News

Partnership in practice: Collaboration to make horses for all

Thursday, 06 November 2025

A collaborative project between British Equestrian, The Pony Club and Together an Active Future has opened the doors of equestrianism to a new community.

Why reach out?

Through our recent social value of equestrianism research, the immense benefits participation in equestrian activity brings to communities and individuals can be clearly seen, including improved mental and physical wellbeing, social connection and self-development, through the wide variety of activities on offer both on- and off-the-horse.

A better understanding of the impact of equestrian activity provides us with the opportunity to reach out to new audiences. Through ongoing and new community projects, more people can be introduced and experience the benefits of equestrian activities. Collaboration is a key component to make these projects happen.

The project

British Equestrian is supporting a progressive initiative in partnership with The Pony Club, which will help more young people experience the joy of horses.

In collaboration with Active Madrassah, a workstream of Together an Active Future, The Pony Club has spent the past year working with children from Madrassahs (Islamic educational settings) to introduce them to horse care, riding and equestrian life. Equestrianism is one of the five Sunnah Sports encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), alongside grappling, archery, swimming and running.

The project encourages participants to embrace an active lifestyle through a range of sports that are both physically engaging and religiously relevant in Madrassah settings. During a week in early summer, young people were able to put their learning into practice with hands-on experiences at Eccleston Equestrian Centre in Leyland, Lancashire, who did a brilliant job hosting a number of Madrassah schools.

Activities on the day included:

• pony riding
• pony care
• a pony learning zone
• equipment safety
• archery
• unmounted games.

Every activity was fully embraced, particularly any chance getting to know the horses at the centre, with their confidence and love for their new equine friends growing with every interaction. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and school leaders reported a real sense of excitement and progress among the groups.

“Working with the Active Madrassah network means we can get young people from culturally diverse communities their first introduction into riding, and we really then give them that opportunity to go on and do more with that,” commented Bronte Wadge-Dale, Lead Community and Outreach Officer at The Pony Club.

“The collaboration of all the different organisations coming together has significantly helped the project to develop,” added Sumaiyah Solkur, Active Madrassah Lead at Together an Active Future. “It shows a very strong relationship of all the organisations working together, us trusting each other to making things happen, and for it to be very fruitful and very, very successful.”

Thanks to the alliances formed, this forward-looking project creates lasting pathways for participants to stay involved in the equestrian world. The partnerships ensure that networks are built, connections are maintained, and opportunities continue long after the project ends.

Tasneem Memi, Events Coordinator at Imam Muhammad Zakaria in Preston, said, “It encourages them to get more active; it encourages them to do things they wouldn’t normally do, even for the parents, just to give them an insight into what is out there for them – what opportunities are available.”

Where can we go from here?

Adam Hughes, Strategic Lead for Relationships at British Equestrian, reflected, “This project is a great demonstration of how a couple of small conversations between organisations can become a project with major impact. From introducing the two organisations to where this project is now proves the incredible power of collaboration, not just within the equestrian sector, but across the wider sporting and wellbeing landscape.”

This initiative is just one demonstration of the power of collaboration in breaking down barriers and opening up our community to allow so many more people to experience the incredible benefits of equestrian activity.

"Through further collaboration efforts such as this, we can continue working together to ensure horses are for all,” he said.

Images and video: Media Village