Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of the Canadian Equestrian Sport & Recreation Sector

Client: Equestrian Canada

We worked with Equestrian Canada (EC) to understand the socio-economic impacts of the Canadian equine sector. While the sector contributes to people’s wellbeing and the Canadian economy, a sector-wide study had not been conducted in over a decade. As a result, the project was timely.

The three main goals of this project were to:

1. Increase the understanding of the current state of the sector, including the topics of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

2. Identify and articulate the economic and social impacts of sport and recreational participation and performance pathways within the sector.

3. Develop strategic recommendations to ensure the sustainability and inclusivity of the sector in Canada.

To achieve these goals, we collaborated with EC to create an advisory committee, which helped to identify relevant studies and provided support with sector outreach. We also reviewed academic and industry literature to inform our understanding of the current state of the sector.

We planned and facilitated key stakeholder interviews and a national survey. In total, we conducted 40 key informant interviews and over 4,200 people participated in the survey. We worked with Serecon to assess the economic impact of the sector.

Through our research and engagement, we developed a final report that summarized the current state of the equine sector. This report included six recommendations that the sector can implement to help it grow and thrive in the coming years.

1. Develop a plan to conduct a regular ‘census’ and economic impact study of the Canadian equine herd.

2. Lead opportunities to improve inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in the Canadian equine sector.

3. Collaborate with the Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs) to support grassroots initiatives and youth participation to grow the love for equine sports and activities amongst Canadians.  

4. Continue to work with multiple levels of government to ensure the classification of equines and equine barns as an active component of the Canadian agricultural industry.

5. Conduct a follow-up study to better understand the current state of the Canadian equestrian competition landscape, and to identify opportunities to strengthen the vibrancy and resiliency of this landscape.

6. Continue to champion increased traceability of equines within Canada to support biosecurity, and accurate and up-to-date population figures.

You can learn more about the project through this press release. You can also access the entire report here, and the supplementary info here.

Is your organization interested in better understanding the strengths, challenges, gaps, and opportunities your sector faces? Are you interested in learning how to increase the sustainability, inclusivity, diversity, equitability, and accessibility of your sector and your organization? We can help.

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