British Horse Society tells members not to say mother and father

Equine group promotes glossary of ‘socially inclusive terms’



The British Horse Society (BHS) has advised its members in an inclusive language guide not to use the words mother and father, in the latest case of a body “going woke”.

The equine charity, founded in 1947, said the word parent should be used instead in a wide-ranging glossary of “socially inclusive terms” it wants to be adopted.

It also suggests foreigners should be referred to as “people from overseas” and that those sleeping rough could be called “people experiencing homelessness”.

Rather than the gendered terms nephew and niece, the document recommends “nibling” – a word invented in the 20th century that encompasses both the male and female children of one’s sibling.

The inclusive terms list also includes “global majority”, a contentious phrase that refers to non-white people, as a replacement for “ethnic minority” or “Bame”.

Last year, the National Trust adopted the term.

In August, Labour-run Merton council, in south-west London, instructed staff to stop using the words “mother” and “father”, and use “caregivers” instead, while in 2022, the Local Government Association urged councils in a new “inclusive” language guide to use “birthing parents” instead.

The BHS also suggests that when discussing mental health, members should say to “people with mental health conditions” and that, regarding age, they should refer to “an effective and diverse team”.

Under the heading “gender identity and sexual orientation” the charity, which has over 120,000 members, provides a list of suitable words and phrases. These include “chairperson”, “humankind”, “best person for the job” and “partner”.

In a document published last year, the BHS explained that their “everyone welcome policy” is intended to show that people of all backgrounds can be part of the equestrian community.

In it, they also pledged to appoint a diversity, equity and inclusion champion to their board to raise awareness of the topic.

The BHS must also consider “intersectional” barriers to horse riding and refer to gender rather than sex, it adds.

The document says: “Gender is a social construct focused on the attributes that society deems to be masculine or feminine.

“Where Everyone Welcome references gender, it will refer to how people identify and present themselves; this will ensure we include the trans community in our terminology as well as those who identify as the sex they were born.”

More absolute stupidity.

CBS have a complete book of words and phrases that are frowned on. - I certainly wouldn't ever get a job there!

I've just read that the RYA find the term 'man overboard' offensive.