A riding centre on the Surrey/Hampshire border is fighting for its life and the British Equestrian Federation has joined the campaign to save it.

The Kiln Equestrian Centre in Holt Pound supports children with additional needs and adults suffering from trauma, but Cala Homes’s plans to build 49 new homes is threatening that support.

A spokesperson from the Kiln said: “We have been a vital community riding school for 36 years, serving the public to help them with classical riding, British Horse Society career path, mounted troop and police, and riding as a sport with The Pony Club.

“More importantly we work with children that don’t fit in, have anxiety, ADHD, or are excluded from school, whilst providing a safe haven for people with trauma from illness, loss or divorce.”

The British Equestrian Federation estimates that closing a riding school impacts 20 to 30 related businesses.

Mandana Mehran Pour, from the federation, said: “This is not simply a loss of grazing land – it is the potential closure of a vital community asset that has served the local area for decades.

“Equestrian centres like the Kiln are not easily replaced as their infrastructure, access to land, and deep-rooted community relationships take years to establish.”

Dominic Hearne, chair of Binsted Parish Council, agreed: “The Kiln Equestrian Centre provides vital employment and a unique mix of services not found elsewhere in the area. We are concerned that the proposed development will be potentially fatal for the centre’s continued existence.”

A Cala spokesperson said: “This site has a draft allocation for residential development within East Hampshire District Council’s draft Local Plan, to help address its housing shortfall. A historic, informal agreement allowing the Kiln Equestrian Centre to use the land was terminated by the landowner last year.”