Horse industry

Last updated

The horse industry, or equine industry, is the economic activity associated with horses. This includes core agribusiness activities related to the use, possession or ownership of horses, as well as leisure activities and related economic activity that provides associated goods and services. [1]

Contents

Businesses directly or indirectly related to horses include equine nutrition, equipment, publications, veterinary care, education, and sports clothing. [2] In the U.S., about 6 percent of veterinarians specialize in horse care, within the larger field of large animal veterinary care. [3]

Economic impact

A 2009 survey conducted by American Horse Publications found that the horse industry had an economic impact of about 300 billion dollars, based upon a US horse population of four million animals, and it generated 1.6 million full-time jobs. [4] [5] Two previous studies were completed in 1996 and 2005. [6] The 2005 study determined there were 9.2 million horses in the United States, a plurality of which were used for recreational purposes. That study identified a direct economic impact of $39 billion and combined direct and indirect spending having an economic impact of $102 billion, supporting 1.4 million full-time jobs. Texas, California and Florida had the most horses, but the study also found a horse population of at least 20,000 animals in each of 45 of the 50 states. [7] Though other states have higher horse populations and more farms, the Equine industry in Kentucky led the nation in 2009 for total sales and the highest market value of "equine products." [4]

Law and lobbying

In the United States, some animals in the horse industry are protected by the Horse Protection Act of 1970, which prohibits certain forms of animal abuse. [8] U.S. state laws governing the industry are "uneven" with horses being sometimes treated as livestock, sometimes pets, with widely varying requirements. [9] In many U.S. states, landowners are protected by statute from liability lawsuits resulting from injuries caused by horses and mules. [10] Trade associations such as National Thoroughbred Racing Association [11] and the American Horse Council lobby lawmakers for favorable outcomes for the industry. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse</span> Domesticated equine

The horse is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, close to Eohippus, into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BCE, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BCE. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. These feral populations are not true wild horses, which are horses that never have been domesticated. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrianism</span> Use of horses for sport or work

Equestrianism, commonly known as horse riding or horseback riding, includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, and competitive sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelding</span> Castrated horse or other male equine

A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated camels. By comparison, the equivalent term for a castrated male bull would be ox, or a wether for rams and billy goats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinarian</span> Health professional who treats animals

A veterinarian (vet) is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal reproduction, health management, conservation, husbandry and breeding and preventive medicine like nutrition, vaccination and parasitic control as well as biosecurity and zoonotic disease surveillance and prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University</span>

The New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University is a college of veterinary medicine at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. It was founded in 1894. It is the first statutory college of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

The Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine is a state-supported college of two states, Virginia and Maryland, filling the need for veterinary medicine education in both states. Students from both states are considered "in-state" students for admissions purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse management</span> Covers all aspects of the care and keeping of horses and related species

There are many aspects to horse management. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, animal blood sports, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equine influenza</span>

Equine influenza is the disease caused by strains of influenza A that are enzootic in horse species. Equine influenza occurs globally, previously caused by two main strains of virus: equine-1 (H7N7) and equine-2 (H3N8). The World Organisation for Animal Health now considers H7N7 strains likely to be extinct since these strains have not been isolated for over 20 years. Predominant international circulating H3N8 strains are Florida sublineage of the American lineage; clade 1 predominates in the Americas and clade 2 in Europe.. The disease has a nearly 100% infection rate in an unvaccinated horse population with no prior exposure to the virus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies</span>

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the University of Edinburgh's vet school. It is part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine is an American educational institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina that offers master's and doctorate-level degree programs; interdisciplinary research in a range of veterinary and comparative medicine topics through centers, institutes, programs and laboratories; and external engagement through public service programs and activities.

A horse community or equestrian community is a planned real estate development or community where people live with their horses on their property or at a facility within the rural or suburban development, with a shared trails network for pleasure riding. There are usually a number of deeded restrictions that can include specific rules concerning the use of the property, deeded community horse trails, the number of horses allowed per lot, and restrictions on commercial use of the horse trails. Many of these communities are gated and/or guarded, implying wealthy residents, but not all are. These equestrian communities sometimes have a centralized barn with arenas where all of the horses are stalled, but otherwise the horses are kept on the individual property owners' lots. In the United States, these communities are located throughout the country and are diverse in both price and size. These communities appear to be growing in popularity as the availability of riding trails decreases and urban sprawl increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary chiropractic</span>

Veterinary chiropractic, also known as animal chiropractic, is chiropractic for animals – a type of spinal manipulation. Veterinary chiropractors typically treat horses, racing greyhounds, and pets. Veterinary chiropractic is a controversial method due to a lack of evidence as to the efficacy of chiropractic methods. Contrary to traditional medicine, chiropractic therapies are alternative medicine. There is some degree of risk associated with even skilled manipulation in animals as the potential for injury exists with any technique used. The founder of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, used the method on animals, partly to challenge claims that the placebo effect was responsible for favorable results in humans. Chiropractic treatment of large animals dates back to the early 1900s. As of 2019, many states in the US provide statutory or regulatory guidelines for the practice of chiropractic and related treatments on animals, generally requiring some form of veterinary involvement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian use of roadways</span>

Equestrian use of roadways was historically popular and continues to be popular in many parts of the world. It is subject to a wide variety of regulatory laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSPCA-Angell</span>

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1868, and is the second-oldest humane society in the United States. "MSPCA-Angell" was adopted as the society's identity in 2003, and indicates the names of its two closely related predecessor organizations: Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Angell Animal Medical Center. The organization provides direct care to thousands of homeless, injured, and abused animals each year, and provides animal adoption, a veterinary hospital, advocacy, and humane law enforcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleasure riding</span>

Pleasure riding is a form of equestrianism that encompasses many forms of recreational riding for personal enjoyment, absent elements of competition. In horse show competition, a wide variety of classes are labeled pleasure classes with judging standards based on the concept that horses or ponies exhibited should be well-mannered and thus a “pleasure” to ride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterinary medicine in the United States</span> Medical treatment of animals in the United States

Veterinary medicine in the United States is the performance of veterinary medicine in the United States, normally performed by licensed professionals, and subject to provisions of statute law which vary by state. Veterinary medicine is normally led by veterinary physicians, termed veterinarians or vets, but also by paraveterinary workers, such as veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants. This can be augmented by other paraprofessionals with specific specialties, such as animal physiotherapy or dentistry, and species-relevant roles such as farriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital</span>

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital was established in Lexington, Kentucky in 1986 as a partnership between veterinarians William Rood and Thomas Riddle. The facility offers a range of services for the treatment of horses. They have cared for many famous Thoroughbreds both at the racetrack and on the farm. They also provide support for other equine sporting events such as the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games held in Lexington. Rood & Riddle operates branches in Saratoga Springs, New York and Wellington, Florida.

A Foreign animal disease (FAD) is an animal disease or pest, whether terrestrial or aquatic, not known to exist in the United States or its territories. When these diseases can significantly affect human health or animal production and when there is significant economic cost for disease control and eradication efforts, they are considered a threat to the United States. Another term gaining preference to be used is Transboundary Animal Disease (TAD), which is defined as those epidemic diseases which are highly contagious or transmissible and have the potential for very rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, causing serious socio-economic and possibly public health consequences. An Emerging Animal Disease "may be defined as any terrestrial animal, aquatic animal, or zoonotic disease not yet known or characterized, or any known or characterized terrestrial animal or aquatic animal disease in the United States or its territories that changes or mutates in pathogenicity, communicability, or zoonotic potential to become a threat to terrestrial animals, aquatic animals, or humans."

The pet industry is the market industry associated with companion animals. It includes things that are associated with the production, consumption and cultural activities linked to the market. Next to nutrition, toys and animal healthcare, new services and products like taxis, kindergartens, hotels, IT appliances, broadcasting, theme parks and funeral services are appearing on the market.

References

  1. "British Equestrian Trade Association - Market Information". www.beta-uk.org.
  2. https://www.okcareertech.org/educators/cimc/free-samples/ag-cluster/pdf-files/ag1student.pdf [ dead link ]
  3. Kelly Roy (January 15, 2015), Spotlight on Large Animal Veterinarians, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  4. 1 2 "Today's Equine Industry". www.alltech.com.
  5. "American Horse Publications: AHP Newsgroup". 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  6. "2017 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse Industry – American Horse Council".
  7. "Economics - American Horse Council". horsecouncil.org. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  8. Federal Court Protects Tennessee Walking Horses, Humane Society of the United States, July 30, 2013
  9. Josh Robin (March 7, 2014), "De Blasio Whipped by Horse Lobby", The Daily Beast
  10. State Equestrian Liability Limitation Laws, American Equestrian Alliance
  11. Ray Paulick (November 11, 2003), "Lobby Horse", The Blood-Horse
  12. "About Us – American Horse Council".