Associations hope for boost in equestrianism
Following Britain's success at the Olympic Games and with the Paralympics just around the corner, equestrian federations are hopeful that the sport's exposure will see a boost in popularity for equestrianism.
The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) is working closely with riding schools across the country to encourage lapsed riders to 'take back the reins', or new riders to take up the sport.
The BEF are hopeful that following "the most spectacular sporting event this country has ever seen", many more people will be keen to involve themselves with horses.
Ben Maher, who won Gold as part of the British showjumping team, said: “Let’s hope that the success of Britain’s team at London 2012 will give a major boost to equestrianism in the country. Hopefully a lot of children and adults can maybe aspire to what we've achieved and get involved.
"You don't necessarily have to have your own horses, you don't even have to ride, you can do it at any level - you can work with the horses, you can work on them, there's a number of different ways to get involved”.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
