism 4. Raise equestrian skills, training and standards 58 a) Attract and retain staff b) Provide an environment in which people wish to build a career c) Identify skill levels and training needs d) Improve opportunities for work- and college-based learning 5. Increase access to off-road riding and carriage driving 63 a) Ensure a joined up and well-maintained network of public rights of way b) Increase provision of other off-road equestrian routes and of areas with equestrian open access c) Continue safety education for motorists, riders and carriage drivers d) Ensure urban and suburban riding and carriage driving is promoted and improved 6. Consider the environmental impact of the horse 77 a) Improve standards of land management b) Encourage correct and safe manure storage and disposal c) Encourage the use of horses in conservation grazing projects which support wildlife and pasture biodiversity 7. Encourage sporting excellence 85 a) Extend coaching development programme b) Improve the standard of facilities c) Extend long-term athlete and equine development programmes d) Encourage unaffiliated bodies to engage 8. Improve the quality and breeding of horses and 89 ponies a) Establish lead bodies to assist in the improvement of the quality of horses and ponies b) Capitalise on National Equine Database to improve breeding c) Raise standards in studs d) Balance genetic improvement with genetic diversity e) Conservation of native and indigenous horses and ponies 4 Resources, Monitoring and Implementation 99 Annex A : Government departments’ Public Service Agreement 100 aims and objectives 5 Ministerial Foreword Government recognise the major contribution which the horse industry makes to the economy, and the important role that horses play in the lives of so many people in both the cities and rural areas across England and Wales. Moreover, Government shares with the British Horse Industry Confederation a strong conviction that the industry has the potential to develop further and to contribute even more. This Strategy is aimed at unlocking that potential. Over the past four years, the relationship between the industry and Government has developed markedly, and a real working partnership has emerged. The publication of this Strategy is a landmark in this partnership, and recognition of the value and potential of all horse-related activities. We were delighted with the constructive responses to the consultation on the draft Strategy, and the document has evolved significantly as a result. The Strategy provides an exciting and demanding challenge, and we recognise the groundwork done by the British Horse Industry Confederation and others in recent years to enable the industry to meet that challenge. The Strategy now includes more information about how the industry can contribute towards achieving national priorities, such as economic growth, community development, education, sport, health, rural regeneration, environmental protection and social inclusion and how Government can help them improve their performance. The Strategy is not, however, set in stone, and Government will continue to look for further ways in which it can work with the industry to achieve common objectives, for example in relation to improving access for riders to safe, off-road routes and widening participation. We also want to encourage the industry to look ahead to make the most of opportunities available to them, such as the London Olympics in 2012. This Strategy does not stand alone. It sits beside the Health and Welfare Strategy for the Horse, Pony and Donkey which is also being developed in cooperation with the horse industry, and supports existing work such as the horse passport scheme and the establishment of the National Equine Database, into which Government has already invested large sums of public money. The horse industry encompasses a remarkably broad range of activities and businesses, all of which rest in one way or another on the horse and draw on the passionate enthusiasm it arouses. The implementation of the Strategy will require the harnessing of this enthusiasm, and the continued, positive efforts of everyone interested in horses or engaged in horse-related business. For this Strategy to succeed, it is vital that the good work that has gone into developing this Strategy continues and does not lose momentum. We, therefore, urge everybody concerned with horses and equestrianism to read this Strategy and pledge their support, so that we can move forward in unison to deliver the vision it sets out of a strong, vibrant and sustainable future. 6 Jim Knight MP Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality and Minister for the Horse Industry Richard Caborn MP Minister for Sport and Tourism Carwyn Jones AM Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside Welsh Assembly Government 7 Industry Foreword Given the large number of people who ride horses or drive carriages, the larger number who work in horse-related businesses and the still larger number who have an interest in horses which stops short of active participation, some might imagine that the horse industry constitutes one of the most influential pressure groups in England and Wales today. They might also imagine that this multi-billion pound industry would be well able to co-ordinate its efforts, improve its economic efficiency and easily persuade new people into the sport. Unfortunately they would be wrong in both their imaginings. As a community we have too long been punching beneath our weight and have lacked either the will or the wit to capitalise on the strength which comes from effective and wholehearted co- operation. But this Strategy has the capacity to mark a very important turning point in the fortunes of the horse industry in England and Wales.