Executive Insights on AI, global growth & strategy from 25+ Senior Industry leaders Across Europe, the Middle East,Asia and Latin America
Executive Summary
In early 2026, The Canter Club conducted confidential executive interviews with more than 25 senior leaders across the global equestrian industry. Participants included CEOs, founders and directors from companies spanning equestrian retail, fashion, feed and supplements, digital platforms, logistics, trade fairs, infrastructure and media, representing markets across Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Singapore, Argentina, the UAE and beyond.
The goal: to understand how market leaders are seeing the current state of the industry, where they see growth, how artificial intelligence is reshaping operations, what marketing strategies are delivering results and what they believe will define the future of equestrian business.
Key findings at a glance
• 65% of CEOs expect moderate growth for the equestrian industry over the next 3-5 years; only 6% forecast a decline.
• The strongest growth categories identified globally are horse care & grooming, feed & supplements and riding equipment & tack.
• Social media, paid advertising and trade shows & events remain the top three marketing channels across all company types.
• AI is already actively used by the majority of participants – primarily in marketing & content creation, customer analytics and operational processes.
• The biggest industry challenges are economic uncertainty, rising production costs and changing consumer behaviour.
• Emerging markets – particularly the Middle East, Asia and America – are consistently named as the greatest growth opportunity.
This report presents aggregated findings from all participants. Individual insights have been anonymised and consolidated unless otherwise agreed. Selected direct quotes appear throughout the report to illustrate key themes.
Download the full report here.