Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse

What Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse does

Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse (HNS), founded in 2004 and headquartered in Stockholm, is a Swedish non-profit foundation (stiftelse) operating as the national umbrella organization for the Swedish horse industry. Its mission is to coordinate across the fragmented horse sector through collaboration forums, policy advocacy, research funding, education coordination, and sustainability initiatives. The foundation coordinates with the three national equine training centres (Flyinge, Strömsholm, Wången) at high school, college, and university levels, runs the HUL youth leadership program (active since 2016), and channels funding for breeding, research (Stiftelsen Hästforskning), and entrepreneurship (Hästföretagarcentrum, Ledarpraktikan Häst). It also publishes the authoritative "Hästnäringen i siffror" statistics tool and annual "Hästar och uppfödare i Sverige" breeding report, and convenes the Horse Tech Summit Sweden with SLU.

HNS's underlying technology stack is administrative rather than product-oriented. The organization has no proprietary commercial technology, no API, no app, and no software products in the traditional sense. Its portfolio consists of programs, projects, publications, and convening events rather than technology products. The Horse Tech Summit Sweden 2026 represents the foundation's main bridge into technology innovation, where it curates presentations from nine external horse-tech companies rather than developing its own IP. Core technology infrastructure is limited to its website (hastnaringen.se), social channels (Facebook, Instagram), and document/reporting outputs.

HNS operates a foundation revenue model rather than a commercial one. All operational funding flows from a single agreement with Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp, which is itself financed via ATG (AB Trav och Galopp). Additional project-specific funding (e.g., the Skitviktigt sustainability project 2025-2027 from government research council Formas) supplements core operations. The foundation has 7 employees led by CEO Karolina Lagerlund (since 2019) and chairman Remy Nilson (2026). Customers and beneficiaries — individual riders, breeders, riding clubs, equestrian schools, therapeutic providers, and member organizations — receive services free of charge, funded entirely through industry contributions.

Name

Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse

Legal name

Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse

Website

https://hastnaringen.se

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse (HNS) is a Swedish non-profit foundation coordinating the country's horse industry through policy advocacy, education, research, youth programs, and sustainability initiatives. It is funded entirely via an agreement with Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp through ATG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine Industry Association Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare Auditing, Compliance & Certification Services (Non-testing Lab) (AFAEALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equine Veterinary, Welfare & Anti-Doping Services (MPAEADAJ), Animal Health Policy, Standards & International Coordination (e.g., WOAH/FAO) (HLAMAJAO)

Keywords

• Equine industry coordination
• Industry foundation services
• Equine education coordination
• Horse breeding support
• Equine sustainability programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Core funding from horse racing organizations: HNS receives its primary funding from Svensk Travsport (Swedish Trotting Sport) and Svensk Galopp (Swedish Gallop) through an agreement with ATG. The foundation's activities are entirely financed through this arrangement with the horse racing industry.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HNS is a non-profit umbrella foundation that coordinates and advocates for the Swedish horse industry, providing programmes in industry statistics, breeding and animal welfare, youth leadership (HUL), equine education coordination at three national centres (Flyinge, Str\u00f6msholm, W\u00e5ngen), business development for horse entrepreneurs, and environmental sustainability (Skitviktigt, Skitsmart). It is funded entirely through an agreement with Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp, channelled via ATG.

Product overview

Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse (HNS) is a non-profit umbrella organization that coordinates and advocates for the Swedish horse industry. It does not offer a commercial product in the traditional sense, but rather provides a portfolio of programs, projects, and services including: Skitviktigt (environmental sustainability project 2025-2027), HUL youth leadership program, Ledarpraktikan leadership training, Hästföretagarcentrum business development, Hästnäringen i siffror statistics tool, annual breeding reports, sustainability publications, and the Årets Hästföretagare award. HNS coordinates with three national education centers (Flyinge, Strömsholm, Wången) and funds horse research through Stiftelsen Hästforskning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HUL (Hästnäringens Unga Ledare): Youth leadership program within the Swedish horse industry
• Skitviktigt
• Horses made in Sweden
• Hästar och uppfödare i Sverige

Products and services

• H\u00e4stn\u00e4ringens Unga Ledare (HUL) A leadership development programme for young people aged 15\u201326 years within Swedish horse industry organisations, providing structured training (e.g., HUL Steg 1) and a cross-organisational alumni network that now places graduates on district and national boards across the industry.
• Ledarpraktikan H\u00e4st A three-part leadership and Lean methodology training programme for managers within the horse industry, covering self-leadership, team leadership and operational leadership. Delivered in collaboration with \u00c5sa-Lina Nordlund of Nordlund Utveckling.
• H\u00e4stf\u00f6retagarcentrum A business development collaboration between LRF H\u00e4st, HNS, Ludvig & Co and the national facilities Flyinge, Str\u00f6msholm and W\u00e5ngen, providing knowledge, training and advisory services to develop horse entrepreneurship in Sweden, including the annual \u00c5rets H\u00e4stf\u00f6retagare award.
• National Equine Centres (Flyinge, Str\u00f6msholm, W\u00e5ngen) Three national equine education centres for which HNS holds operational responsibility, delivering courses at high school, college and university levels (including the Hippologprogrammet at SLU). Flyinge and Str\u00f6msholm focus on riding horses; W\u00e5ngen focuses on trotting and Icelandic horses.
• H\u00e4stn\u00e4ringen i siffror An industry statistics resource providing data on the Swedish horse sector including number of horses (355,000), economic turnover (32 billion SEK direct), employment (18,500 FTE) and regional distribution, used by industry organisations, policymakers and researchers.
• Skitviktigt An industry-wide sustainability project (2025\u20132027) focused on sustainable manure management and reducing eutrophication from Swedish horse operations, financed by Formas and delivered with multiple industry partners. Includes a 1,722-respondent survey published in 2026.
• Skitsmart A project under H\u00e4stn\u00e4ringens Milj\u00f6kommitt\u00e9 to increase awareness and knowledge about horse manure management, storage and handling alternatives for horse owners and facilities.
• H\u00e4stliv An information project for horse owners covering end-of-life alternatives when horses need to be put down, including euthanasia options and disposal methods. Updated version released in 2019.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,500 full-time jobs created by the industry
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• LRF Häst (Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund Häst)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLRF Häst is a founding member organization with representation in HNS governance. Together they co-host events like politician meetings and coordinate on policy advocacy.
• Svensk TravsportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor industry organization and funding partner. Jointly sponsors youth leadership programs and coordinates horse industry activities including the Horse Tech Summit.
• Svenska Ridsportförbundet (SvRF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor riding sport federation with two board seats in HNS governance. Collaborates on youth initiatives, welfare standards, and quality certification for horse schools.
• SLU (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences partners on Hippologprogrammet, research projects, and co-hosted Horse Tech Summit at Alnarp campus.
• HästSverigemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in Skitviktigt project and various industry initiatives, representing horse owners across Sweden.
• Flyinge, Strömsholm, Wången (National Equine Centres)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHNS has operational responsibility for these three national training centres, coordinating education at high school, college, and university levels.
• Fokus Tillväxt HästminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association that co-organized Horse Tech Summit Sweden 2026 with SLU and HNS participation.
• HållbarHästminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability initiative that collaborated on the updated report 'Hästen och Hållbar Utveckling' with chapters on water and practical environmental tips.
• Nordlund UtvecklingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides leadership and Lean methodology training programs for horse businesses through HNS's labor market initiative.
• Jordbruksverket (Swedish Board of Agriculture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency conducting oversight and providing guidelines for manure management, with joint efforts on tillsyn (inspection) campaigns for horse facilities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hesteafgiftsfonden (Danish Horse Industry Fund): Hesteafgiftsfonden is the Danish horse industry fund that collects statutory levies and finances research, development, and promotion for the Danish equine sector — comparable to HNS in its industry-funded coordination model and Nordic geography.
• British Equestrian: British Equestrian is the umbrella body for equestrian sport and the horse industry in the UK, coordinating member bodies, welfare standards, and government engagement — a clear functional peer of HNS in another major European horse market.
• American Horse Council: The American Horse Council is a national non-profit trade association in Washington, D.C. that coordinates the U.S. equine industry, advocates to Congress, and publishes industry economic impact studies — directly comparable in mission and structure to HNS.
• Hippolis: Hippolis is the Finnish equine industry coordination body, organized as a similar umbrella that aggregates Finnish horse industry stakeholders for research, education, and policy advocacy — a near-direct Nordic parallel to HNS.
• Horse Sport Ireland: Horse Sport Ireland is the national governing body for equestrian sport and the broader Irish horse industry, coordinating breeding, sport, and government engagement — a direct peer in mission to HNS but focused on Ireland's export-oriented sport horse sector.

Broad incumbents

• European Horse Network (EHN): EHN is a continental-level coalition of European equine industry stakeholders advocating to EU institutions on horse industry policy; it is a broader incumbent that complements (rather than competes with) HNS's national coordination role.
• International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI): FEI is the international governing body for equestrian sport and is a broader incumbent that sets rules and standards globally; it relates to HNS in coordinating equine-related standards and policy but at the international sport-federation level.
• FN (Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung): FN is the German National Equestrian Federation and a major incumbent representing riders, breeders, and horse owners in Germany; it overlaps with HNS in coordinating equestrian policy and standards but is a much larger and more sports-focused organization.

Others

• World Horse Welfare: World Horse Welfare is an international equine welfare charity that combines advocacy, education, and policy work; it shares HNS's welfare and policy advocacy themes but operates globally and as a charity rather than an industry foundation.
• Svenska Ridsportförbundet (SvRF): SvRF is the Swedish Equestrian Federation and a core member of HNS, representing riding sport nationally; it shares the domestic equine ecosystem with HNS but is a separate sport federation rather than a coordination foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hastnaringen
• Instagraminstagram.com/hastnaringen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hastnaringen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hästnäringens Nationella Stiftelse