A Post-Covid World May Give Fresh Opportunities For Sector

Equestrian businesses could benefit from an increase in interest as a result of restrictions

- Eleanor Jones

There could be an opportunity for the equestrian industry in a post-Covid world, as people’s lives and preferences are changing.

H&H has spoken to riding schools that enjoyed huge surges in interest after the initial lockdown, including Lavant House Stables in Chichester, and Wellington Riding in Hampshire.

Wellington general manager David Sheerin told H&H: “We’ve been crazy busy.

“Most of our adult clients have been working from home, so instead of riding on a Sunday morning, they’ve been coming three times a week; we’ve seen a big increase in the number of times people ride weekly.

“The huge increase in interest makes sense, and it’s been a dreadful situation but I think the opportunity is massive.”

Mr Sheerin said he is an “eternal optimist”, but he believes the rural economy in general could benefit from some of the changes wrought by Covid.

“We’ve got adults working from home, looking for outdoor activities; health and wellbeing are a great priority,” he said. “Of course, we are just outside London but there’s been a mass exodus from cities and people spending more time in the country.

“The whole nine-to-five commute thing has gone; a huge proportion of society now has the time and money to ride.”