THE Sports and Recreation Alliance is featuring questions on horse riding in its biennial Sports Club Survey for the first time.

The aim of the survey is to identify how community and grassroots sports clubs are faring post-London Games.

The decision to include riders comes after the huge increase in interest in equestrianism as a sport after the success of the 2012 Olympics.

The survey, which will be followed and completed by British Horse Society-affiliated bridleway groups and British Riding Clubs, includes questions such as: Å What opportunities, challenges and barriers do you face as a sports club?

Å How are you coping financially, and in terms of sustaining or growing your membership?

Å Are you feeling the squeeze of council cuts?

Å What training and support would you like to see offered by nonprofit organisations to clubs in the future?

The information gathered by the survey will be used by both the BHS and the alliance to campaign to achieve the best deal for equestrians and improve the environment for sports clubs.

Heather Clatworthy, BHS senior executive for access and rights of way, said: “We are grateful that equestrians have been included in this survey for the first time and look forward to studying the findings.

“Contributing to surveys such as these give us hard facts and figures to help lobby for more for equestrians, so I encourage people to take part and help us make a difference”.

Annette Falkingham added on behalf of British Riding Clubs: “I’m looking forward to receiving the survey results, as I believe that many of our British Riding Clubs are not fully aware of funding opportunities currently available to them.

“I’m hoping that this survey may highlight this and steer clubs towards finding some of these funding streams.

British Riding Clubs will also help to promote and support clubs with future funding awareness.”

The Sports Club Survey can be filled in until June, and results will be revealed in October.

To find out more, visit sportandrecreation.org.

uk/policy/SSC.