'Too much red tape' and lack of staff believed to be behind decline in North East riding schools
The British Horse Society found 15% of the UK's horse riding schools have closed since 2018.
One of the UK's leading equestrian welfare charities says the bond between humans and horses is at risk as riding centre numbers decline.
New figures from The British Horse Society (BHS) show eight riding schools have closed in the North East since 2018.
County Durham saw the biggest loss, with six having closed in that time.
Nationally the charity says 250 schools have shut down, or 15 percent of all UK riding centres.
It says that equates to a loss of one-and-a-half million riding lessons every year due to the closures.
CEO of the BHS James Hick, says the bond between horses and humans is unique. He added:
"More than 90% of people who first get the opportunity to ride a horse, gain that unbelievable connection between a horse and human relationships at that point."
James also says the schools can be a lifeline for children who've been kicked out of school:
"By going to a riding school it really allows them to develop their education and get them back onto the school curriculum.
"It's the connection with the horse that allows that to happen, so if we lose that its going to be devastating.
Leigh Belbin owns Murton Equestrian Centre in North Tyneside, a BHS approved riding school which has taken to facilitating more apprenticeships in order to train their own staff, after struggling to find qualified coaches.
Leigh said she has heard other proprietors saying 'it's not worth it, it's not worth me doing this, I'm going to change to a livery yard and I'm going to give up the riding school, because of the red tape.'
Leigh and her yard manager, her daughter Charlotte are both also concerned that the closure of more riding schools will make it more of an elitist sport as access decreases.
The centre also runs the BHS Changing Lives through Horses programme which takes in children who have been excluded from mainstream schools to offer alternative education.
Charlotte says "maths and English are woven in but they're not sat in a classroom doing it obviously, they're doing it while around the horses."
Leigh added:
"It's also giving them communication skills and making them part of a team.
"We find that the children are very different when they leave school and come here.
"If you are busy or loud the horses don't react well to that so they have to learn self control and to be calming."
James Hick, CEO of the British Horse Society explained the challenges riding schools across the country are facing:
"Some is likely to be the covid effect, but putting that aside, there's also a rising cost in running a riding school.
"One of the other issues is being able to access really good staff to train people.
"There are so many great jobs available and there's a really strong demand from people who want to learn.
"So we would encourage people to go to a riding school, learn how to ride, and then become a coach or do other work within the equestrian sector."
In response to the claims that there is too much 'red tape' involved for stables to keep up with the Government said in a statement:
'The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities involving animals that are licensed by local authorities and are accompanied by statutory guidance notes for each activity.
'This aims to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England.
'We are always seeking to learn from implementation and make improvements where necessary.
'The 2018 Regulations are in the process of being reviewed, which includes the standards and guidance. Key sector representatives, such as the British Horse Society, have been involved this review.
'It is for local authorities to implement the regime. Local authorities should be the point of enquiry therefore on the application of the regime.
'If a licence holder is unhappy about the way a local authority handles an enquiry, they can report the matter to the Chief Executive of the local authority or further still to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO).