Dressage: British Equestrian Asks - Just what do the Dressage public really want?

British Dressage is going places…medals galore, a vibrant membership from grass roots to the elite, loyal support, strong sponsor relations, world-class competitions, breeding programmes and a genuine feel-good factor. But who are our audience and what do they think of us?  Are we getting things right?  Could we do more?  Do we offer value for money in these difficult economic times?  How can we reach more grass roots competitors?  So many questions…but the Great British Dressage Survey 2011 will help find the answers.

Sport England’s Active People survey tells us in excess of 35,000 in Britain compete in Dressage.  Our 13,000 paid members equate to 37% of them but who are the remaining riders, why aren’t they members and how to reach them?   British Dressage launched a free Associate membership in  March 2010 and already there are now just under 13,000 members.   This will be one of the target areas for the survey as they have a strong interest in dressage but don’t compete in affiliated competition.  BD aims to find out what all these groups want from membership, competitions and training so that changes can be made.

British Dressage Chief Executive Amanda Bond commented; “Our associate membership has proved a popular initiative but we now need to learn more about them and what their needs are.  The management team at BD are currently reviewing all our membership packages and this Survey will help answer so many questions so that we then come up with suitable products.  We want dressage to be every rider’s first choice so it’s important to listen and provide what our audience needs.”

Win over £1250 worth of goodies with British Dressage

The Great British Dressage Survey is now live online and anyone with an interest in the sport is welcome to take part.  Supporters Dressage Deluxe and Cavallo have joined with British Dressage to provide a fantastic ‘Great British Kit Out’ prize for those who respond – a top-to-toe competition outfit, a year’s BD horse and rider membership and a VIP day out at the Dressage Deluxe National Championships in September.  The package is worth over £1250 so it’s well worth taking a few moments out to complete the survey.

British Dressage would love to hear from you – member or unaffiliated, owner or judge, sponsor or groom, volunteer or follower – visit http://surveys.customersmatter.co.uk/BD/bd2011.htm to take part today!

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Momentous Milestone for Horse Research

From the British Equestrian Federation:

The country’s first free source of research summaries available for the public to use has reached its first milestone, having just passed its 2,000th research upload.

Whilst research might sound like a dry subject, people within the horse world may often have asked themselves whether anyone has ever looked into how much exercise a horse needs to reduce the risks of laminitis, or the effects of rein tension on the bit position in a horse’s mouth. Within the 2,000 research summaries (abstracts) on the British Equestrian Federation’s Researching Equines Database (BEFRED, www.befred.org), you can find the indicators.

The research featured on BEFRED ranges from work carried out by undergraduates to full-blown PhDs and the status attained by each research project (in terms of whether it has been reviewed by independent authorities or not) is always made clear.

Whether your interest lies in horse anatomy, health, breeding, tack or nutrition, you will almost certainly find some related research on BEFRED. This could steer you in your next direction when you are looking to gather information on pretty much anything to do with the horse world.
The British Equestrian Federation (www.bef.co.uk) is the National Governing Body for horse sports in the UK. BEF has funded the development of BEFRED (www.befred.org) from its inception as the former World Undergraduate Equine Research Database in 1999 by Prof Graham Suggett and Arne Suggett, with the strong support of Prof Pat Harris.

BEFRED’s continued development is managed by the BEF and overseen by the BEF’s Research Consultant Dr Georgina Crossman.

Research abstracts have been uploaded by over 45 research establishments and journals and the number currently sits at 2,053. The full research papers supporting the abstracts can be obtained, often at no charge, by following the links on BEFRED.

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British Equestrian Federation: BEF Announces Changes to the National Equine Anti Doping and Controlled Medication Rules

8th March 2011

The British Equestrian Federation has today announced a new set of National Equine Anti Doping and Controlled Medication rules (BEFAR).