Newsdate: Thu 16 July 2015 – 06:50 am
Location: SAN DIEGO, California

American Horse Publications (AHP) conducted its third online nationwide equine industry survey from January 6, 2015, through April 1, 2015. The objectives of this survey are to gauge participation trends and management practices in the U.S. equine industry, to identify critical issues facing the equine industry as perceived by those who own or manage horses, and to better understand issues pertaining to horse health.

Increase in costs for horse care

To obtain a better understanding of how increased costs have affected horse handlers, survey participants were asked to identify areas in which costs of horse keeping had increased the most.
© 2015 by Jiri Markalous

Upon the conclusion of the survey, 11,307 responses were collected. After removing duplicates, respondents from outside the U.S., invalid zip codes, and non-horse owners or managers, there were 10,662 usable responses.

One of the important items in the survey related to increased costs. To obtain a better understanding of how increased costs have affected horse handlers, survey participants were asked to identify areas in which costs of horsekeeping had increased the most. In addition, they were asked to indicate potential ways in which they would accommodate any cost increases.

First, respondents were asked to identify up to three areas in which the costs associated with horsekeeping have increased the most in the past year. 70.3% of the respondents (down from 81.8% in 2012) say that feed of all types, including hay and concentrate, has become more expensive. The increase in feed costs was identified as an issue significantly more often by individuals residing in zip code regions 3, 7, 8, and 9.

39.5% of the respondents indicate that veterinary services have increased the most in the past year. The third most commonly identified area of increased costs is animal health products (34.5%). In the previous two surveys, increased fuel costs were of major concern; however, the current survey suggests that falling gas prices have eased concerns in this area.

Owners and managers utilize different approaches to cope with expected increased costs. Most respondents (65.1%) indicate that they will reduce expenditures in other areas of their lives to cope with the increased horsekeeping costs. 26.2% of respondents will seek ways to increase income, while 26.1% of the respondents indicate that they plan on attending fewer competitions.

Fewer than 20% of respondents indicate that they will reduce the number of horses they maintain. Partial leases are still not very attractive; less than 10% indicate that they might pursue cost-sharing measures like half-leases. These responses have changed little since the 2009-2010 study.

Table 1 – Zip code regions and their corresponding states

Prepared by C. Jill Stowe, PhD. Dept. of Agricultural Economics (University of Kentucky) as a consultant to AHP