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What is safeguarding?

As a Federation we work together to ensure that all children, young people and adults at risk are safeguarded from abuse and have an enjoyable experience around horses.

Everyone who is involved in equestrian sport shares the responsibility for safeguarding, and British Equestrian and its Member Bodies work together to ensure that the whole Federation adopts and operates within an accepted ethical framework to protect children, young people and adults at risk from harm, abuse and degrading treatment whilst participating in equestrian sports and activities.

There's plenty of information below to you understand more about safeguarding - alternatively, head over to our dedicated web hub, Safe to play, where you'll find a host of videos, advice, FAQs and top tips - and importantly how to report a concern, whatever your role in equestrian. There's also downloadable posters for venues to support the importance of safeguarding.

HOW DOES british equestrian oversee safeguarding?

Together we seek to ensure that robust and consistent safeguarding systems exist across all members of the Federation through a collaborative approach to:

developing policies and procedures to create a safe environment;
providing accessible education programmes for our coaches, volunteers and participants;
sharing information in a timely and appropriate manner;
responding to and ensuring safeguarding concerns are investigated swiftly and thoroughly, working with statutory agencies via British Equestrian's network of Member Body-designated Safeguarding Officers and British Equestrian's Case Management Team

SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY

We all play our part in providing a safe environment for children and adults at risk. Across the Federation, we also have our own roles and responsibilities.

British Equestrian’s role is to provide leadership on safeguarding policy and practice for the Federation; providing advice and guidance and promoting best practice. British Equestrian also has a duty to deal with all child protection safeguarding concerns in relation to individuals within its own jurisdiction, whether those concerns are raised by BEF personnel or otherwise. British Equestrian may also manage safeguarding concerns referred to it by its Member Bodies.

As a Federation, British Equestrian and representatives of the Member Bodies collaborate through the Safeguarding Action Team (SAT). The SAT is responsible for ensuring safeguarding is embedded within equestrian sport by developing a Federation-wide strategic overview of safeguarding.

Each Member body appoints their own Safeguarding Officer, who is a member of the SAT, and has responsibility for safeguarding matters relating to their own members, officials, staff and volunteers.

IF YOU'RE CONCERNED

If at any point you feel you would like to talk to British Equestrian regarding a safeguarding concern, please contact safeguarding@bef.co.uk or call 02475313443, or contact the safeguarding officer for your discipline's Member Body.

More information about how to report a safeguarding concern can be found here.

If you want to talk to someone else, you can call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk.

If someone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Our policies

BRITISH EQUESTRIAN SAFEGUARDING POLICY (CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE)

British Equestrian Safeguarding Policy (Adults at Risk)

Spotting the signs of different types of abuse

If you're worried about a child or adult at risk, it can be hard to know what to do. We've got information and advice on different types of abuse, how to spot the signs and what you can do to help keep children and adults at risk safe.

Spotting the signs

Adults at Risk Types of Harm

how to protect yourself from an unwanted approach and risk of harm whilst out riding

Not everyone has someone to ride with, so you may find that you often ride out alone. Would you know what to do if you were approached in an unwanted and inappropriate way when out riding?

Protect yourself whilst OUT riding

NSPCC Guidance on Types of abuse