Bolesworth and the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) are delighted to announce the BETA Safety Hub will be making its debut at this year’s Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show.

The BETA Safety Hub came about from a conversation between Nina Barbour, director of Bolesworth, and Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA. In addition to organising Bolesworth, Nina showjumps internationally and is aware of the dangers both on and off the horse that riders and grooms expose themselves to each day. This was brought to the fore when Nina’s close friend, Shaz Quigley, suffered a life changing injury when handling a horse on the ground. With BETA’s knowledge and expertise in all things safety, and the ability to offer hat checks and education, especially when combined with the skills that BETA’s CMO Dr Diane Fisher can also bring to an event, the BETA Safety Hub was born.

“Safety is so important, but it’s easy to overlook until something goes wrong,” said Nina Barbour. “Accidents happen, and horses are unpredictable animals, but there are ways we can reduce the impact of injuries through what we wear.

“With over 800 horses on site during the Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show, and the riders and grooms that come with them, we have a great platform to help support and educate people around this. We know that safety is a hard sell, but when you see the impact that freak injuries can have, it makes it very real.”

“We’re delighted to be working with Bolesworth in the BETA Safety Hub,” said Claire Williams. “We work with retailers and manufacturers all over the UK and beyond to help train and support them around safety equipment, and do a lot of work with the consumer too. We’ve just started our Summer of Safety campaign, so being able to bring it to life at Bolesworth is a great opportunity. And we have lots planned in the hub to make safety interesting.”

The BETA Safety Hub will be located next to the Castle Arena on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to learning about current hat and body protector standards and having hats fit checked for free, there’s also the option to listen to talks in the live Rider Clinics with Dr Diane Fisher, learn CPR and jaw thrusts, enter a competition to win a hamper full of goodies worth over £600, ride a mechanical horse that is programmed for high level dressage, and learn about Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) and how some of your favourite snacks, if shared with your horse, could lead to a positive test.