A new survey has found that bullying is prevalent in the equestrian industry.
Eighty two per cent of respondents to the anonymous survey by the The Irish Field newspaper said that they had been bullied by an individual or by groups while working in the equine industry.
The same percentage of people also responded that they had witnessed incidents where others had been subjected to bullying.
The survey also found that 95% of respondents felt that not enough is being done to combat the problem, with "verbal and social abuse" said to be the most prevalent form of bullying.
Three in five respondents also reported back that they "felt anxious, isolated and insecure as a result of bullying".
"Anti-bullying campaigners in the UK warned that an "epidemic" of bullying is tarnishing equestrian sports," says The Irish Field reporter Leanne O'Sullivan.
"I was disappointed but not shocked to find from our research, into the level of abuse and bullying that those in the Irish equine industry are subject to, that 82% of respondents have been bullied by or have witnessed someone else being bullied by an individual or group within the equine or equestrian industry. We can no longer ignore the issue of bullying within our industry we need to create more of an awareness here in Ireland."
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