MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY HORSE

The equine industry is more than four times bigger than official statistics previously estimated, according to new research by Lantra Sector Skills Council. More than 400 equine employers participated in the extensive research from Lantra in 2010, which was dedicated to understanding more about the UK equine industry and what drives the people who work with horses. In addition to the employer interviews, the research also involved employer focus groups across the UK and an online employee survey. Amy Cosgrove, Lantra’s Equine Manager, said, “This research was designed to provide a more realistic view of the size and scope of the equine industry which is so often underestimated. The problem has been that many people outside of the equine world think that working with horses is more of a hobby so it is really important that we identify how vital this industry is to the UK economy. “Before this research, official statistics identified 3,450 UK equine businesses employing 20,700 employees but that doesn’t sound like much. If you ask a member of this industry they might agree that these numbers sound much too low.” An extensive count of UK-wide businesses, as a part of this research, using the National Business Database and links to trade associations identified more than 19,000 UK equine businesses, a staggering 450% increase over previous estimates. And according to these new figures, this substantial industry is actually supported by 41,000 equine workers, a 98% increase over the previous statistics. Amy continued, “These updated figures are more accurate, but many equine businesses are not registered with industry associations, operating ‘under the radar’. These smaller businesses are very hard to identify, so they might not be included in the official count, so the industry is likely larger than we estimate.” Results showed that equine businesses feel recent economic problems are the biggest threat to business success. Despite this concern, this research shows that this robust industry had positive growth last year, even if only by 2%, during a time when many industries were struggling to survive. And while many of the land-based industries are struggling with large portions of staff retiring, this research shows the equine industry has a much younger workforce, with 57% being under 35 years of age. When it comes to staff training, almost 98% of businesses feel their employees have the right skills to do their job efficiently, and half of equine employees had some sort of formal training last year. Despite this proactive training, research shows that many employees need further training to progress in their jobs, so continued professional development, or CPD, is important to equine employees and businesses. One negative impact of the recession is horse owners turning to unofficial livery yards who may not be paying business rates or liability insurance. This may be a cheaper alternative but these businesses may not have fully skilled staff to properly attend to the health and welfare needs of the animals. It can also have a negative impact on legitimate business as they then have to compete against these yards. Amy concluded, “There are many opportunities working in this field if you are passionate about working with horses: 12% of businesses are actively looking to fill vacancies. But know that this is a really hard yet fulfilling career, and the proper training will make sure you are fully prepared to get the most from it.” To view this research report visit www.lantra.co.uk/research or to learn more about the equine industry visit www.lantra.co.uk/equine. ENDS ISSUED BY: For further information please contact the LANTRA PRESS OFFICE Samuel Zelmer-Jackson, Marketing Administrator Tel: 02476 858 411 or e-mail samuel.zelmer-jackson@lantra.co.uk EDITORS NOTES: Further information from equine research: • Evidence from focus groups and industry representatives suggest that the new figures for the size of the industry are still low. As the equine industry is very diverse, a large number of businesses are ‘hidden’ (i.e. not counted in any national data sources) and this should be recognised when quoting Lantra’s business and employment figures. For validity reasons, only reliable and robust sources were used to give these estimates. • The equine industry employs a slightly younger workforce than that of the land-based and environmental sector as a whole. Nearly six in ten workers are under the age of 34, compared to three in ten across the sector. • At the UK equine level, females account for 70% of total employment with males accounting for 30% of total employment. • Around a quarter of employers reported that when looking for new recruits they found problems identifying people with the right skills and/or experience. • Skill gaps are low within the UK equine workforce; 98% of businesses reported that their current staff had the skills required to perform in their role. • Over two-thirds of the vacancies reported are rated by UK equine employers as hard to fill (71.2%). • Around 48% of businesses that provided training in the previous 12 months would have liked to have provided more; this compares with only 29% of those businesses that did not provide any training at all. • Businesses reported that a lack of funds or the training was considered to be too expensive was the barrier preventing them from arranging more training. • One-third of employees (33%) had a written contract of employment, 3% did not know if they had and 64% did not. • Approximately 19% of employees said they had an annual performance review, 74% said they did not and 8% did not know. This is a challenge within the industry that needs to be addressed. About Lantra: • Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the land-based and environmental sector is licensed by the UK government to drive forward the new skills, training and business development agenda for the sector. • Lantra represents 17 industries: agricultural crops; agricultural livestock; animal care; animal technology; aquaculture; environmental conservation; equine; farriery; fencing; fisheries management; floristry; game and wildlife management; land-based engineering; horticulture, landscape and sports turf; production horticulture; trees and timber and veterinary nursing. For more information see www.lantra.co.uk

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