BHS Gold Membership: thinking of letting renewal lapse

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

As title really.

BHS Gold renewal is due soon: I only use it for the insurance.

As a hobby rider I feel BHS isn't really speaking the same language as people like me who are Happy Hackers. They seem to be very much geared towards more "elite" competition riders and those wishing to do BHS exams.

Am thinking of looking around for other "riding insurance" deals such as WHW/HH.

Anyone else felt same way?

 

[teapot]

Funny you should say that, I found one of their membership magazines from Autumn 2018 - I'd forgotten how good and broad a read it was, compared to what comes through these days, so yes I'd agree there's been a change in their approach.

The cynic in me says they're pushing education and exams as they've dropped off since Covid and they're a nice money earner. The centres barely get anything for running them, yet a candadiate's paying £200-£500 for a full exam... the maths doesn't make sense.

I too will likely cancel this year.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

I'd say they've lost revenue too since Brexit and their insurance no longer covers Ireland, so people here no longer buy their membership, they provide nothing of any consequence here.

I haven't renewed mine since the insurance doesn't cover Ireland.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Yes, I felt the same so switched to WHW.

 

[Meredith]

I was pondering this too.
Has anyone compared HH and WHW with BHS?

 

[honetpot]

I was a member for thirty plus years, mainly because at the time I thought it supported horse welfare and promoted a standand in riding. When I looked in to how it was run and how the money was spent I realised it was more like a professional organisation for equine professionals and their needs where put a head of the every day rider, it was more about empire building. I would rather give my money to someone else.

 

[meleeka]

I seem to remember someone mentioning the Veteran Horse Society does third party insurance.

I feel the same. I meant to cancel when there was all the conflict before, which Janet George was involved in. I lost all respect for them over that .

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I was a member for thirty plus years, mainly because at the time I thought it supported horse welfare and promoted a standand in riding. When I looked in to how it was run and how the money was spent I realised it was more like a professional organisation for equine professionals and their needs where put a head of the every day rider, it was more about empire building. I would rather give my money to someone else.

^^^ Yep you've said what I was trying to say.

Thanks!

 

[Goldenstar]

Geared to Elite riders really ?
You must have a very different a of elite than I do .

 

[lynz88]

funny that this should come up as I let my BHS membership lapse this year (horse was off and for the most part, still is) so didn't see a reason to renew straight away. Will be looking into these as alternatives tbh, particularly as I don't really agree with the "BHS way of doing things"

 

[teapot]

Geared to Elite riders really ?
You must have a very different a of elite than I do .

I can kinda see what the OP means though - the 'here's a person having a lesson with x' feautures have a certain level of rider about them, ie rarely if ever is it someone happy doing the odd unaffliated test or course for example. Elite is perhaps the wrong word, but there has been a shift to only using those either solely focussing on exam prep, or those affiliating.

I find it somewhat baffling there's never anything about or for those who are riding school clients of any level either.

 

[criso]

I did when I took out different insurance that included 3rd party. It's over £90 now and I didn't feel I got much for that.

 

[honetpot]

Geared to Elite riders really ?
You must have a very different a of elite than I do .

There is a general dismay about the standards of horse welfare mainly due to ignorance and the decreasing lack of riding schools. I will admit I have not looked at the website for a long time but its used to have no printable guides for horse care, and what information there was was text dense and looked boring. The updated parts, which stood out were about exams and professional developement. The Blue Cross and WHW is somewhere I would direct people for practical horse knowledge, for free.

I looked on my membership as a charity donation, I did once do a Stage 3 course just to find out if I knew as much as I thought I did at a BHS approved centre, and basically I depressed at the standard of teaching, the course was taught by an I at the time, and how the yard was run.

I also have an issue with the magazine which was paid for by adverts from mainly feed companies in every edition, and not really promoting best practice.

 

[Goldenstar]

But geared to elite riders it’s just not .

 

[YourValentine]

The BHS does do great work and campaigning on access and bridleways and road safety that no other organisation does.

I looked at a few alternatives, and while it is insurance "of last resort" it has the highest public liability and personal accident cover for the price of the others I looked at.

 

[YourValentine]

If you are not happy about the magazine content, why not write to them and say? They may think they are catering to their audience.

 

[Skib]

I joined the BHS (Life Membership) just before my first hack, to have rider cover and have never regretted it. When OH started to ride, I persuaded him to do the same. As car drivers we knew the importance of having insurance and I regarded it as a weight off my mind. I benefitted at one point too from seeking their legal advice after an instructor ordered me to do something which I thought unwise and possibly dangerous.
OH and I receive 2 copies of the magazine. This seems impossible to alter since voting papers are sent out with the magazine and every member needs to be sent a set.

 

[teapot]

If you are not happy about the magazine content, why not write to them and say? They may think they are catering to their audience.

Can't speak for anyone else, but an acquaintance of mine works in the education department and from what she tells me, they're not interested in listening to what their own staff think, let alone their members. Which may explain the shift in their approach to their grassroots members

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I do think their bridleway improvement work is really valuable. I did give feedback in a recent survey that more events/demos/clinics for adults without their own horses would be very valued.

I've been thinking about cancelling membership as I haven't had need of the rider insurance for over a year now, but I do like the idea of supporting the bridleway work.

 

[tda]

Not overly bothered by the magazine, I think they take their inspiration from the mother ship (H&H)

I was surprised how much our local group do, have been to one event and will be trying to get to more

 

[nagblagger]

I have it just for the insurance cover as I own more than 1 equine, like any insurance company you can only judge if you need to claim. I have had to claim and they were approachable and caring, sorting the whole thing without any further involvement from me.

 

[Orangehorse]

How can the BHS represent the riding and horse owning population to the Government if riders don't join?

It certainly isn't dealing with competition riders as it doesn't do competitions any longer.

The fewer members it has the less it is able to do regarding access, road safety, welfare. Its a bit of a poor show when people say"I only join for the insurance." Who is going to represent riders and owners?

It has an international standard training and examination system.

Am I correct in thinking that all riders in France have to be members of the national organisation? Therefore there is a true representative of the numbers of riders in the country.

 

[supertramp]

Have been using WHW for a few years, cover for external injury, they didnt quibble when I claimed for a cellulitis, paid the vet very quickly.

 

[littlehicole]

I'm an overseas member (renewed last month) so no insurance. I just look on it as a charity donation.

 

[HopOnTrot]

Back in the day BHS membership used to get you into the members tent at Badminton where sneaky 16 year olds could order a bottle of wine for their table

 

[Squeak]

I haven't looked in to it thoroughly but you do get some insurance with BD, BS and BE. I'm pretty sure that BS's was the same level as BHS but wouldn't want to swear to that. When I glanced at it, BD seemed to offer insurance with their club membership which is cheaper than BHS membership.

If anyone is thinking of affiliating then it could help reduce costs if you only pay for one membership.

 

[YourValentine]

I joined the BHS (Life Membership) just before my first hack, to have rider cover and have never regretted it. When OH started to ride, I persuaded him to do the same. As car drivers we knew the importance of having insurance and I regarded it as a weight off my mind. I benefitted at one point too from seeking their legal advice after an instructor ordered me to do something which I thought unwise and possibly dangerous.
OH and I receive 2 copies of the magazine. This seems impossible to alter since voting papers are sent out with the magazine and every member needs to be sent a set.

I wrote and asked them not to send me the magazine on environmental grounds, and I'm pushing for a digital version. You maybe able to get them to only send you one copy?

 

[rabatsa]

I joined the BHS (Life Membership) just before my first hack, to have rider cover and have never regretted it. When OH started to ride, I persuaded him to do the same. As car drivers we knew the importance of having insurance and I regarded it as a weight off my mind. I benefitted at one point too from seeking their legal advice after an instructor ordered me to do something which I thought unwise and possibly dangerous.
OH and I receive 2 copies of the magazine. This seems impossible to alter since voting papers are sent out with the magazine and every member needs to be sent a set.

Mr R is also a member, however we only recieve one magazine and only one of us can vote. Years ago we could both vote but have one magazine.

 

[Rowreach]

I cancelled mine a few years ago partly because being on the coaches’ register with them was a complete rip off and partly because BHS Ireland is the biggest clique imaginable and they do F all for anyone in Ireland who doesn’t live in Co Antrim or Co Down.

Being on the register cost me hundreds every year in renewals and CPD for which anyone not in one of two areas favoured by them has to travel 2or 3 hours each way, lose money on earnings and potentially pay someone else for yard cover etc, and much of the training wasn’t worth it anyway. I can get instructor cover for a couple of hundred quid elsewhere and do any training locally or online. I get my normal public liability for the horses from HH these days.

We have no bridleways in Ireland, very limited off road riding, and they do practically nothing to promote the expansion of existing riding routes or provision of new ones. We’ve lost four out of five off road routes local to me in the past 20 years and they’ve done nothing to stop it.

They didn’t respond when I contacted them about the appalling welfare issues at a local horse market (which thankfully no longer takes place). Not a word despite complaints from a lot of people

I also despaired at the training and exams system- if you think exams are expensive in GB, well they charge even more for Ireland because apparently all assessors have to be brought over and accommodated (although they could use ones based here). It was cheaper to travel to England and pay flights and accommodation than do St4 in Ireland

I remember paying a lot of money to go on a St4 training course only to find that the BHS had decided there weren’t enough Is in Ireland and they had gathered up a group of IIs who were set loose on us for 3 days, and they were the ones that got the training from the Fellows we thought we're meant to be training us. Some of them were dire, but it was no surprise that they all sailed through the exam and the BHS got their numbers up

I commented on a thread on here years ago about how disillusioned I was with BHS Ireland and got a message from Stoneleigh asking if I would be willing to chat about it with one of the FBHSs - who was a bezzie mate of the ones running things over here, so I declined.

One of the final straws for me was the purchase of the horse boxes for their road trips. That’s charity money not well spent.

I typed all that in the middle of the night and then decided not to post it, but actually, I think it's all relevant so here goes.

 

[Vodkagirly]

The BHS have been running a lot of good training events in my area. The local team have some good ideas and are proactive. What I have found strange is there is a discount if its towards a CPD but since I have no qualifications, I pay same as non members
I thought about doing my stages as it would be good to remind myself of the "correct" way but the price of the exams put me off.