Equine industry

Use our industry guide to find key background information, market research, import and export guidelines, statistics, legislation, trade bodies and trade publications.

The Business & Industry Guides series is produced by the Library & Information Service for ICAEW members and ACA students.

We can compile tailored key players reports, mailing lists, market reports, benchmarking reports and industry news. Our enquiry team can also research other industry-specific information, such as taxation, for you. Call us on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or email library@icaew.com.

Trends and forecasts

Online articles

The library provides full access to articles from leading business, finance and management journals.

View the latest updates on trends and forecasts in the equine industry

Access to articles is provided subject to suppliers’ terms of use.

Market research

Some free information is available from Mintel market research specialists, ranging from industry news to executive summaries of the reports.

Industry news

Need to find the latest news on this industry sector? We can carry out industry news searches using a range of trade titles and general business sources through our databases. To discuss your requirements, please contact the enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

Statistics on the UK

British Horse Society

The British Horse Society compiles a comprehensive summary of equestrian statistics covering:

general figures on horse activity and ownership in the UK
international equestrian competition
national societies and associations
horseracing
equestrian trades
legislation
equestrian events
off-road riding and carriage driving
road accidents.

Office for National Statistics

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) from the Office for National Statistics collects financial information covering UK production, construction, distribution and service industries. Statistics available include:

number of enterprises;
total turnover;
approximate gross value added at basic prices;
total purchases of goods, materials and services;
total employment costs;
total net capital expenditure;
total net capital expenditure – acquisitions;
total net capital expenditure – disposals;
total stocks and work in progress – value at end of year;
total stocks and work in progress – value at beginning of year;
total stocks and work in progress – increase during year.

The dataset Non-financial business economy, UK: Sections A to S includes statistics for:

Sports and recreation education (85.51)
See Section P: Education

Employment

UK

The Office for National Statistics publication Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) includes average employment costs within this sector which can be found in Table 14. Average employment costs are provided for full-time employees, part-time employees and all employees.

The data includes average employment costs for:

managers in animal husbandry, forestry and fishing;
animal care occupations;
veterinarians;
veterinary services.

The annual Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), published by the Office for National Statistics, includes total employee and employment estimates for different industries for Great Britain and the UK. Figures are broken down to show full-time/part-time and public/private splits. The dataset Industry – Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Table 2 includes statistics for:

Raising of horses and other equines (01430)
Sports and recreation education (85510)

Other regions

Please see individual country profile pages for links to sources of national statistics.

Legislation and regulation

UK

GOV.UK provides some guidance on the main legislation applicable to various sectors, including keeping horses on farms, for both agricultural and non-agricultural business.

Export horses and ponies: special rules
Guidance published by GOV.UK on exporting horses and other equines (including ponies and donkeys) from the UK

Getting and using a horse passport
Guidance published by GOV.UK on importing or exporting horses and other equines and obtaining a horse passport.

The British Horse Society offers Free leaflets and downloadable resources.

Import and export

Trade Tariff

The Trade Tariff is a useful Gov.uk database listing tax, duties and licenses for the import and export of goods between the UK and other countries. The database is searchable by product or commodity code and results can be filtered by date and country. Information also includes links to relevant conditions and regulations.

See import and export information for:

UK business guides

Croner-i Business Focus

Business Focus is a resource that provides practical information on many small business trades and sectors. Its Business Opportunity Profiles offer detailed insights into market conditions, legal issues and the trading environment for a range of businesses. They include:

Blacksmith
Horseriding school
Livery yard
Tack shop

Mini Business Opportunity Profiles are also available and provide a general introduction to more niche business areas, including:

B&B for horses
Equine massage therapist
Farrier

To find out more about Business Focus, please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com.

Atom Content Marketing guides

The Start Up Donut from Atom Content Marketing provides practical information on starting up and running a number of small business types. Guides cover a range of areas including market research, current trends, regulations, products and services, promotion and pricing. They include:

UK key players, ratios and trends

We can produce reports on this sector using selected information from the FAME company database. Reports are available for:

Companies in the equine industry – includes activities of racehorse owners and companies with a business activity or trade description which references bloodstock, equine, equestrian, racehorse or horse activities outside of gambling, betting and insurance.

Summaries of the three types of report we can produce are given below. You can find further information, a sample report, pricing details and an online order form on our industry sector reports page.

We also operate a bespoke reports service with results tailored to your specifications. Please contact our enquiry team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com to discuss your requirements.

Key players report

Our key players report looks at the top companies (by turnover) in any one of the segments within this sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures. The reports provide data on 11 comparative fields for the last available year, including:

turnover;
profit margins;
returns on shareholder funds;
solvency ratios
number of employees.

Our reports enable easy comparison of the top companies in this sector against each other and against the sector median, average and standard deviation in each of the 11 fields.

Mailing list

A separate mailing list report is also available with address and contact details for the top companies in any of the segments within this sector.

Market reports

Our market reports look at the aggregated data for the top companies (by turnover) for any of the segments within this sector across all the fields usually found in a company report. The reports include data for the last 10 years* and enables easy comparison of trends for the whole sector. Reports usually include the top 100 companies but in more specialised sectors with fewer than 100 companies we show all companies with disclosed figures.

*Please note the number of companies for which data is aggregated will vary for any given year.

The market reports include sections on:

key financials and employees;
profit and loss account;
balance sheet;
cash flow statement;
financial ratios;
financial trends and changes;
profitability trends and changes.

UK benchmarking

We offer benchmarking reports that can be used to inform your own business strategy or help you identify value-added services to offer to your clients.

Contact the enquiry team directly on +44 (0)20 7920 8620 or at library@icaew.com for a report tailored to your own specific requirements.

Trade journals and publications

Trade journals, B2B magazines and specialist consumer magazines are another useful source of news and statistics.

Equestrian Index – online directory of equestrian businesses covering a wide range of organisations
Equestrian Life
Equine Business Guide – handbook focusing on business management and costings for equine enterprises
Forge and Farrier
Horse and Hound

Trade bodies

The websites of trade bodies in this sector are a useful source of industry overviews, contacts and statistics.

UK

Europe

Americas

American Horse Council

Asia

Oceania

Global

The FEI produces an annual directory of member organisations and national associations for equestrian sport.

The IFHA has a comprehensive list of links to member bodies, horse racing industry and press websites and to relevant government agencies.

WEVA provides links to its member associations, listing major equine veterinarian bodies internationally.