270 Horses and the horse industry, texas and beyond

Abstract

Abstract A familiar Texas quote is, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” That’s certainly true about many parts of its equine industry. But, even though its population is large, many of the issues facing the Texas Horse Industry are no different than those of the rest of the U.S horse industry. Texas ranks highest in the total number of horses of all the states. According to the Texas Equine Industry Study of 2015, Texas has 840,000 horses in the state that generate almost $6 billion dollars in statewide economic output. The industry supports 52,000 jobs. Horse racing alone supports 11,400 jobs. Like most states, recreation riding/ownership leads the industry’s uses. In Texas, this segment alone accounts for $1.9 billion in revenues. The primary issues facing Texas’ and the U.S industries are equine welfare in all aspects of the industry, a decline in participation, waning youth interest and participation, a public without livestock experience, the economy, unwanted horses and leadership for the future.