Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024 | Volume 48, No 2
SAFETY FIRST New season gear rule changes explained
Plus New products light up the market Earn AMTRA CPD points Meet the saddler supporting riding schools
ETN is the official media partner of BETA International
2024
22-23 September NAEC Stoneleigh,
UK banner PRESS.pdf ETN Warwickshire, 210x65 cover
1
16/02/2024
14:21
Main Sponsor
Main Sponsor
Find out about the biggest
brand launch in a decade
People ETN | PEOPLE
Rachael McCarthy has joined the team at BETA and EMC, publisher of ETN and organiser of BETA International, as office administrator. Based at BETA HQ near Wetherby, Rachael has lived in Yorkshire for the last ten years and hails from County Durham. She has previously worked as a sales consultant/secretary and in financial services. “I’m looking forward to meeting the extended BETA team, supporting our customers and traders, and working closely with the staff and suppliers,” says Rachael. Rachael is married with two children. Outside work, she enjoys swimming and socialising, as well as following her two daughters who are keen footballers.
Portrait photo: Historic England
Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) has appointed Michael Bishop as its new chief executive. He joins from Historic England, where he is director of corporate strategy and business improvement, and starts his new job on 8 April. Michael is an amateur event rider. “I do not come from an equestrian family background,” he says, “but from an early visit to the local riding school, I was hooked.” Michael is a trustee of the British Racing School and of London Youth, a charity which improves the lives of young people in the capital.
Sally Bacon has re-joined Zebra Products. She’s working with managing director Simon Middleton on the distributor’s Equipe and Amerigo saddle programme. Sally, a qualified Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) saddle fitter, originally worked for Zebra Products from 2006 for six years before marrying and moving to France. “It’s nice to be back,” she said of returning to the North Wales based company. A lifelong rider, Sally has competed at British Eventing intermediate level and show jumped up to 1.30m. She has a mare on which she competes in show jumping, and recently acquired an exracehorse.
Kyle and Danielle Holmes, the husband-and-wife team behind Black Nova Designs, are looking forward to an eventful summer. The couple is looking forward to welcoming equestrian and rural business owners to their trade stand at top equestrian venues to learn more about their website design and hosting services. The MARS Badminton Horse Trials in May, the Game Fair in July, the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in August and Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in September are on their itinerary. “The busy summer of events for Black Nova means visitors can find out more about websites as a sales and marketing tool,” says Danielle.
18 | Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024
HLM Investment Group, the home of Science Supplements, JHL and evoke, has made a number of appointments. Joining the sales team are Jessica Holdstock and Hayley Herron, both former finalists in the Equine Careers Sales Representative of the Year award at the British Equestrian Trade Awards (the BETAs) with Hayley taking the title in 2019. After a decade at Joules, Robbie McQuade joins as general manager, overseeing operational duties across HLM Group’s brands. Kim Short, who also worked at Joules for ten years, has been brought in to manage wholesale accounts and customer services. Helen Riley (not pictured), recently appointed technical director, is spearheading the evoke brand portfolio and launch. She was previously associated with the Champion brand.
West Sussex-based bridle-maker Kelly Jones (image below, pictured left) made two presentations to American audiences at Equine Affaire in West Springfield, Massachusetts. She had been invited to the equestrian professionals’ show by the organisers. “I’m determined to make sure as many owners as possible know how important correct bridle fit is,” said Kelly whose business is Kelly J Leather. “To speak to American riders was so rewarding and worth the long journey to get there.” www.equestriantradenews.com
PEOPLE | ETN
Photo: BEMA
Dairy farmer Rachel Coates is the new - and first female - show director of the Great Yorkshire Show. “My aim will be to promote the show to the younger generations so that it continues to flourish and grow,” said Rachel, who hails from Shipley, West Yorkshire. As well as being a member of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Council, Rachel has worked in advertising, retail, education and agriculture. She is passionate about British food.
BETA president and double Badminton winner Jane Holderness-Roddam was given the British Equestrian Media Association’s (BEMA) Lifetime Achievement award during the London International Horse Show in December. Jane said she was “very touched” to receive the award from BEMA chairman Rupert Bell (pictured). While working as a nurse in the obstetrics department of the Middlesex Hospital, Jane was given time off to score her first Badminton win in 1968. Later that year, when she became the first British woman to compete on an Olympic eventing team – and win a gold medal – the press dubbed Jane ‘The Galloping Nurse.’ She went on to win Badminton again, and Burghley, and eventually to judge at both events. She has officiated as a technical delegate and British Eventing steward at many more besides, and has chaired the eventing selectors and British Eventing. Jane and her family are synonymous with the breeding and promotion of British-bred sport horses. Said Rupert Bell on presenting the award “Jane is one of the wisest heads and true constants in the horse world.” www.equestriantradenews.com
Helena Vega-Lozano is the Riding for the Disabled Association’s (RDA’s) new chair of trustees. A senior partner and consulting board member at Deloitte, Helena is also chair of the trustees at Mare and Foal, an equine rescue charity, and a volunteer counsellor for Childline (NSPCC) handling front line calls with young people. “As RDA chair of trustees, it is a privilege to be able to blend my business experience with my passion for horses, as well as supporting young people and adults,” she said.
Alison Sherwood Bruce has retired from Equilibrium Products. She had been with the company for more than 20 years, latterly as international sales director. “Alison was a vital part of the Equilibrium story and a key contributor to the successful business it is today,” said Margaret Donnelly, founder and managing director. “Everyone at Equilibrium wishes Alison a long and happy retirement.” Hannah Donnelly has been promoted from export manager to head of export at Equilibrium Products. Alison says she will continue to be busy in retirement. “I have no plans to disappear and never be seen again,” she told ETN, “but I decided that the time was right to step back from the day-to-day running of the company. This will allow me to consider other opportunities as they arise. I’m still part of the Equilibrium family and I’m there to help as and when required.” There will be time for enjoying her passion too. A great traveller, Alison has a list of long-distance walks to complete following treks in Nepal and along the Portuguese coast last year. During her time in the industry, Alison has been a prominent supporter of BETA. A former chairman, she also headed the trade association’s public relations committee for many years. “Alison has been hugely committed to highlighting BETA and its members’ products and services to equestrian consumers – for which the trade owes her a debt of gratitude,” said the organisation’s executive director Claire Williams.
Well-known and muchadmired Walsall saddler John Hardwick has retired after 49 years in the trade. John, now 66, got his first job as a saddlery apprentice straight from school when he was 16 in 1974. After two years, he moved to Sabre Leather where he worked until 1983. John then moved to Walsall Riding and struck up a friendship with Keith Bryan who would go on to found his own saddle-making company. By 1986, John was working at Keith Bryan Saddlery where he remained until 2019 when Keith retired and Bliss of London took over the manufacturing. John recalls many practical jokes during his time in Walsall factories. Once, someone replaced a saddle nail-head with a match – which caught light when the ‘nail’ was hit. “We got up to things you probably couldn’t get away with today,” he says. The thing John says he will miss most as he retires are his colleagues at Bliss. Although to make sure he isn’t out of the trade for too long, he hopes to do some teaching at the Walsall Leather Skills Centre. Alongside saddle-making, John has a passion for shooting and motorcycling. He’s also promised himself that his retirement will allow him to travel – and do some DIY at home.
Social media guru Rhea Freeman has been named among the UK’s top 100 female small business entrepreneurs by Small Business Britain. Rhea says she aims to support small businesses in growing, promoting themselves better and achieving their goals through coaching and mentoring. Small Business Britain champions small businesses in the UK. Its f:Entrepreneur campaign highlights female business owners, and provides inspiration and role models to the wider small business community.
Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024 | 19
ETN | CPD FEATURE
Worm control: Your customers’
questions answered
Photos: Sonia Parker/Shutterstock. com, Callipso88/Shutterstock.com
About ETN’s RAMA/ SQP features ETN’s series of CPD features helps RAMAs (Registered Animal Medicines Advisors/ SQPs) earn the CPD (continuing professional development) points they need. The features are accredited by AMTRA, and highlight some of the most important subject areas for RAMAs/SQPs specialising in equine and companion animal medicine. AMTRA is required by the Veterinary Medicines Regulations to ensure its RAMAs/SQPs undertake CPD. All RAMAs/SQPs must earn a certain number of CPD points in a given period of time in order to retain their qualification. RAMAs/SQPs who read this feature and submit correct answers to the questions below will receive two CPD points. For more about AMTRA and becoming a RAMA/SQP, visit www.amtra.org.uk 26 | Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024
A
ccording to a recent survey more than 40% of horses are at moderate to high risk of parasite infection in the UK.1 This a significant number and serves to reiterate why we need to ensure that horse owners choose effective and sustainable worm management protocols. RAMAs/SQPs are uniquely placed in equestrian retail environments to inform, educate and advise their customers on the best tactics for worm control, in line with the latest industry guidelines. In this article Zoetis vet Wendy Talbot, answers some common questions you are likely to be asked about worm control. She covers why a diagnosticled (using faecal egg counts (FECs) and antibody tests), worm control plan should be used, together with a yearly risk assessment to manage your adult horse’s worm burden to best effect. How has domestication affected the worm challenge? Our domestication of horses has changed the way in which they are able to manage parasitic challenges. In the wild horses used to roam freely over thousands of acres, with continuous access to clean, fresh pasture. Worms and horses evolved together in this environment, developing a relatively healthy balance to maintain both populations. Domestication has led to horses being kept on more restricted grazing, with limited opportunity to move onto cleaner pasture. This exposes them to worm re-infection at a much greater level, upsetting the horse/worm balance. This is why we have to intervene. Breaking the lifecycle of parasites reduces the amount of worm challenge our horses face. Eggs are passed in the droppings, where they develop into larvae and contaminate the pasture, ready to be eaten by grazing horses. An essential part of breaking the cycle is reducing the number of these stages on the pasture, keeping the number of larvae that the horse eats (challenge) to a minimum.
www.equestriantradenews.com
CPD FEATURE | ETN What causes resistance? When a parasite population previously controlled by a drug is no longer susceptible to that drug it is known as resistance. The active ingredient of the horse wormer kills the sensitive parasites in the population, but those parasites not affected go on to create new generations of resistant parasites2. Resistance affects the population of parasites which are found on the pasture and in the horse. This means that eventually any horse grazing the same pasture may pick up an infection of worms which cannot be effectively treated with the currently available wormers. The incorrect use of wormers, including underdosing, can cause resistance to occur, as can the effectiveness of the dewormer2. However, the biggest cause of resistance is the indiscriminate overuse of de-wormers. Every time a de-wormer is administered it is only the usually small number of resistant parasites within that horse that will survive and multiply to contaminate the land with new resistant worms. If this situation is repeated, again and again then the majority of the parasites on that field or yard can become resistant to treatment.2 How do Faecal Egg Counts (FECs) work? FECs measure the number of worm eggs in your horse’s dung and give an indication of how much your horse’s worm burden is contributing to pasture contamination. The number of worm eggs in the dung sample are measured and then reported as eggs per gram (epg). Encysted small redworm, tapeworm and bots will not show up in a standard FWEC.3,4 During the spring and summer, FECs can be used to guide appropriate dosing for redworm in adult horses (>3 years old). The interval between FECs is variable depending on the horse’s individual circumstances; however, every 2–3 months is a good place to start.5 If an FEC is more than 200 eggs per gram treatment may be recommended. A result of
www.equestriantradenews.com
<50epg (no eggs seen) doesn’t guarantee that there were no eggs in the dung as only a very small sample is studied under the microscope.6 How can you test for ‘hidden’ worms? FECs don’t reveal ‘hidden’ worms such as encysted small redworm or those that are only passed intermittently such as tapeworm, but saliva and blood tests can give an indication by measuring antibody levels. It’s important to understand how antibody tests work: A horse with a high level of tapeworm infection will produce a large number of antibodies, which can be detected in blood or saliva. Depending on the results of a saliva or blood test you will be advised whether a worming medication is required. Because tapeworm antibodies can persist for several months after successful treatment, the results must be interpreted with care and the test cannot be used immediately after a worming medication to check that it has worked. The small redworm test is also an antibody test but is currently only available on blood. It does not distinguish between encysted and other stages of small redworm, but with careful interpretation by a trained professional it can give an indication as to whether encysted stages may be present.7,8,9 How and when should risk assessments be conducted? All horses respond differently to the same circumstances so it’s imperative to assess each one independently as well as of a part of the group in which it is kept, when you plan your worming tactics. Risk assessments should be performed any time a wormer is considered, and horses tested or treated depending on the level of risk. CANTER (Controlling ANTiparasitic resistance in Equines Responsibly), the pan-industry group, formed in 2022 to tackle the increasing threat that wormer resistance poses to horse health has published the easy to use parasite risk table over the page.
The spring and early summer months present the ideal environmental conditions for the development of eggs and larvae on the pasture.
Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024 | 27
ETN | REPORT
Turning back the pages… For more than four decades, ETN has reported on the equestrian trade. Let’s look back at the news, people and products that were making headlines this month five, ten, 20 and 30 years ago.
Five years ago...
Twenty years ago...
In February/March 2019, ETN reported:
In February/March 2004, ETN reported:
Ten years ago...
Thirty years ago...
In February/March 2014, ETN reported:
In February/March 1994, ETN reported:
• Nottinghamshire businessman Mark Ryan acquired the brand names PolyPads and New Equine Wear from former owner Lee Buck. Mr Ryan, who set up a new company called PP Equestrian to continue manufacturing the products in the UK, already made mats for cars and vans. • After ten years working at Equilibrium Products, Laura Cutter left her position as marketing manager to set up as a freelance marketing consultant. • Eva Marina Böhm, who invented the MagicBrush grooming range, sold the brand to its long-time distributor, German wholesaler Albert Kerbl. • Horse racing resumed on 13 February after a six-day shutdown caused by an equine flu outbreak. Multiple cases had been confirmed at 16 locations in the UK, while the virus was reported to be spreading across northern Europe with the Republic of Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands affected.
• Jabez Cliff and Co, which traded as Barnsby Saddlery, entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors. The Walsall based saddlemaker has made seven staff redundant and asked its self-employed saddle fitters to hand back their vans. • Matchmakers International was acquired by International Riding Company Ltd (IRCL) for an undisclosed sum. IRCL was a new company formed to invest in the owner of the Caldene, Masta, Harry Hall, Cottage Craft and Tottie brands. • Equine nutritionist Teresa Hollands, who had been with Dodson & Horrell for 20 years, left the company for academia. Also moving on “to pursue new interests” was Richard Lawrence, erstwhile sales and marketing director of Matchmakers International and BETA Trade Fair committee chairman.
56 | Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024
• In early signs of trends to come, a group of scientists specialising in equine parasitology wrote to the Veterinary Record warning that inappropriate use of equine wormers may have a detrimental effect on resistance to certain chemicals. Meanwhile, BHS chief executive Kay Driver was urging people to take up riding “to combat obesity in line with the Government recommendations.” • Staff from Dumfries retailer Gee Gees were pictured enjoying their prize of a ‘Puffa party’ night out at Olympia, hosted by the brand’s chairman Paul Botterill and his wife Tina. • Philip Ghazala, best-known to the trade as founder of Verm-X natural parasite control products, won the Hartpury College Equestrian Voice of the Year competition. He was promptly invited to MC the inaugural BETA Gala Dinner and Awards Night. The evening ended up being cancelled due to a fire at the Metropole Hotel where it was to be held.
• As BETA International drew to a close at Sandown racecourse, a move to the NEC, Birmingham, was announced. Harold Knight, chairman of BETA Trade Fairs Ltd, said it was “an opportunity to do the industry justice.” • Riding hat manufacturer Champion secured a priceless three-minute slot on prime-time BBC television when managing director John Ayres appeared on That’s Life. The consumer show hosted by Esther Rantzen had discussed riding hats previously – and not always positively. • Nicky Mackenzie joined South Essex Insurance Brokers as equestrian sales manager. Christine Smy joined Dengie as product development manager and nutritionist; and Nicholas Wood joined W & H Gidden as managing director, succeeding Michael Gidden who became chairman.
www.equestriantradenews.com
BETTER BUSINESS | ETN
Magazines create attention that’s immersive and focused.
Attention grabbers In today’s competitive world, relevant and engaging advertising matters more than ever. Gareth Jones reports on the role of magazines in the modern media mix.
Photos: benjamas11/Shutterstock.com, Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock.com
I
n today’s media landscape, there are more opportunities than ever to capture the attention of potential customers, yet studies show a decline in the attention paid to online advertising. Why? Because attention is a finite resource and in response to increasing demands for their attention, consumers are becoming very selective when it comes to engagement. It seems the more advertisers try to squeeze the last drop of attention out of their customers, the more defences they encounter. Whether it’s digital detox, banner blindness or adblocking, consumers are switching off online – it’s all just too much. With numerous new ways to reach customers evolving all the time and the ability to measure page impressions in near-real time, the tendency has been to focus too heavily on the number of people looking at an ad. However, over the past few years, the advertising industry has started to recognise that simply seeing an ad is not the same as paying attention to it. Furthermore, recent research into this topic makes a strong case for factoring in customer attention when planning an advertising campaign. Consumer magazine media marketing agency Magnetic has been concerned with attention for some time. Its report, Pay Attention, looks at how the different media compare in terms of the quality of attention given by the consumer and looks at its value for advertisers from a cost perspective. Because of the complexity of the subject, it draws on www.equestriantradenews.com
data from a variety of sources, including surveys, eye-tracking analysis and neuroscience techniques.
Key findings
When drawing up the report and looking at the data, a number of key findings became apparent, one of which was that magazines clearly still have a major role to play in attracting new customers.
Targeted media, such as magazines, newspapers and cinema, command the most focused attention 92% of readers agree reading magazine content online is time well spent, which suggests that content, rather than the channel used, is of greatest importance when attracting attention Attention to media content and advertising differs, but 57% of consumers
Equestrian Trade News February/March 2024 | 57