Equestrian businesses have been dealt a blow by the Government which has decided not to allow indoor riding arenas to reopen on March 29th, despite previously agreeing that well-ventilated venues could open to the public. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has expressed its dismay about this change in legislation in a statement.
British Equestrian has been made aware that the recent legislation published by the Government now states that indoor riding arenas in England should close and will not be permitted to open on Monday March 29th in line with other outdoor sports facilities. This contravenes the agreed position achieved through collective work by British Equestrian, our member bodies, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) prior to the resumption of activity at the end of the first lockdown in 2020.
The following wording was included in the coronavirus regulations, but has since been removed.
…venues which includes the use of large, open and well-ventilated equestrian covered arenas (these are sometimes termed ‘indoor’ arenas by equestrians, but due to their size and ventilation are not considered indoor for the purposes of this guidance)
The BEF has raised this as a matter of urgency with Sport England, DCMS and Defra, stating that the change is neither justified nor reasonable, “particularly at such short notice”.
This is a reminder that all industries have been hard hit by lockdowns, including those usually overlooked by Government officials and the media.
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I have no particular interest in equine pursuits. But the symbolic implications of this are widespread. Basically – anyone who thinks that any undertaking from this government can be trusted is living in a moronic idiot’s paradise.
I’m surprised they’re surprised. We’ve had a whole year to witness this conniving government’s countless u-turns, backtracking and downright lies, and yet still people believe what they’ve been told. Utter madness. The coronavirus act and furlough was extended for one reason – continued lockdown. And no-one tell me that if we go into tiers, lockdown is over. Tiers = lockdown by any other name. Normal is normal, not the crap this lot are trying to sell as normal.
Not sure if I have my facts right but aren’t most centres like this used by mainly children/teenagers? so no chance of cross infection?(not that there is much anyway)
I use ours. I am in my sixties, and now have my own horse after a lifetime of longing.I don’t want to compete, but I do want to learn to ride better.The chances of anybody catching Covvie during a riding lesson are infinitesimal The chances of falling off and being injured are inconceivably greater (though still small), but I accept the risk and that’s my decision.
Sod off, Satan Bozo, and leave me and my instructor to use what your attendant fiends don’t have: our own judgement.
And get off your bloody arse, BHS, and stop bleating and start doing something. Are you there to defend horses and riders or are you not?
I understand that most of the staff at equine centres tend to be younger women (used to be called girls) but that the clientele cover all ages.
It is unbelievable incompetence the government has done this – although I suspect it may be a drafting error. The BEF, BHS and many other industry bodies (BE, BD, BS) worked exhaustively with government last year to quote rightly determine that “indoor arenas” are in no way a typical indoor space. They are huge, massive spaces nearly always with partial permanent openings to the outside and often completely slatted “walls”.
The are an essential part of horse yards large & small, throughout the country. Our arena is indeed simply a covered outdoor space, and it is an essential facility for exercise & welfare – my horse (weirdly) just will not hack out but he loves being long lined/ridden in the arena, exercise which is essential to his health & welfare.
Despite typical media representation, a lot of horse owners in this country are not wealthy and don’t own their own land or stables, and many people from young to old work long hours & sacrifice holidays, eating out etc to pay for their pride & joy & much loved member of the family.
This mistake needs resolving urgently, for welfare & commercial reasons – our hard working equestrian centres have already had their businesses completely battered by these insane lockdowns and completely unnecessary restrictions on operating competitions and hiring out their facilities. Luckily it sounds like BEF & BHS are onto it – but it shouldn’t have happened.
I don’t think it’s a ”mistake”. Too many people are involved in the devising of these diktats for it to be a ”mistake”. In any relationship, this would be abuse, this inflicting of deliberate and malicious harm.
They are not only airy and cold, they are also used by people and horses who are socially distanced. Horses have a tendency to kick each other which is a bigger incentive to stay well apart than any threat of fines.
Do people not see the total incompetence we are being confronted with at the taxpayers expense. How can people not see it! It has been going on for a year.
It’s not incompetence. It’s malign.
It appears that British Equestrian (BE), in good faith, negotiated sensible wording to go in this SI
“We had agreement by government to the effect: “…venues which includes the use of large, open and well-ventilated equestrian covered arenas (these are sometimes termed ‘indoor’ arenas by equestrians, but due to their size and ventilation are not considered indoor for the purposes of this guidance).””
Who made BE aware of this change and when? There needs to be an FOI to reveal the background to this shameful episode – watch this space.
There is a parallel with something I spotted on Friday re the use of face masks for children in classrooms – see here. Somone made a ‘small change’ to a Government page informing schools how they should operate on a quiet Friday afternoon.
“…face coverings should be worn in classrooms…These measures will continue to be in place after Easter.”
The DfE didn’t publicise this important change using their daily bulletin to schools.
Presumably, the script was for it to be trailed over the weekend and to be in place for the unions to delight in on Monday.
Thanks to the rapid intervention of Julia Hartley-Brewer, the change was airbrushed out by 2100 on Friday evening!
However, they have shown their hand and there is clearly a culture of “don’t consult on U-turns, just make them happen”.
Just to show the DfE change to the mask mandate for children was a deliberate attempt to insert a change under the radar, the amendment was made to the web site at 13:55 and was reversed less than five hours later when their slight of hand was spotted. We need to stay alert to their machinations…
And making sure that the ”rules” are changed with as little notice as possible – to demoralize and cause financial hardship…. deliberately?
By diktats like this, the government shows it has no faith in its magic potion.
Why doesn’t the equine association have the balls to say no to this stupid “legislation”. As soon as big groups start endorsing rule breaking then all the rules are finished. Rather than exprssing dismay they nedd to express defiance. Also, I don’t think that cops would dare try to storm a place full of mounted people, even if they thought those people would be utterly good natured, there’s no telling what a scared horse might do. There’s a reason they like horses for crowd control and they wouldn’t wish to put themselves in the reversed situation.