the Horse in Sweden – more important than you think

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Experiences and possibilities The Swedish horse sector can be likened to a folk movement which has grown all the stronger over the last few years. The origin of this folk movement can most easily be explained by the flood of money back into the sport from totalisator gaming. But the situation in Sweden is also part of a European-wide trend for a growing interest in horses, as evidenced in the rise in the amount of horses here over the last few years. We now have one of the largest populations of horses in Europe and proof of the Swede’s love for the horse can be seen in the fact that riding is one of the country’s biggest sports, counted in active horse riders. Many people share a more passive interest, through gambling or perhaps through a family member with an interest in horses. Spectator sport Horse racing etc is a large spectator sport in Sweden. 2003 saw over 2.1 million visitors to Swedish racetracks. The international riding competitions that take place in the country: The Gothenburg Horse Show at Scandinavium, The Stockholm International Horse Show at Globen and The Falsterbo Horse Show receive 180 000 visitors annually. Trotting is the third-most televised sport on Swedish TV, after football and ice hockey. The horse-owner Being a horse owner is certainly a hobby more demanding than most. Horses need daily attention, which demands both good planning and great 14 The horse in Sweden – more important than you think commitment. Whilst the horse-owner is more often than not a private individual this is not necessarily always the case, as even different types of clubs, businesses, associations and farms can be horse-owners. The more advanced forms of ownership usually serve the purpose of financing expensive sport or stud horses. Owning a horse incurs costs for fodder, stable-space, farrier, veterinarian bills etc. The average cost of owning a horse is around SEK 18 000 per year but this cost varies greatly from horse to horse. A ”hobby” pony can cost SEK 3 000 per year whereas a professionally kept competition horse can cost SEK 100 000 or more per year to own. Riding clubs and riding schools There are around 220 000 people in Sweden’s riding clubs. The vast majority of members, 85 percent, are women. Over 100 000 of the total amount of members are girls under 25 years of age. 540 of the country’s almost 1 000 clubs run riding schools. Riding offers its practitioners both physical training and the thrill of competition plus a not insignificant side-aspect. This side-aspect cannot, perhaps, be strictly characterised as sport but rather consists of taking care and responsibility for the horse. This effectively means that there is room within the sport for those that have not achieved success in competition or indeed have any ambition in doing so.
The horse in Sweden – more important than you think 15
Page 1 and 2: the Horse in Sweden - more importan
Page 3 and 4: Contents The horse in Sweden today
Page 5 and 6: The horse in Sweden - more importan
Page 7 and 8: Successful breeding There are quite
Page 9 and 10: Horse breeds in Sweden Akhal-Teke A
Page 11 and 12: The horse in Sweden - more importan
Page 13 and 14: Jumping is indisputably the largest
Page 15: Since 1973, Aktiebolaget Trav och G
Page 19 and 20: Social importance and the potential
Page 21 and 22: Horses create employment and stimul
Page 23 and 24: Over 200 exhibitors and almost 80 0
Page 25 and 26: Around fifty veterinarians have suc
Page 27 and 28: Do you want to know more about hors

the Horse in Sweden – more important than you think

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