Building the evidence for a field that has barely been studied.
Equestrian-specific domestic abuse evidence remains limited, and rural evidence is thin. We are building a dedicated UK evidence base on domestic abuse in rural, farming and equestrian communities, shaped by survivor and professional experience, and publishing what we learn.
The Bridle Path survey
A survey that does not ask for your name for people with experience of domestic abuse or sexual violence in rural, farming or equestrian settings, and for the professionals who work with them. It asks about barriers, animals, land, transport, community and what would have helped. Findings will be published as a report.
Please only take part when it is safe to do so, on a device you trust. Avoid names, addresses or identifying details in written answers. You can stop at any time.
- Abuse lasts, on average, 25% longer in the most rural areas, and rural victims are half as likely to report it. (National Rural Crime Network, Captive & Controlled, 2019)
- Statutory guidance recognises that rural victims may face greater isolation, fewer services, poor connectivity and less privacy when disclosing, and that animals are used to control and coerce. (Home Office Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance)
- Explanatory notes to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognise pets and agricultural livestock within economic abuse.
- The 2023 survey estimated that 3.2 million people in Britain had ridden in the preceding year and 331,000 households kept horses. (BETA National Equestrian Survey, 2023)
Position statements and guides
The Legislative Gap: Animal Sexual Abuse, Coercive Control and the Failure of Current Law
Position statement, May 2026. A parliamentary-level analysis of how animal abuse in domestic contexts is treated as criminal damage rather than coercive control, and what should change.
Read the position statementProfessional Awareness Guide
For vets, farriers, yard managers and rural professionals: what to notice, what to ask, how to respond. Forthcoming.
Survey Findings Report
What survivors and professionals told us about barriers in rural, farming and equestrian life. Forthcoming.
For conferences, briefings and partners
Support Beyond the Gate: delegate pack
Why rural abuse can stay hidden, what professionals should notice and ask, abuse in later life, and what The Bridle Path offers. Prepared for the Meath Community Safety Partnership, 2026.
Download (PDF)The Katie Trust: delegate pack
Hidden homicides, the families the Trust stands with, and how community safety starts with asking the right questions. Our partner's pack, shared with permission.
Download (PDF)Partnership brief
Who we are, what we work on and how organisations can build this with us.
Download (PDF)Free to download, print and put where people will see them.
For tack rooms, waiting rooms, feed stores, offices, markets and events. Print at home or send the file to a local printer.
A4 awareness poster
"Abuse can hide behind stable doors and farm gates." With QR codes for information and support routes.
Download the poster (PDF)A5 leaflet
Two sides: why rural abuse is easy to miss, and what The Bridle Path does now.
Download the leaflet (PDF)A6 quiet card
Small enough to keep, quiet enough to carry. Take one for yourself or for someone you are worried about.
Download the card (PDF)Need print-ready versions with bleed, A3 posters or larger quantities? Email enquiries@thebridlepath.co.uk.
- Home Office, Domestic Abuse: Statutory Guidance, including rural barriers, coercive control and the use of animals.
- National Rural Crime Network, Captive & Controlled: the hidden scandal of domestic abuse in rural areas (2019).
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Explanatory Notes: economic abuse and property, including pets and agricultural livestock.
- British Equestrian Trade Association, National Equestrian Survey (2023).
- Independent Office for Police Conduct, Silent Solution: what to do if you need urgent police help but cannot speak.