Horses remain firmly in the saddle in US culture
Published: June 22, 2007
By: DOMENICK J. CASTALDO (Courtesy of Alltech Inc.)
The horse has been a colorful and significant part of US history. Horses were used for transportation, preparing fields for planting and harvesting crops, operating machinery, and shipping commodities. A social observer in the Colonial era wrote, “Only a vagabond or fool walks,” referring to the widespread propensity of the people of the time to ride horses instead of walking as they went about their daily tasks.
Even as the automobile began replacing the horse as the primary mode of transportation in the United States, people tenaciously clung to their love of horses. In the early 1900s, many people called their automobiles ‘Tin Lizzy’ following the widespread tradition of naming the family horse ‘Lizzy.’ Later model cars were powered by bigger engines, with more HORSE-power, and sported horse-themed names such as Mustang, Colt, and Pinto.
References to the beloved horse permeated other areas of US culture. Early railroad locomotives were called ‘iron horses,’ a moniker later applied to motorcycles. In 1924, the University of Notre Dame football team, coached by the legendary Knute Rockne, featured four extraordinary players – quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden – who New York Herald- Tribune newspaper sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed the Four Horsemen.
The Four Horsemen led the team to win the 1925 Rose Bowl, giving Rockne and Notre Dame the national championship and a perfect 10-0 record. A photo depicts Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden in their football uniforms astride horses. Recent country songs and cowboy movies feature horses – LOTS of horses.
An indirect journey
Most livestock have left a well-marked, traceable genealogical trail to US farms. Chickens– broilers and layers – descended from the red jungle fowl of Indonesia; Holstein dairy cattle came from Germany; Angus beef cattle originated in Scotland. However, the ancestry of the modern horse in the United States is not as direct.
Horses lived in the United States during prehistoric times. Many paleontologists believe that these early horses evolved on the North American continent and did not emigrate from Asia, as did many other animal species (including humans), across the long-gone land bridge between Russia’s Siberia to Alaska and North America.
Based on fossils discovered in phosphate mines in Florida, paleontologists believe that at least six species of prehistoric horses existed in North America as far back as 20 million years ago. The six ancient horse species ranged from a three-toed, dog-sized animal to a one-toed, zebra-sized creature called Dinohippus mexicanus.
Some of the ancient horses ate only grass; others consumed a mix of grass, leaves, and shrubs and, others (primarily Dinohippus mexicanus) were able to survive upon parts of trees and shrubs. The smallest horses, which depended on grasses for food, became extinct, while the larger tree and shrub eaters, including Dinohippus, survived and then switched their diet to grass. Eventually over time, only two species of the ancient horse remained in North America: Dinohippus and an Equus species, Equus conversidens, that was not very different in gait or appearance from modern horses.
Approximately 4.5 million years ago, a mass extinction occurred in North America, causing the grass-eating horse species to disappear. However, an Equus species, which primarily consumed shrubs and bushes, survived. Eventually, the early Equus species evolved to E. conversidens, an animal that had a physical appearance and gait that were similar to the modern horse. The mass extinction also killed animals that competed with the early Equus species for grass, allowing E. conversidens to consume grass, which contains a higher plane of nutrition than woody shrubs. Over time, the nutritional needs of the horse changed (and continue to change) to meet performance demands and breed characteristics.
About 11,000 years ago, soon after the first humans appeared in North America, E. conversidens became extinct. University of Calgary archaeologist Brian Kooyman and paleontologist Len Hills uncovered evidence that suggests native North Americans may have hunted E. conversidens to extinction. The researchers, excavating a site in southern Alberta, found a skeleton of the extinct horse with several of its vertebrae smashed and what appeared to be butcher marks on a number of its bones. The researchers also found several spearheads near the site. Protein-residue testing of the spearheads confirmed they had been used to hunt horses.
Not all paleontologists accept the notion that ancient North American horses were hunted to extinction. Some say there were other reasons for the horse’s demise in North America. Dr. R. Dale Guthrie, professor emeritus of zoology at the University of Alaska, claims that radioactive carbon dating shows horses were in serious decline in North America long before humans arrived on the continent. Guthrie says that the horse’s inability to adapt to drastically colder temperatures brought about by the last Ice Age most likely led to their extinction. He adds that the change in temperature also caused mammoths and other large mammals living in North America to become extinct.
Guthrie notes that 12,000 years ago in North America, the newly arrived humans hunted bison and elk as well as mammoths and wild horses. However, bison and elk populations actually expanded during this period. “Why weren’t bison and elk overhunted to extinction as well?” Guthrie asks. “I imagine humans were hunting anything they could get,” Guthrie says. “Horse meat is probably just as tasty as bison. But their campsites don’t show many mammoth and horse remains — they’re full of bison and elk.”
Guthrie adds that as the Ice Age ended, the northern latitudes warmed and water became more abundant. This promoted growth of boreal forests and limited the amount of grass that the wild horses depended upon for food. Even though elk and bison also depended on the grasses for sustenance, Guthrie believes that they were better adapted for the habitat change and somehow out-competed the wild horses and mammoths for the shrinking food supply, pushing the wild horses and mammoths over the brink of extinction.
Spanish Conquistadors reintroduced the modern horse, Equus caballus, to North America from Europe during the 16th Century. Some horses escaped and quickly established wild populations. Native Americans also acquired these European imports and used them for transportation, work, and food.
Although classified as ‘livestock’ in the US, many horses become beloved companions to their owners, and some horses have distinguished themselves in US history (Table 1).
They carried soldiers and equipment into battle from the Revolutionary War to World War II. Horses transported entire families across North America during the westward expansion of the late 1800s. Hitched to plows, they cultivated millions of acres of farmland. In the fall, they pulled the equipment that harvested millions of bushels of corn, wheat, and other grains, and then hauled the grain and other agriculture products, including meat, milk, and eggs to market. In the cities, horses pulled fire-fighting equipment, ambulances, hearses, and streetcars. Riderless horses, with boots turned backwards in the stirrups, remain prominent features in the funeral processions of US presidents and other national dignitaries.
The horse is interwoven in Americana. Fountains in town squares once served two purposes: To provide aesthetics and as a place for people to water their horses. Many US cities and towns have a Race Street. In many cases, Race Street is where local citizens came to race their horses. Statues of war heroes often feature the person sitting on a horse. If the horse has all four feet on the ground, the person depicted in the statue survived the battle unscathed. If one foot is raised, the person was wounded. If the horse is rearing, the person was killed in battle.
Horses are still important in the United States. The Saddlebred, Morgan, Appaloosa, Quarter, and Palomino are breeds that were developed on US horse farms. To many people, horses are animal companions. They care for them and ride them for pleasure and recreation. Many people show horses. These individuals collectively spend billions of dollars on feed and tack to get their animals in prime condition for the various horse shows across the US. Horses are still employed on cattle ranches and in feedlots and on police forces in countless cities. They are the star players in rodeos and are the basis of the racing industry. Hundreds of horses provide therapy to injured and handicapped people.
Horse industry demographics
In order to effectively serve the diverse horse feed market, feed manufacturers must first produce a high quality feed. They must also understand the market demographics in their sales universe. Demographics help feed manufacturers decide which types of horse feeds have the greatest potential for sales. New demographic data help feed manufacturers fine-tune horse feed marketing programs.
The most recent US horse industry demographics are from an economic study conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP for the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF) in 2005 — The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States. The study concluded that the US horse industry is “a highly-diverse and economically significant industry.”
Even as the automobile began replacing the horse as the primary mode of transportation in the United States, people tenaciously clung to their love of horses. In the early 1900s, many people called their automobiles ‘Tin Lizzy’ following the widespread tradition of naming the family horse ‘Lizzy.’ Later model cars were powered by bigger engines, with more HORSE-power, and sported horse-themed names such as Mustang, Colt, and Pinto.
References to the beloved horse permeated other areas of US culture. Early railroad locomotives were called ‘iron horses,’ a moniker later applied to motorcycles. In 1924, the University of Notre Dame football team, coached by the legendary Knute Rockne, featured four extraordinary players – quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden – who New York Herald- Tribune newspaper sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed the Four Horsemen.
The Four Horsemen led the team to win the 1925 Rose Bowl, giving Rockne and Notre Dame the national championship and a perfect 10-0 record. A photo depicts Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden in their football uniforms astride horses. Recent country songs and cowboy movies feature horses – LOTS of horses.
An indirect journey
Most livestock have left a well-marked, traceable genealogical trail to US farms. Chickens– broilers and layers – descended from the red jungle fowl of Indonesia; Holstein dairy cattle came from Germany; Angus beef cattle originated in Scotland. However, the ancestry of the modern horse in the United States is not as direct.
Horses lived in the United States during prehistoric times. Many paleontologists believe that these early horses evolved on the North American continent and did not emigrate from Asia, as did many other animal species (including humans), across the long-gone land bridge between Russia’s Siberia to Alaska and North America.
Based on fossils discovered in phosphate mines in Florida, paleontologists believe that at least six species of prehistoric horses existed in North America as far back as 20 million years ago. The six ancient horse species ranged from a three-toed, dog-sized animal to a one-toed, zebra-sized creature called Dinohippus mexicanus.
Some of the ancient horses ate only grass; others consumed a mix of grass, leaves, and shrubs and, others (primarily Dinohippus mexicanus) were able to survive upon parts of trees and shrubs. The smallest horses, which depended on grasses for food, became extinct, while the larger tree and shrub eaters, including Dinohippus, survived and then switched their diet to grass. Eventually over time, only two species of the ancient horse remained in North America: Dinohippus and an Equus species, Equus conversidens, that was not very different in gait or appearance from modern horses.
Approximately 4.5 million years ago, a mass extinction occurred in North America, causing the grass-eating horse species to disappear. However, an Equus species, which primarily consumed shrubs and bushes, survived. Eventually, the early Equus species evolved to E. conversidens, an animal that had a physical appearance and gait that were similar to the modern horse. The mass extinction also killed animals that competed with the early Equus species for grass, allowing E. conversidens to consume grass, which contains a higher plane of nutrition than woody shrubs. Over time, the nutritional needs of the horse changed (and continue to change) to meet performance demands and breed characteristics.
About 11,000 years ago, soon after the first humans appeared in North America, E. conversidens became extinct. University of Calgary archaeologist Brian Kooyman and paleontologist Len Hills uncovered evidence that suggests native North Americans may have hunted E. conversidens to extinction. The researchers, excavating a site in southern Alberta, found a skeleton of the extinct horse with several of its vertebrae smashed and what appeared to be butcher marks on a number of its bones. The researchers also found several spearheads near the site. Protein-residue testing of the spearheads confirmed they had been used to hunt horses.
Not all paleontologists accept the notion that ancient North American horses were hunted to extinction. Some say there were other reasons for the horse’s demise in North America. Dr. R. Dale Guthrie, professor emeritus of zoology at the University of Alaska, claims that radioactive carbon dating shows horses were in serious decline in North America long before humans arrived on the continent. Guthrie says that the horse’s inability to adapt to drastically colder temperatures brought about by the last Ice Age most likely led to their extinction. He adds that the change in temperature also caused mammoths and other large mammals living in North America to become extinct.
Guthrie notes that 12,000 years ago in North America, the newly arrived humans hunted bison and elk as well as mammoths and wild horses. However, bison and elk populations actually expanded during this period. “Why weren’t bison and elk overhunted to extinction as well?” Guthrie asks. “I imagine humans were hunting anything they could get,” Guthrie says. “Horse meat is probably just as tasty as bison. But their campsites don’t show many mammoth and horse remains — they’re full of bison and elk.”
Guthrie adds that as the Ice Age ended, the northern latitudes warmed and water became more abundant. This promoted growth of boreal forests and limited the amount of grass that the wild horses depended upon for food. Even though elk and bison also depended on the grasses for sustenance, Guthrie believes that they were better adapted for the habitat change and somehow out-competed the wild horses and mammoths for the shrinking food supply, pushing the wild horses and mammoths over the brink of extinction.
Spanish Conquistadors reintroduced the modern horse, Equus caballus, to North America from Europe during the 16th Century. Some horses escaped and quickly established wild populations. Native Americans also acquired these European imports and used them for transportation, work, and food.
Although classified as ‘livestock’ in the US, many horses become beloved companions to their owners, and some horses have distinguished themselves in US history (Table 1).
They carried soldiers and equipment into battle from the Revolutionary War to World War II. Horses transported entire families across North America during the westward expansion of the late 1800s. Hitched to plows, they cultivated millions of acres of farmland. In the fall, they pulled the equipment that harvested millions of bushels of corn, wheat, and other grains, and then hauled the grain and other agriculture products, including meat, milk, and eggs to market. In the cities, horses pulled fire-fighting equipment, ambulances, hearses, and streetcars. Riderless horses, with boots turned backwards in the stirrups, remain prominent features in the funeral processions of US presidents and other national dignitaries.
The horse is interwoven in Americana. Fountains in town squares once served two purposes: To provide aesthetics and as a place for people to water their horses. Many US cities and towns have a Race Street. In many cases, Race Street is where local citizens came to race their horses. Statues of war heroes often feature the person sitting on a horse. If the horse has all four feet on the ground, the person depicted in the statue survived the battle unscathed. If one foot is raised, the person was wounded. If the horse is rearing, the person was killed in battle.
Horses are still important in the United States. The Saddlebred, Morgan, Appaloosa, Quarter, and Palomino are breeds that were developed on US horse farms. To many people, horses are animal companions. They care for them and ride them for pleasure and recreation. Many people show horses. These individuals collectively spend billions of dollars on feed and tack to get their animals in prime condition for the various horse shows across the US. Horses are still employed on cattle ranches and in feedlots and on police forces in countless cities. They are the star players in rodeos and are the basis of the racing industry. Hundreds of horses provide therapy to injured and handicapped people.
Horse industry demographics
In order to effectively serve the diverse horse feed market, feed manufacturers must first produce a high quality feed. They must also understand the market demographics in their sales universe. Demographics help feed manufacturers decide which types of horse feeds have the greatest potential for sales. New demographic data help feed manufacturers fine-tune horse feed marketing programs.
The most recent US horse industry demographics are from an economic study conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP for the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF) in 2005 — The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States. The study concluded that the US horse industry is “a highly-diverse and economically significant industry.”
| Table 1.Exceptional equines in US history. |
Baldy: Union Brig. Gen. George G. Meade rode Baldy at the first battle of Bull Run and at Antietam. This horse later took Meade to Gettysburg. The city of Philadelphia’s Old Baldy Civil War Round Table helps to commemorate the memory of the horse. Black Jack: This was the last Quartermaster-issued US Army horse. He took part in ceremonial functions, including the funerals of Presidents Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson and Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He died on February 6, 1976. Boomerang: This horse, owned by Union Colonel John McArthur, was named for his tendency to walk backward. Buttermilk: The gelding was offered to actress Dale Evans because her first movie horse looked too much like Roy Rogers’ horse Trigger. Evans rode Buttermilk in all but six of the Roy Rogers Show television episodes that aired from 1951 to 1957. Camarero: This horse was undefeated in 56 consecutive races (April 19, 1953 to August 17, 1955). In his career, he won 73 of 77 races. Cincinnati: Union Gen. Ulysses Grant received this horse in 1864 and immediately identified it as his favorite horse. Comanche: Two days after Gen. George Custer’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, a burial party found the severely wounded gray horse and transported him by steamer to Fort Lincoln, where he spent the next year recuperating. Comanche remained here with the 7th Cavalry, never again to be ridden. Only at formal regimental functions was he led, draped in black, stirrups and boots reversed, at the head of the Regiment. Kidron: Gen. John J. (‘Black Jack’) Pershing’s horse is in historic photographs showing Pershing riding triumphantly through the Victory Arch in New York City at the end of World War I. Man O’ War: This Thoroughbred racehorse accumulated a lifetime race record of 21 starts with 20 wins and a second place. He set eight records, three world records, two US records, and three track records. Mr. Ed: Early television’s famous “talking horse,” was played by the Palomino-Saddlebred stallion named Bamboo Harvester. The horse died in 1968. His owner and trainer Lester Hilton never revealed where Mr. Ed is buried. Hilton died in 1973. Old Sorrel: Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson acquired the horse at Harpers Ferry when she was about 11 years old. Because the mare was so small, Jackson’s feet nearly dragged the ground. She was often known as Little Sorrel. Little Sorrel Lane in Somers, CT, commemorates the animal Jackson was riding when he was mortally wounded. Rienzi: This horse carried Union Gen. Philip Sheridan on his famous ride from Winchester, VA to Cedar Creek, VA, in time to rally his troops and turn almost-certain defeat into victory. Sheridan so loved his mount that when the horse died, his stuffed body was presented to the Smithsonian Institution. Rienzi was also known as Winchester. Roger Leo: This was one of Gen. George Washington’s horses at Valley Forge. Seabiscuit: By the end of 1938, Seabiscuit had won 33 races, set 16 track records, and earned $437,730 — nearly 60 times his purchase price. Secretariat: A Triple-Crown winner, Secretariat was one of the few Thoroughbred horses that actually ran faster in each succeeding length after the first quarter-mile. An explanation for this phenomenon may have been the horse’s huge heart. The average Thoroughbred heart weighs 8.5 lbs. Secretariat’s heart weighed an incredible 22 lbs. Seattle Slew: The 1977 Triple Crown winner and longest living Kentucky Derby winner, died at the age of 28 years at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm near Lexington, KY. He died exactly 25 years since his victory in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1977. Traveller: The favorite horse of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The iron gray Morgan horse’s skeleton was displayed at Washington and Lee University for more than 60 years before being buried near Lee’s crypt. Lee also owned and rode Richmond, Brown-Roan, Lucy Long, and Ajax. Trigger: The Palomino-Thoroughbred stallion started life as Golden Cloud. It appeared in all of Roy Rogers’ 90 feature films and 101 television shows. Trigger had stamina, beauty, intelligence, and a remarkably gentle disposition. On July 3, 1965, at the Rogers ranch in Hidden Valley, Calif., Trigger, 33, succumbed to old age. Reluctant to “put him in the ground,” Rogers had the horse mounted in a rearing position. The horse is on exhibit at the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo. Virginia: This mare is credited with having prevented the capture of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart by jumping an enormous ditch. War Admiral: War Admiral was a smaller copy of his famous father Man O’ War and considered Man O’ War’s best offspring. |
Key findings of the AHCF study follow:
• There are 9.2 million horses in the United States.
• There are horses in every state in the US with 45 states having inventories of at least 20,000 horses each.
• Two million people in the United States own horses.
• More than 4.5 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees and volunteers. Tens of millions more participate as spectators.
• The horse industry has a direct effect on the US economy of $39 billion annually.
• The horse industry has a $102 billion impact on the US economy when the multiplier effect of spending by industry suppliers and employees is taken into account.
• The US industry directly provides 460,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
• The horse industry pays $1.9 billion in taxes to local, state, and national governments.
The Deloitte economic study determined that there are more than 9.2 million horses in the US (Table 2). This figure includes horses used both commercially and for pleasure.
By far, the highest percentage of horses (42.4%) are kept for recreational activities, such as trail riding. More than 2.7 million horses (29.5% of the total) are used in show competition. Approximately 844,000 racehorses are kept in the US. Another 1.75 million horses are engaged in other activities, including herding livestock, rodeos, and police work. Horses in these categories require different feed formulations and nutritional programs.
| Table 2. Horse inventory breakdown for 2005. |
 |
| *Includes horses used for farm and ranch work, rodeos, carriage horses, polo, police work, and informal competition. |
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service estimated the US equine inventory (i.e., horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys) at 5.3 million head. The USDA estimate is approximately 42% below the Deloitte (AHCF) estimate. The difference could be due to the possibility of USDA underestimating the number of horses located on non-farm premises. The USDA says that 39.1%, or 2.05 million head, of horses are housed off-farm. Another possibility for the disparity is that the AHCF survey did not account for multiple owners of an individual horse. For example, the Deloitte study may have counted a horse owned jointly by two people as two horses.
The horse industry has a direct effect on the US economy of $39 billion annually. The study’s results show that the industry directly produces goods and services of $38.8 billion and has a total impact of $101.5 billion on US gross domestic product. The Deloitte study estimates that approximately 4.6 million Americans are involved in the horse industry, meaning that one out of every 63 Americans is involved with horses; two million people own horses. The US horse industry directly provides 460,000 full-time equivalent jobs, including positions with feed companies. Nearly 120,000 people provide services, such as nutrition consulting, diet design, and feed testing, to the horse industry.
Of the approximately 2 million horse owners, more than 70% live in rural communities with populations of 50,000 people or less. People in rural communities have fewer choices of feed suppliers than people living in more urban areas. Also, people in rural areas have limited access to information on horse nutrition. However, the Internet is reducing this limitation.
The income demographics of horse owners form a bell-shaped curve, dispelling the misperception that horse ownership is only for wealthy individuals. Approximately 34% of horse owners have an annual household income of less than $50,000 and 28% have an annual income of more than $100,000. Approximately half (46%) of horse owners have an annual income of between $25,000 and $75,000. Most horse owners can likely afford high-quality, value-enhanced feeds. However, they are selective in how their feed dollars are spent.
Total spending on horses varies widely between the four categories of horses, the Deloitte study found (Table 3). Horse owners spend an average of nearly $2,900 per year per horse for feed, veterinary care, and other products and services. However, annual spending ranged from a high of $5,712 per horse for the average racing horse to a low of $2,282 for horses in the ‘Other’ category, which includes horses engaged in farm and ranch work, rodeos, police work, sports, and other activities.
| Table 3. Equine expenses: annual per horse expenditures for different categories of horses in the United States. |
 |
| * Includes horses used for farm and ranch work, rodeos, carriage horses, polo, police work, and informal competition. ** Includes expenses not listed below. |
Spending for feed, bedding, and grooming supplies also varied widely among the four categories used in the Deloitte economic study. (The study does not breakout feed spending from spending on bedding and grooming supplies.) Racehorse owners spend the most (i.e., $711 per horse on feed, bedding, and grooming supplies), while owners of horses in the ‘Other’ category spent the least (i.e., $502 per horse per year).
The results of the economic study conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP study show that the US horse industry is a highly diverse industry that supports a wide variety of activities in all regions of the country. Feed manufacturers can utilize the demographic data from the study to adjust their horse-feed marketing programs.
A recent USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) survey of horse owners discovered that horses in the US are often moved from one premise to another.
The APHIS survey, conducted as part of the agency’s National Animal Health Monitoring System, interviewed 2,893 equine operations in 28 states. The survey found that 33.6% of the operations introduced a new equine animal – either a temporary non-resident or a new resident – to the operation during the previous 12 months. The survey also found that 75.1% of the operations had a resident equine leave the home operation and return after direct contact with outside equines. Introduction of new equines and exposure to outside equines is a common route of exposure to disease agents.
The APHIS survey determined that US horses are in relatively good health. Nearly 25% of the operations required visitors to practice some type of infection control, such as hand-washing or parking vehicles away from animal areas. Overall, 75.9% of the operations vaccinated resident equines during the previous 12 months. The leading causes of death in US horses is old age (28.9% of deaths) followed by injuries and wounds (16.3% of deaths), and colic (14.6% of deaths). Lameness, leg, or hoof problems accounted for 7.7% of deaths.
WHERE ARE THE HORSES?
Horses, like other species of livestock, are not evenly distributed across the US, the Deloitte Consulting horse study found. Approximately 4.07 million horses, 44.1% of the total herd, reside in 10 states (Table 4). Each of the ‘top 10’ states is home to at least 200,000 horses.
In 2002, USDA published a distribution map of horses across the US (Figure 1).
Higher densities of horses occur in the northeast (i.e., eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and northern Virginia, Maryland) as well as in central Florida, eastern Ohio, northern Kentucky, central and eastern Tennessee, eastern Texas, central Oklahoma, central Colorado, northern Nevada, western Washington, western Oregon, and west-central California.
| Table 4. Top 10 horse states. |
 |
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| Figure 1. Distribution of horses in the United States (USDA, 2002). |
Texas has the most horses (almost 1 million) followed by California and Florida, with more than 500,000 horses each. The other leading horse states each have more than 200,000 horses. More than 450,000 Texans are involved in the industry as horse owners, feed manufacturers, nutritionists, service providers, and volunteers. The Texas horse industry directly provides 32,200 full-time equivalent jobs, including jobs in feed manufacturing.
The horse industry has a $7 billion impact on the California economy when the multiplier effect of spending by industry suppliers and employees is taken into account (Table 2). Approximately 311,100 Californians are involved in the horse industry as owners, service providers, and volunteers. More than over 70% of the horses in California are involved in showing and recreation.
The Florida horse industry directly provides 38,300 full-time equivalent jobs. More than 60% of the 500,000 horses in Florida are involved in showing and recreation.
The horse industry has a $31 billion impact on the economies of the 10 largest horse states. A substantial portion of this impact involves spending on feed and nutritional supplements. The economic impact of the horse industry in the individual states does not correlate strongly with the horse inventory in those states. For example, Oklahoma and Missouri have larger numbers of horses than New York.
However, the horse industry has a greater impact on the economy of New York than it does on the economies of Oklahoma and Missouri. Likewise, the horse industry has a greater impact on the economy of California than it does on the economy of Texas even though Texas has 280,000 more horses than California. Differences in horse feed costs between the states could partially explain the differences in the economic impacts of the horse industries.
Author: DOMENICK J. CASTALDO
Kishwaukee College, Malta, Illinois, USA
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