Boost for south west rural businesses

Equestrian businesses in the West Country could benefit from a new £1.6million project — Country Sports South West — which offers advice on setting up and promoting country sporting activities and identifying new business opportunities.

The Country Sports South West development team is looking for shooting, fishing, equine and hospitality businesses to benefit from the project.

Annette Cole, of Country Sports South West said: “This unique regional project will ultimately help to drive up quality throughout the sector so that the south west becomes the number one country sport destination for visitors.

“We would like to hear from south west rural businesses that currently offer shooting, equine or freshwater fishing opportunities and who are looking for advice in developing their product or investigating marketing opportunities.”

Country Sports South West is initially a three-year project and is part of the Rural Development Programme for England project (RDPE) in partnership with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and The Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now