BETAs 2024

The British Equestrian Trade Awards winners have been announced at the Gala Dinner this evening/yesterday evening, and we’re excited to share the winners of each category of the BETAs with you now. A big congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted and a huge thank you to each of the fabulous sponsors that supported the awards:

 

Weatherbeeta Retail Employee of the Year
Highly commended – Elliot Charlesworth – Lillico’s Country Store

Comments from the judges: “Elliot is a shining example of someone who makes our industry tick. He has steadily provided reliable service and support to Lillico’s and their customers over the last 25 years. In acknowledgment of this the judges have, for the first time ever, decided to present this highly commended award.”

Winner – Tessa Groocock – Tower Farm Saddlers

Comments from the judges: “Tessa was a delight to talk to and her accomplishment in winning this award is well deserved. She has shown herself to be a capable, focused and dedicated employee who is committed to her customers, work and the team at Tower Farm Saddlers.”

GBH Exhibition Forwarding Export award

A return for this award, which is to be awarded to the company who has generated substantial and sustained increases in export activity over at least 3 years.

Winner – Saracen Horse Feeds

Comments from the judge: “All of the companies have obviously invested energy and commitment to exporting their products, but the winner this year has clearly demonstrated that exporting forms part of the DNA of the company, and they have embraced their international partners into their UK family. They have taken on board the particular needs of their international partners and adapted their approach and, where necessary, their products to suit.”

Holdsworth PR Marketing Effectiveness Award

The goal of the award is to recognise the contribution marketing makes to solving business problems and improving business results. As such, the emphasis on judging was looking at the demonstration of how the contribution of the company’s marketing has made to business improvement.

Runners up – The GPC and Agria

Comments from Judges: “A great entry with lots of data and examples of the campaign of what was achieved, and they have clearly executed a great all-round marketing campaign.”

Winner– Baileys Horse Feeds

Comments from Judges: “This campaign was a clever way to engage with their audience, using illustrations from Emily Cole with a cheeky pony keeping an eye on its weight control programme, which was used as a sensitive way to talk about equine obesity, an important topic that increased knowledge for retail stores and consumers about the subject. It was an inexpensive campaign to set up, but one that achieved a large social media reach and increased sales.”

Equine Careers Sales Representative Award

The award aims to reward excellence in product & customer knowledge. Nominations are received from retailers and judging consists of an interview with the finalists.

Runner Up – Emily Welch – Shires Equestrian
Winner – Claire Bibby – NAF

Comments from the Judges: “Claire is bright, positive, professional and passionate about her job. She is always there when her customers need her. A thoroughly deserving winner this year.”

Equine Fitters Council, Equine Fitter of the Year

This award aims to recognise the work undertaken by saddle, bridle and bit fitters. The judges assessed nominations, along with a questionnaire completed by the finalists, and calls to customer references.

Winner – Vicki Delaselle – Delaselle Saddlery

Customer comments: “The winner has taken time to bond with my complicated horse and now lets them treat him and touch him like one of the family. The horse’s welfare and comfort is their top priority.”

Zebra Products Best New Retailer of the Year

This award was open for entries for stores that were established 12-36 months prior to April 2024.

Winner – Equine Resources Indonesia

Comments from nominator and judges: “Hannah is committed to improving equine welfare and knowledge to share with her customers in Indonesia. Hannah has attended courses in the UK to gain contacts and develop ideas for her store, which is a very impressive site in the middle of Jakarta.”

Zebra Products Retailer of the Year – Retail store

This award received hundreds of nominations as always. The final decision is based on the number of nominations received, independent mystery shop visits, online orders and calls.

Runner up – Tower Farm Saddlers, Rugby

Comments from nominators and judges: “They go above and beyond to help you. They are very friendly, a great store.”

Winner – RB Equestrian

Comments from nominators and judges: “An equestrian destination store with staff that always greet you, know their regular customers and stop to have a chat, so friendly, attentive and knowledgeable and so good with beginners who need help and advice. It’s always a pleasure to shop there, there is a great range of products and brands, always up to date with the latest seasonal clothing. Great stock levels so you can always leave with what you went for. An all-round great shopping experience!”

Zebra Products Retailer of the Year – Online/Mail Order

Runner up – The Centre Line

Comments from nominators and judges: “Stunning customer service no matter the time of day. The mystery call was so good I could have purchased three items there and then!”

Winner – Redpost Equestrian

Comments from nominators and judges: “Knowledgeable, fast, efficient and friendly company, always willing to help. Excellent website with great product search function and suggestions of similar products. Returns policy easy to use with form included with the package.”

Stubbs England Nutritional Helpline Award

This award gives recognition to the role that a reliable and accessible nutritional advice line plays in the selection of feeding stuffs.

Runner Up – TopSpec

Comments from judges: “The nutritionist was a good listener who asked a lot of questions about my horse before giving the advice. I am now seriously thinking of starting to use their products for the first time.”

Winner – Allen & Page

Comments from judges: “Excellent advice and very helpful with samples sent to follow up the advice. This one stood out above the rest for me this year.”

Citation Trade Supplier of the Year

This award was nominated for by retailers to the supplier judged to offer the best in delivery, customer service, product knowledge and awareness of retailer requirements.

JOINT WINNERS – Bliss of London & Hucklesby Associates

BETA Rider Safety Equipment Fitter Award

This award recognises riding hat and body protector fitters that work hard to ensure riders are given the correct fitting and standards advice when purchasing their safety items.

Runner up – Emma Butt – Romsey Saddlery

Winner – Arlyne Peaker – RB Equestrian

Comments from judges: “Arlyne was knowledgeable about the various safety equipment standards and how the garments should fit. She came across confident in giving this advice to her customers and her passion shone through.”

BETA Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner – David Booth, Westgate Laboratories

There will be more about David Booth in this week’s ETN Newsletter.

BETA urges riders to help shape the future of safety

The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) has launched a new way of collecting and recording information relating to accidents and injuries. The new Rider Accident & Equipment Reporting Form, which is available to anyone experiencing an accident and injury around horses, is part of the association’s continued drive to help make equestrian sport safer.

The Rider Accident & Equipment Reporting Form, launched at Your Horse Live, can be accessed via a web link or by QR code, which will be widely published both through BETA retail members, equipment manufacturers and on social media. The QR code is quick to scan from a phone, helping to make it more accessible to busy riders. The form is also easy fill in and allows BETA to collect additional information surrounding accidents to help inform design and protection development of safety equipment moving forward.

“A better understanding of what happens to our hats and body protectors during an accident is key to being able to both design better and safer equipment as well as feeding into the safety standards that determine how these garments perform,” said Claire Williams, Chief Executive of BETA. “The data collected through this questionnaire will provide invaluable insights contributing to this understanding, and help us, along with our trade members, continue to innovative in the space to help keep riders across all sports safer.”
The survey asks people to provide detail around any accident that they were involved in, and, if possible, supply images or video of the helmet and/or body protector worn during the accident itself.

“There’s a real paucity of true data when it comes to equestrian industry,” said Dr Diane Fisher, BETA’s Chief Medical Officer. “It’s so important to get this data as we can feed it back into industry, to the manufacturers so that they can use it to help further improve what they do, as a basis for our safety equipment going forward.

“It also allows us to research injury in real time. If we are picking up certain injuries and trends, it allows us as BETA to step in and campaign at the time, which makes more sense than working on the back foot.

“We all accept that horse riding has real dangers attached, however using the protection available correctly can mitigate and minimise these risks. As equestrians we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves fit, healthy and injury free, not only in our own best interests but also in the interests of these very special animals we are lucky enough to spend time with.”

Link to the form: .https://bit.ly/3xo6P3V

Feed Fact Fortnight is back

The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) is launching its spring Feed Fact Fortnight on 1st April, and there’s plenty of opportunities for horse owners to get involved, learn, and bag themselves some amazing prizes from the leading names in the feed industry.

The fortnight will have a general focus on obesity in horses and how we as horse owners can look to address this from a feeding point of view. In addition, other relevant content will be shared by brands, helping to support horse owners as they move through spring and into summer.

“We know, as horse owners ourselves, that the feed space can be quite a challenging one to navigate, and that’s why we believe these Feed Fact Fortnights are so important,” said Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA. “We all want to do the best for our horses, and part of that is understanding equine nutrition, whether it’s the basic rules of feeding that help to prevent some issues in horses or being able to decipher what the back of a feed bag means. We are lucky to have the support from the leading feed brands in the industry, and their willingness to share their knowledge, get involved with Lives where they’ll answer questions in real time, as well as their support through amazing prizes is so appreciated.”

Feed Fact Fortnight will involve many leading brands, but the main places to get involved with the competitions and see the content as it’s released is through BETA’s social media.

“We want this information to be as accessible as possible, easy to share, and to help as many people as we can, so we focus on social media for these campaigns. I’d encourage anyone who wants to improve their knowledge and win some fabulous prizes to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.”

For more information, like BETA’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/betaequestrian and follow on Instagram at www.instagram.com/beta_equestrian/. For more information on BETA, see www.beta-org.uk

BETA’s Summer of Safety has begun!

The British Equestrian Trade Association’s (BETA) Summer of Safety has begun, providing lots of opportunities for equestrians to learn, win prizes, and help keep themselves and their horses a whole lot safer.

The campaign is now in its third year, starting in 2021, and retains the clear objective of helping to keep equestrians and their horses safer in all activities. BETA is working with its trade members and aligned professionals on a calendar of content including lives and video around this, as well as providing a host or brilliant prizes sharing latest innovations.

“We are delighted to be running the Summer of Safety for 2023, and have bigger plans than ever before,” said Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA. “This includes in person events as well as lives and content through social media, but we also have huge support amongst the trade meaning that if you visit any of our members during the summer, you could well see some Summer of Safety bunting and information as it’s a cause close to so many hearts.”

The idea behind the Summer of Safety came about in a bid to help demystify safety through providing more information around hats and standards alongside real stories that bring it to life and allow the community to learn from one another.

“The campaign is not to scare people, far from it. Through educating ourselves and sharing stories, we can all understand how we can reduce risks to keep everyone safer. Over the last two years we’ve had people like Paul Tapner share his story with us about his fall, and the impact that had was huge. We’re also very lucky to have our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Diane Fisher, on hand to support the campaign by providing insight and experience from the point of view of a medical professional.”

To find out more about BETA’s Summer of Safety, see www.beta-uk.org

To get involved with the competitions and other news during the campaign, make sure you follow BETA on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/betaequestrian and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/beta_equestrian/

Equine Thesis of the Year

BETA Equine Thesis of the Year Final

Study into African Horse sickness is a winner for BETA Equine Thesis of the Year

Alice Goff is the winner of the 2024 BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) Equine Thesis of the Year Award with her dissertation: Prognostic Indicators for survival in Horses with African Horse Sickness.

The Royal Veterinary College graduate investigated prognostic indicators that are associated with survival from this devastating disease and identified successful therapeutics that might improve survival in horses infected with AHS.

Alice will receive a trophy and cash prize after four finalists presented their theses to a panel of judges during an online event on Sunday, 27 October.

Alice was thrilled and honoured to have been awarded the BETA Thesis of the Year Award. “It is a remarkable recognition of my dedication, hard work, and passion for equine nutrition research,” she commented. “My thesis represents not only a personal achievement, but also a significant contribution to both the academic and wider equestrian community as we try to make breakthroughs in combatting equine obesity without neglecting psychological welfare. This award inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge, in particular the practical application of that knowledge, and I am excited to see how the research will continue to evolve in the future”. 

“Real world impact”

The judges praised all four 2024 BETA Thesis of the Year finalists for their practically applied topics of real relevance to the equine industry.

“The judging panel would like to congratulate each of the finalists on the successful completion of their dissertation.  During the competition their presentations allowed them to elaborate on their written work and bring their research to life,” said Dr Georgina Crossman who headed the four-strong judging panel.

“The selection of Alice as the winner was a unanimous decision by the judging panel.  Her dissertation was well written, concise and professionally presented. Its outcomes have real life application and could directly impact horse welfare.”

This is the ninth year BETA has run the competition which recognises the best in undergraduate study across the UK and Ireland. An international audience from the public, industry and academia watched the finalists’ presentations online.

Universities and colleges offering equine-related degrees are each invited to submit one undergraduate dissertation entry for the annual BETA Equine Thesis of the Year.

Following preliminary judging, the following made it through to Sunday’s final:

  • The Royal Veterinary College- Alice Goff – Prognostic indicators for survival in horses with African Horse Sickness.
  • University Centre Myerscough- Charlotte Hodgetts – Cooling practices for equine thermoregulation after cross country competition.
  • University of Limerick – Jake Draper – An investigation into the profitability of first season thoroughbred sires.
  • Aberystwyth University – Rifka Faithfull – Influences of double and snaffle bridles on equine behaviour at dressage competitions and factors that interact with their effect.

The judges were Dr Georgina Crossman – a research consultant and owner of GK Crossman Consultancy; Dr Katie Williams – the technical and product development manager at Dengie; Sarah Jenkins – Editor-in-Chief, Horse and Hound; and Jack Day, Veterinary Surgeon with Rossdales specialising in thoroughbred racehorses.

Enter BETA Calender competition

Enter BETA 2025 Calendar Competition

BETA Equestrian Calendar Competition 2025

Enter this year’s BETA Equestrian Calendar Competition and your photo might just be one of the lucky 12 chosen. From all the winning entries, one image will be judged Best in Show and the successful entrant will receive a luxury hamper. See how to enter the competition and check out the T&Cs.

BETA Equestrian Calendar Competition

1.    The competition will see 12 images chosen, each selected by the judges to represent a different month of the year. The entrant submitting the image judged Best in Show will win a luxury hamper.

2. All photographs must have been taken by the entrant, who must not be a professional photographer, ie one who makes a living from selling their images. Photographs belonging to a third party should not be submitted. It is important that all images have been taken by you. Failure to adhere to these rules will result in disqualification.

4. Photographs must be supplied in a digital format with a minimum size of 150 x 115mm (1,722 x 1,358px), 300 dpi, or at least 2MB, and must not be subject to copyright.

Landscape format is better for our calendar than portrait format.

5. Entries should be equestrian-themed.

6. Images should be emailed to info@beta-uk.org

Please include the entrant’s name, age, address and a description of what is depicted.

7. Deadline for entries is 17 September 2024.

8. The winner will be notified by email as soon as a decision has been made.

9: Entrants of photographs selected for inclusion in the calendar will be notified by email as soon as a decision has been made.

10. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

11. There is no alternative (including cash) to the prize offered.

12. The entrant gives BETA the permission to publish the photographs in the printed version of the calendar and to use the digital images on BETA’S social media, and other media, as well as other imaging, documentation and items associated with BETA.

13. Entrants will also be given the opportunity for their image and details to be passed to the National Equine Forum for the NEF25 Programme Cover Image Competition-for more details visit NEF website >>>