Draft:British Equestrian Media Association

The British Equestrian Media Association is a nonprofit trade association for equestrian journalists in the United Kingdom.

History
The British Equestrian Writers' Association (BEWA) was formed in 1973 at the Rome Horse Show by Brian Giles, Ron Wills and Alan Smith. Wills wrote for the Daily Mirror, Giles for the Daily Mail and Smith for the Daily Telegraph. Alan Smith served as the first chairman and retired in 2008. The current chairman as of 2023 is Rupert Bell of talkSPORT.

In 2023, the organization changed its name to British Equestrian Media Association (BEMA) in response to the evolving nature of news media.

Awards
BEMA members vote annually to select recipients for several awards such as outstanding rider of the year and leading horse, and honour someone who has "made an outstanding contribution to equestrian sport". Awards are presented at an annual luncheon at the London International Horse Show.

Recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards include equestrian Hugh Thomas and photographer Kit Houghton in 2019, Carl Hester in 2021, and John Whitaker and Yasmin Ingham in 2022. Nicola Wilson received a trophy for Leading Rider of the Year in 2017.