‘Having a carer is not a freebie’: concerns raised over disabled ticket pricing at equestrian event
Questions have been raised about accessible ticket prices for Your Horse Live
An equestrian event has responded to concerns about its accessible ticket pricing – and blamed an “administrative error” for charging £22 extra for disabled children’s tickets.
Michelle Lucas spoke out after she had problems making a group booking for Your Horse Live, for two disabled adults, two disabled children and three carers.
Michelle was buying “standard plus” tickets, which include reserved seats for performances, advertised at: adult £50, disabled adult £60, child £28 and disabled child £50. The disabled tickets include a carer pass.
There is no separate disabled pricing for standard tickets, with which seats are not guaranteed, and a free carer pass is included for disabled guests.
The system would only allow Michelle to buy one disabled ticket per transaction, which would incur multiple transaction fees and risk seats being apart. After multiple attempts to contact the ticket platform and Your Horse Live, Michelle posted on social media.
Michelle told H&H the booking system was “not good enough” and there was a “clear discrepancy in the pricing”.
“The organiser told me that £10 more for the adult standard plus ticket is because you get a seat and you have to pay for your carer’s seat. If that’s the case, then why is the disabled children’s ticket so much more? With standard tickets you get a seat, it’s just not an assigned one,” she said, adding that she has never paid for a carer ticket for other events, including London International and Badminton.
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Michelle said others on social media reported the same problem, although some suggested “you get a free carer ticket, so that’s why it’s a higher price”.
“People don’t understand that having a carer is not a freebie. It’s not a ‘bring your friend for nothing’. In most cases, people pay a carer to support them on their days out,” she said.
H&H approached Your Horse Live, following which the website was updated to show disabled children’s tickets at £38. Show director Emma Bedford told H&H they have apologised to Michelle, who has since bought her tickets.
“The charge for a carer’s ticket is linked to the ticket type and reserved seating, and not a visitor’s disability. All standard plus adult tickets, including accessible, are £50. A carer ticket is reduced to £10,” said Ms Bedford, adding that this pricing has been in place for several years with no concerns.
“We feel the reduction to £10 is a reasonable adjustment as it requires a guaranteed seat in our limited seated arena.”
Ms Bedford said the price for disabled children’s tickets was incorrect on the website.
“This was an administrative error, and it was corrected as soon as it was brought to our attention by the customer and all bookings have had the difference refunded,” she said.
She added that Your Horse Live is “reviewing procedures” with its ticketing partner to ensure queries are handled more efficiently and exploring ways to make booking “as straightforward as possible”.
Ms Bedford said the Equality Act does not require organisers to provide free carer tickets, but that Your Horse Live provides these with standard tickets
“If full, we provide extra seating for those with mobility issues, including seats on request from the steward when in the queue,” she said, adding that accessibility remains an “important priority”.
Michelle said she was pleased the issue had been highlighted – although felt Your Horse Live had “doubled down” on its reasoning for charging for carers’ tickets.
“Accessibility isn’t just about a wheelchair ramp – the law states there shouldn’t be barriers to booking. This has been vastly more difficult for me to book a disabled ticket than a regular person,” she said. “I hope that speaking out makes a difference to next year, and to other events, so they think twice about their policy and make it more inclusive.”
A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Britain’s equality regulator, told H&H the Equality Act does not have a particular approach to ticket pricing – but service providers must ensure they are making reasonable adjustments so disabled people can use their services or attend events “as easily as non-disabled people to the extent possible”.
“If service providers need to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, they cannot ask those individuals to cover the cost of making the adjustment,” she said. “Whether an adjustment is reasonable or not depends on the facts and circumstances of each case including the resources available to the provider.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.