Horse Exam 1

• Kentucky is the highest-producing area.
• The horse industry contributes more to the U.S. economy than the NFL.
• Reasons to own a horse:

  • develop balance, strength, and coordination
  • exercise as you groom, clean stalls, etc.
  • Metal exercise- communication, decision making, problem solving, goal setting skills
  • companionship and connection to the horse
  • mood improvement
  • develop responsibility
• Horses were used for transportation, farming, and war in the past.
• Today, horses are used for recreation, showing, and racing.
• To prove to the IRS that you have a legitimate horse business, you need a separate entrance to an office, proof of history of the business, a degree to backup your claim, a business plan, and financial records.
• 3.1 million horses are used for recreation in the U.S.
• 1.2 million horses are used for showing in the U.S.
• 1.2 million horses are used for racing in the U.S.
• 0.5 million horses are used for working in the U.S.
• There are 7.2 million horses in the U.S. and it has steadily decreased since 2005 from 9.2 million.
• There are 7.1 million people involved as horse owners, service providers, employees, and volunteers.
• 2 million people own horses.
• Occupations directly related to horse health are ferrier, massage therapist, chiropractor, dentist, and nutritionist.
• 3.5 horses per owner in the U.S.
• The horse industry has a direct employment impact of 988,394 jobs.
• The horse industry has a total employment impact of 1.7 million jobs.
• The horse industry has $50 billion direct economic impact to the U.S. economy but a total contribution of $122 billion .
• The horse industry contributes $38 billion in direct wages, salaries, and benefits to the direct economic impact.
• In 2017, Texas had the most horses in the U.S. at 845,000 followed by California at 534,500 and Florida at 387,100.
• The TX horse industry prodcues goods and services valued at $3.3 Billion
• 500,000 Texans are involved in the horse industry as owners, service providers, employees, and volunteers.
• The TX horse industry provides 52,000 jobs and $2.1 billion in labor income.
• Current issues:

  • Unwanted horse and equine welfare concerns
  • Increasing cost of horse ownership
  • Declining riders and participants, especially youth
  • qualified and affordable labor
  • loss of trails and riding areas
  • horses that are not trained appropriately
• The unwanted horse population is growing by 150,000 per year (this does not include wild horses).
• The average cost for caring for a horse is five times that of caring for a dog
• 32% of respondents is the American Horse Publications 2010 survey had been given a horse (primarily young and lower-income people accept them)
• Wild horse and burro estimated poulation on public rangelands in 2022 was 82,384, and in 1917 it was 25,000
• 13% increase of 2017 estimate of 72,674 (numbers doubled from 40,000 in 2012. Unmanaged herds can double in size every year)
• onlOnlyly 4,099 wild horses and burros were adopted or sold in 2017 but 8,637 were adopted in 2021 due to new buyer incentive programs.
• Ideally, 27,000 wild horses/burros can live in balance with wildlife and livestock on public lands.
• tribalThe GAO estimates at least 200,000 free-roaming horses on federal and trobal lands.
• there have been over 400 vehicle-horse collisions in Neveada since 2006
• Average of 200 wild burro-vehcile accidents per year in the metro area of phoenix, AZ
• in 2022, 1,160 mares were given a fertility control treatment using primarily PZP or the newer and longer acting GonaCon vaccine and 8 mares received a new long-lasting IUD for the first trial.
• $122.2 million spent on wild horses and burros in 2022. 30% off range corals, 27% off range pastures, 13% adoptions, sales, and transfers, 5% gathers and fertility control, and 16% on other things.
• all U.S. horse slaughter plants were closed in 2007.
• Europe will no longer take horse meat from the US for human consumption.
• horse rescues are full and cost $2,300 per year to support a horse on average.
• Euthanasia cost an average of $200 for a horse plus the cost of burial.