Harassment in the horse industry – The results of an informal survey.
You may recall the informal mental health survey that I conducted. You can read those results here. I tacked on some questions about experiences within the horse industry about harassment and assault. I’ll share the results, with a few resources that you might be interested in.
Huge disclaimer – this was a thoroughly casual and non-scientific study. I just asked you questions, people answered. The questions were optional and anonymous.
There are no conclusions to be drawn here, it’s merely a collection of experiences put into checkboxes. It simply provides us with a snapshot of the horse industry and a place to start to be more aware of what’s going on. I have also listed resources for you in case you need them.
This article here outlines more details about harassment in the workplace.
I asked if anyone had been a survivor of any of the following in the horse industry. 92 people responded. Harassment meaning verbal, assault meaning physical. ALL of the responses indicate a YES answer.
62% Harassment by an employer
50% Harassment by a co-worker
33.7% Harassment by a stranger in a horse setting
23.9% Sexual harassment by a co-worker
18.5% Sexual harassment by a stranger in a horse setting
13% Sexual harassment by an employer
7.6% Sexual assault by a co-worker
6.5% Assault by a co-worker
5.4% Assault by a stranger in a horse setting
3.3% Assault by an employer
3.3% Sexual assault by an employer
3.3% Sexual assault by a stranger in a horse setting
I also asked if anyone had been a witness to the following in the horse industry. 127 people responded. Percentages reflect a YES answer.
74% Harassment by an employer
56.7% Harassment by a co-worker
43.3% Harassment by a stranger in a horse setting
26.8% Sexual harassment by a co-worker
26% Sexual harassment by an employer
21.3% Sexual harassment by a stranger in a horse setting
13.4% Assault by an employer
11.8% Assault by a co-worker
11.8% Assault by a stranger in a horse setting
10.2% Sexual assault by a co-worker
9.4% Sexual assault by a stranger in a horse setting
8.7% Sexual assault by an employer
The USEF participates in the Safe Sport initiative and can help you.
You can find resources about the USEF Safe Sport program here.
The Safe Sport program is for ALL sports, and has a searchable database of violators. Here’s that link: https://safesport.org/userviolations/search
Definitely handy to search before you take a job, you don’t want to end up working with or for someone that has violations.
You can also use the Safe Sport website to report violations. Also, take care to report anything to your Doctor and local authorities.
Other resources available:
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 You can even visit their website and live chat.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673)
If you have issues with your employer, these resources can also help. And yes, you should turn them in for violating employment laws. These links can take you to resources about employment status, unsafe workplaces, and more.
Stay vigilant and safe.
