Take action and change the conversation.

Mental Health Awareness Week, is a brilliant initiative to get people talking, but at Riders Minds we believe that conversations about mental health and well-being are just as important all year round.

Riders Minds is inviting everyone in the equestrian community to Take Action.

Whether you are a rider, coach, yard owner, brand, business, or supporter of the equestrian world – here is how you can play a part.

You do not need a huge platform to make a difference. Small actions can have a huge impact.

• Share social media posts to your page, in local groups and on your stories. Every share helps us reach someone who may need support.
• Share your personal experiences if you feel comfortable, and signpost people to the Riders Minds resources for support.
• Display flyers in your local community, such as equestrian centres, tack shops, livery yards and competition venues.

• Fundraise for Riders Minds to help us to save and change lives. Ideas include sponsored rides, yard coffee mornings, charity clear rounds, social events. Whether you raise £10 or £1,000, every contribution helps us continue supporting the equestrian community.

• A.C.T. Thinking about things – challenges, problems etc etc – will not resolve them. Action will, and that means do/doing something. And that could be the simplest of things. It’s rarely something big or extravagant. Even just getting up and moving around, changing perspective, even doing less rather than more. Maybe take a Half Halt, that pause to re-balance, re-set, re-focus so to decide what to do next.

So, A.C.T – [because] Action Changes Things, and also let’s A.C.T.  Ask, Care and Talk because that’s an action that makes a difference. 
Come together to raise awareness, start conversations, and help ensure that nobody in our industry feels alone.

Businesses play a hugely important role in helping normalise conversations around mental health within the equestrian industry and have the ability to reach lots of people who might need support.

Supporting Riders Minds shows your customers and community that wellbeing matters.

Here are some simple ways to get involved:

• Add Riders Minds information to your website. Why not include our logo and link to help people find us easily. Our website URL is: https://ridersminds.org/ A visible signpost can make seeking help feel easier.

• Include Riders Minds flyers with orders. Add a Riders Minds flyer or information card into outgoing parcels. This is a simple but powerful way to spread awareness directly into homes, yards, and tack rooms across the country.
  You can download the flyer here. We recommend printing them in A5, CMYK. Prices for flyers start at under £20 on Solopress (other printers are available).
• Add a £1 donation option at checkout. Invite customers to support Riders Minds by adding an optional £1 donation at checkout. Small donations collectively make a huge difference and help fund future support and awareness initiatives, as well as saving and changing lives.
• Share and support campaigns online. Use your platform to help amplify the message. Options to consider.
• Share Riders Minds campaign posts
• Create awareness content
• Encourage conversations within the community
• Highlight available support
• Show visible support during Mental Health Awareness Week

We understand that the economy for businesses is challenging, which is many of the options above have no cost implication. Together, our collective voices can reach far more people.