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BHS Membership Keeps On Growing
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Membership
of the British Horse Society continues to grow, and at 57,434, is
higher now than at any time since the competitive disciplines of
eventing, dressage and endurance left the BHS to go it alone in
1997.
Kay
Driver BHS chief executive said: "The increase in membership
is evidence that people recognise the BHS as the one body working
for ordinary riders and horse owners, and campaigning for all their
needs. It is really encouraging that more and more people are joining.
If you are a rider we need your support."
Riders
are becoming increasingly concerned about the problems of riding
on the roads and the BHS is the only organisation actively working
to get the message over to motorists to pass horses wide and slow
and to treat riders with consideration. It is thanks to the BHS
that there are now ads on TV which illustrate the problem graphically.
Riders and carriage drivers need more off road routes and in the
past 10 years the BHS has opened up hundreds of miles of new bridleways
and byways.
As
well as providing the professional qualifications for the equestrian
industry, the BHS runs courses and progressive learning packages
for leisure
riders and horse owners, thus ensuring that horses and ponies are
properly cared for and sympathetically ridden.
The
BHS sends out over 250,000 advisory leaflets a year and responds
to hundreds of thousands of phone calls asking for help. BHS welfare
representatives deal with over 1000 cases every year.
All
riders and horse owners benefit from the work done by the BHS regardless
of whether they are members or not. The more successful the BHS
is, the more people expect, and it is often those who are not members
who demand that the BHS should be doing more. According to statistics
from BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) there are 2.4m
riders in this country. That means that over 97% of riders are not
BHS members.
The
British Horse Society is calling on every rider and horse owner
to join the Society so that we can build on the work we are doing
and really make a difference.
BHS
gold membership costs £42 (which includes about £70
worth of liability insurance), silver membership is £21 and
bronze membership only costs £10. Anyone interested in becoming
a member should contact the Membership Department, British Horse
Society, Stoneleigh Deer Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2XZ.
Tel 08701 201900 (direct line), or 01926 707750/1/2/3 or join online
on the BHS website: www.bhs.org.uk
www.bhs.org.uk
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