BETA Safety Week, the annual awareness-raising initiative, will now run from June 27 to July 5 after being postponed in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign, now in its third year, is supported by many of the sport’s top riders and organisations, including British Eventing, the British Horse Society, the Point-to-Point Authority, British Riding Clubs and the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund.
BETA will also be working in collaboration with Air Ambulances UK for the first time to reflect the work that it does among the equestrian community.
BETA Safety Week encourages riders to visit participating BETA retailers for reliable advice on all aspects of safety gear and equipment such as hi-viz, footwear, riding hats and body protectors.
The trade association’s retail members taking part will show their support by displaying BETA Safety Week marketing material, many offering consumers the chance to take part in the BETA Safety Test quiz, with a £100 shopping voucher prize.
“We had originally timed the campaign to tie in with the start of the competition season, but many events and competitions have, sadly, been cancelled,” said BETA executive director Claire Williams.
“Now, we’re facing the start of the ‘new’, delayed competition season as the three Olympic disciplines propose starts in some way between now and July 4. A rescheduled BETA Safety Week will give riders returning to competition the chance to check that their equipment still meets the rules and is fit for purpose.”
BETA has developed protocols to help its retail members offer as safe a service as possible to riders visiting their stores.
Ms Williams added: “Fitting safety garments such as riding hats and body protectors can be a close-contact process, so retailers have revised many of their procedures to cater for concerns around distancing and hygiene.
“BETA has prepared detailed advice for its members to help them adapt appropriately and retailers have high levels of hygiene practices, such as staff wearing masks and gloves, in place.”x
