The 2012 American Publications Equine Survey brought to the fore many of the issues that the horse industry currently faces. One objective of the study was to gain a better understanding of how those who own and/or manage horses perceive the various challenges.
Concerns of horse owners
The unwanted horse issue, costs of caring for horses, and overbreeding are three of the main concerns of horse owners according to the 2012 AHP Equine Survey.
To this end, participants were asked to identify the top three issues facing the equine industry.
Unsurprisingly, the unwanted horse issue (and what to do with them) is still the most important issue facing the industry today, even 4 years after the great recession of 2008 with 56% of the respondents saying it is the top issue.
To solve the problem, respondents suggest a variety of alternatives, including providing humane slaughter, low cost euthanasia and castration clinics, and regulated breeding (including more widespread licensing of stallions, mares, and even breeders). As in the 2009-2010 study, slaughter is one of the most discussed alternatives.
However, among those who stated they were either for or against slaughter, many indicated that if slaughter plants re-open, humane conditions (including transport) must be mandated.The cost of horsekeeping (47.1%), overbreeding (37.3%), owners who don’t understand horses (29.3%), the loss of trails and riding areas (27.6%), and the lack of the option of slaughter (24.8%) were the next most frequently identified issues.
The cost of horsekeeping was identified as the second biggest challenge facing the industry. Solutions to this issue may be more difficult to achieve, because many are outside the control of those in the horse industry.
There is little horse owners/managers can do about fuel prices. However, some respondents suggest a change in the “business” model of caring for horses, including the creation of regional hay-buying co-ops and incentivizing hay producers to keep hay more local rather than exporting it.
In addition to the challenges facing horse owners, the survey also asked about the most urgent issues facing the horse industry. One of the most urgent issues, as indicated by 14.5% of respondents, is overbreeding. The youngest respondents are most concerned about overbreeding, and this decreases across age categories.
The importance of these issues sometimes depended on the demographics of the people responding.
While the unwanted horse issue appears to be equally relevant across the country, it appears that the cost of horsekeeping is of more concern to those on both coasts.
Overbreeding and owners who don’t understand horses are identified as important issues roughly equally across the country.