Report - Section 4.5

4.5   Volume of riding holidays

Research by the Scottish Tourist Board (STB, 2001) indicates that horse-riding holidays in the UK by UK residents accounted for around 350,000 trips in 2000 although the small sample size mean that this should be treated with caution. Of the 350,000 trips, 200,000 were short breaks and 150,000 were long holidays.

UKTS provides information about the volume of UK residents who participate in horse-riding as an activity on holiday. As the main purpose of a holiday, riding represents less than 0.5% of holidays. However, 2% of holidays involve horse-riding as an activity undertaken during the holiday.

Table 4.4: Horse-riding as an activity on a UK tourism holiday by UK residents in England in 2000

	% of all holidays
As activity pursued as the main purpose of the holiday	less than 0.5%
As an activity undertaken during holiday	2%
As activity pursued as the main purpose of the holiday	less than 0.5%

UK Tourist 2000: tourism by residents of the United Kingdom in 2000

This compares with 16% undertaking ‘walking, hiking, hill/fell walking, rambling, orienteering’, 5% ‘sailing, boating, canoeing, watersports’ and 4% ‘cycling’.

In 1992, it was estimated that there were perhaps 5,000 horse riders taking part in trail riding/horse touring holidays, the great majority of whom used hired horses. (Moyes, 1992)¹³. The picture is likely to have changed considerably in the last 10 years.

Information from the International Passenger Survey suggests that 2% of overseas visitors to the UK go riding whilst on holiday and 1% said that it influenced their decision to come.

Figures are available for the South East region for horse-riding as an activity undertaken during the holiday. The numbers involved are very small, so must be treated with caution, but they show something similar to the national picture, just 1% in 2000, 2% in 2002. Only Cumbria (7%), Northumbria (5%) and the South West (3%) showed higher figures than the South East.

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¹³ In France, 10% of regular riders go horse touring each year, compared to less than one half a per cent in the UK and 1 in 12 take their own horse on holiday with them in France. Equestrian tourism has been developed and promoted by a number of Departments in France. In addition rules about access are different and the right to roam for horse-riders is extensive in both France and Italy.