Equi Mind
For the people behind the horses.
There are hundreds of reasons why horses become such an important part of our lives. For some it’s a lifelong passion, the relationship with their horse and being part of an equestrian community. Others love showing, dressage, showjumping, eventing, endurance or competing at weekends. Some are happiest hacking out, spending time at the yard or simply enjoying life with their horse.
For others, horses are also a career, a business or a livelihood.
Helping People and Organisations Thrive
Whatever brings you into the equestrian world, it rarely stays in one small corner of your life. Horses take commitment, time and money. They shape routines, friendships, weekends, working hours and, quite often, where and how people choose to live.
They can bring enormous enjoyment, achievement, friendship and purpose. They can also bring pressures that people outside the equestrian community may never really see.
The cost of feed, hay and haylage, bedding, livery, farriers, vets and insurance. Dark winter mornings and seemingly endless mud. Worrying about an injury or illness. Finding the money for an unexpected vet bill. Balancing horses with work and family life.
For those who show or compete, there is training, travel, entry fees and preparation, along with the inevitable highs and lows of competition. A horse going lame at the wrong moment can change an entire season.
For people whose livelihood depends on the sector, there can be another layer of pressure. Long hours, staffing, cash flow, clients, injury and earning a living around animals whose needs don’t conveniently fit into a working day.
Equi Mind is for that whole community. From someone with one much-loved horse to amateur and professional competitors, grooms, apprentices, livery teams, trainers, farriers, equine vets, physiotherapists, saddle fitters, transporters and the many other people whose lives or work revolve around horses.
When the pressure starts to build
For many people, it isn’t one big thing. It’s several things happening at the same time.
Keeping horses has become increasingly expensive. A National Equine Welfare Council survey of more than 6,000 equine owners found 81% were concerned about the continuing pressure of increased costs. Almost four in ten said rising costs were having a medium or high impact on their ability to keep their horse, pony or donkey and that they had made additional sacrifices to provide basic care.
The increases were being felt across everyday ownership: 80% reported increased veterinary fees, 65% increased farrier costs and 62% increased insurance costs.
Perhaps the figure that says most about the pressure is this: 1 in 5 had taken another job or increased their working hours to help pay for their equine’s care.
That’s where financial pressure and time pressure begin to collide.
Add early mornings, evenings at the yard, work, relationships, children, dark winters, difficult turnout and everything else that makes up everyday life, and it’s easy to see how something you love can sometimes become difficult to balance.
concerned about continuing increased costs
took another job or increased their working hours to help pay for equine care
Source: National Equine Welfare Council survey of more than 6,000 equine owners. Veterinary fees up for 80%, farrier costs for 65%, insurance for 62%.
When horses are also your livelihood
Working with horses brings a different set of pressures.
An injury can mean lost income. Long and unpredictable hours can affect life outside work. Running a yard or equestrian business brings staff, customers, costs and cash flow alongside the responsibility of caring for animals.
Research involving 551 grooms found poor working conditions were linked with anxiety among 65% of respondents and depression among 55%. Some 43% reported experiencing bullying and more than 64% said they did not have a formal employment contract.
Behind the jobs people may dream of doing are pressures that aren’t always obvious from the outside.
The people caring for our horses need support too
Veterinary medicine is highly skilled, respected work. It is also a profession carrying a mental-health statistic that is difficult to ignore.
Suicide rates among veterinary surgeons in the UK are three to four times those of the general population.
Vetlife is clear that suicide is complex and cannot be attributed to a single cause. Its work nevertheless highlights the particular pressures that can exist within veterinary life.
In 2024, more than 600 contacts to the Vetlife Helpline came from people experiencing suicidal thoughts. In 2025, that number exceeded 800.
How Equi Mind can help
Mental Health 360 has been supporting people and communities with their mental health since 2003. Equi Mind brings that experience into the equestrian sector.
If anxiety, stress, worry, low mood, isolation, burnout or something else is affecting how you feel, our Knowledge Library provides practical information and guidance to help you understand what’s happening and what you can do next.
If you feel you need more support, you can also find out about our counselling services and how to access them.
Equi Mind is designed for the equestrian sector, by people who understand it.
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Low mood
- Burnout
- Confidence & self-esteem
Articles for Equi Mind
Latest perspectives
Help someone get support when cost stands in the way.
Life around horses can bring enormous enjoyment, but when anxiety, stress, low mood or other pressures begin to affect someone, professional support can make a difference.
Not everyone will be in a position to fund counselling themselves.
Donations to Mental Health 360 help us provide free-to-access counselling for people who otherwise may not be able to afford it.
When accidents happen
Accidents happen, and recovery isn’t always only physical.
British Horse Society figures show 19,528 road incidents involving horses were recorded between 2016 and 2025. During that period, 999 people were injured and eight people lost their lives.
An accident can affect confidence, mental health, work and income long after the immediate physical injuries have been treated.
Equi Mind can support the mental and emotional side of recovery. We also work alongside specialist law firms that can provide legal advice and support where an accident may give rise to a claim.
The Equine Hub
Mental health is at the heart of Equi Mind, but it isn’t the only reason to visit.
The Equine Hub brings together useful guides, practical information, new articles and blogs covering the things people across the equestrian world are interested in.
From horse ownership, winter and safety to competition, confidence, working in the industry and mental wellbeing.
- Mental wellbeing
- Horse ownership
- Riding & confidence
- Working with horses
- Winter
- Safety
- Competition
- Practical guides
Want to support Equi Mind?
Donate, organise an event at your yard, club or business, fundraise for us or talk to us about becoming a partner.
If you’ve got an idea for an event, we’d love to hear it. Whether it’s a show, sponsored ride, yard event, competition, social evening, challenge or something completely different, we’ll get involved and support where we can.
Equi Mind. For the people behind the horses.