Tuesday, 03 March 2026
To mark the UK Government’s National Year of Reading and Go All In campaign, British Equestrian launched its new book club at the National Equine Show on 28 February – 1 March.
Visitors to the British Equestrian (BEF) stand were encouraged to add the title of their favourite equestrian book to a shelf, building up a library of literary recommendations for others to peruse. There was also the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win one of three £50 book tokens, simply by signing up for a free British Equestrian supporter membership.
Over 100 book nominations came forward over the two days with War Horse by Michael Morpurgo and Anna Sewell’s classic Black Beauty resounding favourites. Authors Clare Balding, Pippa Funnell and Norman Thelwell all had a number of titles represented.
Throughout this year, the British Equestrian Book Club will share regular reading challenges, discussion prompts, book recommendations and more on social media, all with the intention of highlighting the wide range of equestrian books – both fiction and non-fiction – available to potential readers of all ages.
“Many of us in the equestrian community, me included, found our first connection with horses between the pages of books,” said Winnie Murphy, BEF Head of Communications. “This campaign is designed to celebrate the benefits of reading and the important role that equestrian books still have in our industry. From informing and educating people about how best to care for and train their horses, to sharing incredible stories – both true and fictional – that spark an initial interest or deeper love for these wonderful animals. Reading – or listening – has such a positive impact on our well being and when you add horses to the mix, the benefits are multiplied.”
The Go All In campaign, developed by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with the Department for Education, aims to tackle the steep decline in reading in children, young people and adults by encouraging them to connect their literary habits with their passions. Designed to spark curiosity and drive behaviour change, the campaign focuses on reading for pleasure rather than duty and highlights the immediate rewards of reading, rather than the long-term benefits.