News

Horses for All: Building momentum for a more inclusive community

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

British Equestrian has today published its latest Horses for All update which highlights significant progress made across the federation in creating a more inclusive, welcoming and accessible equestrian community throughout 2025.

First launched in December 2023, the Horses for All strategy sets out a long-term commitment to creating a more inclusive and accessible community, giving people from all backgrounds the opportunity to participate and feel valued. From the strategy, British Equestrian developed the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), which launched in September 2024 and details the four-year ‘roadmap’ to bring the vision and mission to life.

This latest report celebrates the collective work of British Equestrian and its member bodies over the past 12 months, demonstrating how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is being effectively embedded across a number of areas in the equestrian sector.

A year of progress and impact

Key achievements highlighted in the report include:

• The introduction of a new federation-wide rulebook with strengthened anti-discrimination policies.
• Continued rollout of the Safe to Play safeguarding platform along with an easy-to-use ‘report a concern’ function.
• Federation-wide EDI training and workforce development, equipping staff, volunteers and member bodies with the knowledge and tools to create more inclusive environments.
• Improved diversity data collection of federation staff to better understand and measure progress.
• The development and launch of a series of bite-sized inclusive animations to support learning and awareness for all equestrians.
• Collaborative community initiatives opening equestrian opportunities to a wider audience.

The wider value of equestrianism

The lived examples detailed in the update reinforce the broader societal impact of the sector, with research showing that equestrianism contributes £1.2 billion in annual social value.

Through Horses for All, British Equestrian is committed to ensuring more people can benefit from this impact, including improved physical and mental wellbeing, and stronger social connection and personal development.

British Equestrian along with its member bodies are continuing to collaborate on projects which work to break down barriers and open up equestrian opportunities to new audiences. Projects such as the Active Madrassah partnership with The Pony Club have introduced young people from culturally diverse communities to horses for the first time, while programmes delivered with Sport in Mind have supported individuals experiencing mental health challenges through equestrian activity.  

Looking ahead

While the report recognises strong progress, it also highlights the continued effort needed to embed inclusion across the sport. British Equestrian and its dedicated member bodies will continue to work towards delivering the objectives set out by the DIAP, at the halfway point of the four-year plan.

Rebecca Gibson, Head of Development and Inclusion at British Equestrian, commented, “It’s important that anyone can be inspired and benefit from the incredible power of horses, and our whole federation is committed to this. We’re proud to celebrate progress made so far in continuing to break down barriers and create an experience based on inclusion but we know there is more to be done.”

With EDI positioned as a ‘golden thread’ running through the British Equestrian strategy, the organisation remains focused on creating meaningful, lasting change.

See the full Horses for All 2025 report:

Horses For All progress 2025