2023 Membership Pricing Review

As part of the budgeting process for next year, the BD Board has recently conducted a review of the membership packages and pricing policy ahead of the new season starting on 1 January 2024.

While British Dressage membership and horse registration figures continue to reach new record levels, as an organisation we are not immune to the ongoing impact of high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.  As the sport has grown, so have our operational costs and overheads, to ensure that our 18,800+ members, coaches, officials, and organisers continue to receive the same high standards of service.

Thanks to a strong recovery after the pandemic, we have fortunately been able to freeze prices for the past three years, with only one price increase to member subscriptions since 2019.  However, over this time, ongoing economic challenges have continued to put increased pressure on all aspects of the business, particularly the level of expenditure required to run our championships and events, while the cost of insurance provision alone has doubled.

Although we already subsidise many of our activities, as part of our commitment to offer members excellent value for money, it is vitally important that we continue to produce a balanced budget while still reinvesting in the sport for the benefit of all stakeholders and maintaining service levels.  Therefore, it is necessary that we increase our membership costs for 2024.

The good news is that our reserves position has enabled us to largely insulate members from the negative effects of this double-digit inflation over the past two years, so we can keep the increases to subscription prices for 2024 to a minimum.

The change in pricing will mean that competing members will pay £3 extra on their annual subscription, while horse registrations will rise by just £2.  As a result, the combined package for a single horse and rider for Full, Club and Winter members will increase by £5 per annum, whereas a non-competing membership will cost £2.50 more per annum.

In summary, the following price increases will apply from 1 January 2024:

Full (Competing) membership and horse registration

• Full (Competing) Member subscription will increase by £3 to £98 per year, or £8.75 if paying monthly – just 25p per month extra on 2023 prices, equivalent to 3.2%.
• Horse registration prices will increase by £2 per year to £82 per year, or £7.25 if paid monthly – an increase of just 2.5%, well below the rate of inflation and Consumer Prices Index.
• The Full (Competing) membership package for a single horse and rider will therefore cost £180 per annum, an extra £5 combined, which represents an overall price increase of under 3%.

Full (Non-Competing) membership

• Full (Non-Competing) membership will increase by £2.50 to £62.50 per year, or £5.50 if paid monthly – just over 20p per month extra on 2023 prices.

Club membership and horse registration

• Club membership will increase by £3 per year to £38 per year, while horse registration prices will increase by £2 to £17, so a Club package for a single horse and rider will cost £55 per annum.

Winter membership

• Winter membership, which runs from 1 October to 31 March, will also increase by £2.50, taking the cost for the six-month membership to £57.50.
• Horse registration for Winter members will also increase by £2.50 to £57.50 for six months, or a combined £115 for a single horse and rider, an extra £5 combined compared to 2023 prices.

The cost of Life, Trial and Quest Winter League membership options remain unchanged.

BD Youth riders aged 16 and under will continue to benefit from a 20% discount on all membership types, with the discount applied automatically on joining or renewal providing we have a parent/guardian/carer contact in place. 

British Dressage remains the most affordable Olympic discipline to be part of, with membership also offering a whole host of other benefits.  Despite the steep rises in insurance premiums, we’re delighted to still be able to offer full cover for all annual subscriptions, including third party liability and personal accident provision, with a first-class service provided by KBIS British Equestrian Insurance.  Our legal partners Rothera Bray also continue to offer a free legal helpline to all BD members, with their knowledgeable team on hand seven days a week to provide specialist equine legal advice and support.

We’re continuing to invest a significant amount back into the sport too, to enhance the experience for all members; through the training and education provided to our judges, stewards and coaches, the support for Youth and Para development with our Academy structure, by enhancing our IT systems and website, and a range of special projects to support our EDI, sustainability, and equine welfare initiatives.

BD Chief Executive Jason Brautigam commented: “Having only made one price increase over a five-year period, we’ve worked hard to make membership and horse registration for members as affordable as possible.  After navigating difficult economic conditions post-Brexit and through the Covid crisis, we now face the challenges posed by inflation over the last two years, particularly the rising cost-of-living, energy, and supply chain costs, which have had a significant impact on our overheads. 
 
We also have more riders than ever taking part in affiliated dressage competition, which means we have more members to service and support, whilst still ensuring that we’re delivering the highest of standards in both the competition and training arena.  As membership and horse registrations make up the majority of our income, we’ve had to introduce some modest price increases this year, to ensure that we can continue to provide a high-quality member experience.  
 
I hope that members can appreciate our best efforts to keep these increases as low as possible, below the national average for inflation, and agree that our subscription fees still offer great value for money.  We’re both the largest and cheapest Olympic discipline, which is thanks to the success and strength of our membership – so I thank you all for continuing to support British Dressage.” 

Price Comparison Table

Membership Subscription

Membership type	2023 prices	2024 prices
Full (competing) - Annual	£95	£98
Full (competing) - Monthly	£8.50 (£102 p/a)	£8.75 (£105 p/a)
Full (non-competing) - Annual	£60	£62.50
Full (non-competing) - Monthly	£5.25 (£63 p/a)	£5.50 (£66 p/a)
Club	£35	£38
Winter (six months)	£55	£57.50
Trial (three months)	£35	£35
Quest Winter League	£10	£10

Horse Registrations

Registration type	2023 prices	2024 prices
Full - Annual	£80	£82
Full - Monthly	£7 (£84 p/a)	£7.25 (£87 p/a)
Club	£15	£17
Winter (six months)	£55	£57.50
Trial (three months)	£15	£15
Quest Winter League	£5	£5