Horse Industry Issues Identified

In a nationwide survey recently conducted by American Horse Publications, horse owners were asked to identify the most significant issues impacting the equine industry. More than 10,000 responses were collected from horse owners and managers.

The problem of unwanted horses was named as one of the top three issues by over half the respondents, and this issue was considered to be the most important of various current problems by almost a quarter of all respondents. Overbreeding and restrictions on slaughter, two factors that many people consider to be contributors to the question of unwanted horses, were listed in their top three concerns by 37% and 25% of respondents, respectively.

Other concerns listed by horse owners were the increasing cost of horse ownership and management, loss of access to riding trails and areas, owners who don’t understand horses, untrained or poorly trained horses, disease outbreaks, lack of effective laws to regulate equine welfare, and a lack of educational materials for horse owners.

Opinions about horse slaughter continue to divide horse enthusiasts. In this survey, proponents of humane slaughter outnumbered those opposed to slaughter by more than 9 to 1. Carefully regulated slaughter, including transport to the facility, was mentioned as a partial answer to the problem of unwanted horses. Other respondents suggested low-cost euthanasia options, castration clinics, and some type of regulation on breeding such as licensing of stallions and mares as ways to deal with and resolve the number of unwanted horses.