The Petplan Equine National Riding Festival aims to introduce thousands of new and lapsed riders to the sport. The BEF has invested £15,000 of Sport England funding into this summer's campaign in recognition of the huge inroads the Festival has made in boosting the popularity of the sport and encouraging new riders.
Our investment is in line with Sport England's primary objective to increase participation in grass roots sport and the Federation will also assist the Festival by becoming involved at management level and exploring other funding opportunities to expand the campaign in 2007.
Running from June until the end of August, the Festival starts with a national, tour of primary schools during June, giving children a chance to ride Trigger, the Festival's mechanical horse, and taking part in other equestrian related activities.
Jo Hicks, the headmistress of St Gregory's Primary School in Dorset reports: "all of the children rode Trigger... made a rosette and learned about bridles, saddles and what horses eat. The feedback from children parents and staff has been very positive."
During the summer Trigger will be at a variety of fairs and events, and riding schools across the country are running initiatives to encourage riders into the saddle. Find out more at www.nationalridingfestival.co.uk
View our National Riding Festival Case Study here.
