What does BHS Approved actually mean?

BHS Approved means the British Horse Society has inspected the yard against its Approved Centre standards (covering instruction, horse welfare, facilities, and safety) and the yard has paid the annual membership fee. The badge is renewed by re-inspection, typically every two to three years. It does not certify the qualifications of every individual instructor on the yard.

What is the difference between BHS and ABRS approval?

Both are voluntary accreditation schemes for UK riding schools. The British Horse Society (BHS) is the larger national body and runs a tiered Approved Centre scheme. The Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS+) is the dedicated trade body for riding schools and runs its own approval scheme with comparable standards. Many strong yards hold both, some hold one, and a yard holding neither is not necessarily poor quality.

Is a yard required to be BHS or ABRS approved to operate legally?

No. The legal requirement in England, Wales and Scotland is a Riding Establishments Act licence issued by the local council, which involves a vet inspection and renewal each year. BHS and ABRS approval are voluntary on top of that. Always check that any yard you use holds a current local council licence.

Should I use a yard that is not BHS or ABRS approved?

It is reasonable to use a yard that holds neither badge if it holds a current Riding Establishments Act licence, the horses look well, the facilities are appropriate, and the instructor is qualified for the lessons you want. The accreditation badges are useful signals but they are not a complete proxy for yard quality.

How can I check whether a yard is BHS or ABRS approved?

The BHS publishes a search of its Approved Centres on its public website. ABRS+ does the same. Saddl displays accreditation status on each yard{`s} listing, drawing from yards{`} self-declared submissions and cross-checks against the public registers.

BHS vs ABRS approval: what the difference actually is

By Will Bales, founder of Saddl. Last reviewed 7 May 2026.

Two badges show up on most UK riding school websites. BHS Approved. ABRS Approved (now usually written ABRS+). Both signal quality but they are not interchangeable, and most riders using a school for the first time have a vague sense of what each one means without quite knowing the boundary. This guide walks through what each accreditation actually covers, what it does not, and how to weight them when choosing a yard.

The British Horse Society (BHS)

The BHS is the largest equestrian charity in the UK and the standard-bearer for instructor qualifications, welfare campaigning, and approved-centre inspection. The BHS Approved Centre scheme inspects yards against published standards covering instruction, horse welfare, safety, facilities, and rider experience. Approval is renewed by re-inspection on a multi-year cycle.

BHS approval has tiers (Approved, Highly Commended, and other recognitions in specific specialisms such as accessible riding or pony-club partnerships). Yards displaying the badge are entitled to use the standard BHS Approved logo on their materials. The badge does not certify every instructor on the yard; individual instructor qualifications are a separate scheme run by the BHS.

The Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS+)

ABRS+ is the trade body representing UK riding schools. Where the BHS covers the whole equestrian world (welfare, instruction, access to bridleways, competition pathways), ABRS+ is dedicated to the riding school as a teaching business. Its approval scheme inspects against standards comparable to the BHS Approved Centre standards, with a particular emphasis on the lesson-school experience.

ABRS+ also runs its own grading system, with Highly Commended being the upper tier visible on yard websites. Many strong UK riding schools hold both BHS and ABRS+ approval; some hold only one because of cost, fit with the yard's focus, or simply preference.

What both have in common

Independent inspection against published standards.
Renewal by periodic re-inspection.
An annual membership fee paid by the yard.
A complaints process visible to the public.
A public register that any rider can search.

What neither badge tells you

Whether the specific instructor you ride with is qualified. Yard accreditation is yard-level. Instructor qualifications are person-level. A BHS Approved Centre may employ instructors at various levels of qualification and experience.

How busy the yard is and how booked-up specific lesson slots are. Approval says nothing about availability or capacity.

What the lesson string looks like. The horses you ride day to day are the most direct measure of the experience and approval covers welfare standards but not horse-rider matching.

Whether the yard is the right cultural fit. Some accredited yards are competition-focused, some are leisure-focused, some run a Pony Club programme on weekends. Approval is silent on culture.

The legal layer underneath both

Before either accreditation, every commercial UK riding school must hold a current Riding Establishments Act (REA) licence issued by the local council. The licence is renewed annually and requires a vet inspection covering horse health, premises safety, insurance, and rider supervision. Operating without an REA licence is illegal.

REA licensing is the floor; BHS and ABRS+ approval are voluntary additions on top of it. The REA licence is the single most important piece of paper to verify before riding at a yard you do not know.

How Saddl shows accreditation

Saddl displays four signals on each yard listing where the yard or our records indicate they apply: BHS Approved, ABRS+ Approved, Council-licensed (the REA licence), and Riding Establishment Act licensed. Where the yard has additional accreditations (Pony Club, Riding for the Disabled, ITM, etc.) these may also appear.

Across the Saddl directory of 778 published UK venues, 218 are BHS Approved, 54 are ABRS+ Approved, and 122 hold a current council riding establishment licence. The figures represent a snapshot of yards that have either submitted accreditation directly to Saddl or whose accreditation status has been verified against the BHS and ABRS+ public registers.

Find an approved yard near you

Browse Saddl's county directory to find approved riding schools near you, or read our guide on choosing a riding school for a deeper walkthrough of what to ask on a first visit.