Equestrians admit to cutting back on their own food and heating to make sure horses are cared for

More than 1,400 people took part in the surveys which asked respondents how much prices are increasing for them and the impact this is having on livery yard businesses and their clients.

Around 44 per cent of people said they had made personal sacrifices to make sure their horses are cared for as further questions were posed about livery fees.

The survey found at one end of the scale that, as yet, just under 40 per cent of people have not experienced a recent increase in livery yard fees. However, livery has gone up by £30 or more per month for a fifth of those with horses at livery. The remaining 40 per cent have experienced increases of between £5 and £30 per month.

Some of the cut backs people are being forced into include turning their heating at home down, trying to reduce supermarket bills and cutting back on socialising.

In terms of horse health, many people are turning to less frequent physiotherapy appointments, leaving longer gaps between shoeing / trimming and some are cutting back on saddle-fitting professionals.

Although fewer people said they would delay their equine dentist appointments, one person said: “We are cutting back on physio appointments as my pony isn’t in a lot of work at the moment. In my opinion, these are less important than routine veterinary and dental appointments.”

SEIB’s Social Media Executive, Georgina Dewar warned that in the short term using less heating and food and meeting people may have some financial benefits – the long term impact could be on mental health.

Jim Eyre, Chief Executive, British Equestrian, the national governing body of equestrian sport in Britain, added: “There’s little doubt that all of us are feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis as we search for ways to save money where possible. For horse owners, this comes with added concerns around equine welfare as owners have to make difficult decisions, often without all the detail to make informed decisions. We would encourage every owner to carefully consider the lasting impact of any decisions and that you do your research fully ahead of making any changes.”

Livery yard owners said they were reluctant to increase fees as they know clients are struggling to afford them, despite costs for running livery businesses increasing when it comes to electricity, bedding and feed for example.

One in five yard owners have not yet increased their livery yard fees although many plan to do so. Although one respondent said: “The market won’t accept the type of price increases that yards need to apply in order to stay profitable. It’s such a worry for the whole industry as those on low to medium income will be priced out of the industry and it will become elitist.”

Of those that have increased prices, 71 per cent say feed, bedding and straw prices are a reason, 69 per cent say that energy price rises have contributed and 48 per cent cited yard repairs and maintenance while more than 76 per cent of livery yard managers say they are delaying improvement and maintenance work due to the cost of materials.

The survey also found that inflation and cost-of living crises are taking their toll on the work / life balance and the mental health of yard owners. It says that half of yard owners have reduced their staff hours and taken on more tasks themselves to cope financially, although this number fell to just under one in five for those that have had to let staff go altogether.

SEIB’s Chief Executive Officer, Suzy Middleton said: “Having found out where the key issues are for livery yard owners and customers regarding increasing costs, we are keen to get this out in the open to begin debate about these big issues.

"Livery yards are such a big part of the equine industry, they make horse ownership accessible to so many people that otherwise wouldn’t be in a position to have a horse of their own. At SEIB we are determined to do our best to support increasing accessibility to equestrianism.”

“Our team have close relationships with other equestrian businesses and we are working with these companies to see if we can offer our customers ways to benefit from savings on feed, bedding and supplements as we approach the, always costly, winter months.”