Sustainable entrepreneurship in equine services

Abstract

The equine industry is in continuous development, offering opportunities to entrepreneurs in the implementation and advancement of their sustainability visions. This paper explores sustainable entrepreneurship in the equine industry through a qualitative research approach to bridge the gap between the needs of society, the environment and entrepreneurs. Structured interviews with equine industry representatives from various countries were employed to collect data, and a thematic content analysis with the Leximancer programme was conducted to seek insights. Using the theory of reciprocal determinism, the paper also explores whether there are influencing factors between the sustainability of a business in the horse industry and the entrepreneur's gender or entrepreneurial experience. This research shows that women with less than ten years of entrepreneurial experience are much more inclined towards sustainability. The entrepreneurs in the horse sector need to be aware of the potential of this industry, to promote themselves in this direction and to support each other to strengthen their self-efficacy. This study contributes to the expansion of knowledge about sustainable entrepreneurship, specifically the issues and strategies used by entrepreneurs in today’s equine sector, with a specific focus on the modern context, with the inclusion of sustainability as a key factor in business success.