The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population
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The Demographics
of the U.S. Equine
Population
10 CHAPTER
Emily R. Kilby
Introduction
n this demographic examina- How Many U.S. of Agriculture (USDA), the coun-
I tion of America’s equine popu-
lation, the numbers clearly
show upward trends in all things
Horses Are There?
This most basic question of demo-
graphic research is yet to be
try’s equine inventory was 3.75 mil-
lion in 2002 (USDA 2002). NASS
reported 3.15 million horses,
ponies, donkeys, and mules in 1997
equestrian over the past fifty years.
Will that trajectory continue, answered with satisfactory accu- and, in 1992, 2.12 million. In a sin-
adding year after year to the cur- racy for the U.S. equine popula- gle decade, the equine population
rent ten million population, or will tion. Horses and other equidae are jumped 1.63 million, or 77 percent,
loss of open spaces turn the tide as no longer sufficiently critical at least according to USDA.
it limits horse housing and riding to national well-being to warrant The American Veterinary Med-
room? Will ownership patterns the close government oversight ical Association (AVMA) put the
undergo fundamental changes afforded food-producing animals, 2001 horse population at 5.1 mil-
when population density, land nor are they so much a part of the lion (AVMA 2002), a 28 percent
costs, and escalating environmen- average American experience as to increase over the 4 million calcu-
tal controls eliminate the “back- inspire close scrutiny of their num- lated for 1996, which had repre-
yard”-keeping concept and make bers and condition. Instead, avail- sented an 18 percent decrease
suburban boarding stables unten- able demographic data for horses from the 4.9 million estimated five
a b l e ? Wi l l h o r s e p ro d u c t i o n and their kin have arisen from spe- years before that.
expenses rise in the face of land cial interests or within restricted
pressures to the point that eques- populations, resulting in seemingly
trian involvement, now a highly conflicting figures. Equine
The American Horse Council
egalitarian pursuit in this coun-
Foundation (AHCF), a funding
Census Taking
try, truly becomes a rich person’s The American horse population is
game? entity of the American Horse
not nearly so volatile as these con-
Horse people started fretting Council, commissioned a study in
flicting figures seem to indicate.
over these sorts of questions not 2004 using data provided by horse
Indeed, vast changes have occurred
long after horses stopped being owners for the previous year. The
in equine numbers over the past
beasts of burden in this country resulting report put the American
century, with as many as six million
and became mostly recreational horse population at 9.2 million in
horses and mules disappearing in
partners and companions. So far, 2003, a 33 percent increase over
a single decade, but those losses
the equine species has flourished the 6.9 million reported ten years
were in response to the mechaniza-
in its nonutilitarian role, but before (AHCF 2005).
tion of farming and transportation
there’s no end run around the fact According to the National Agri-
(Table 1). (The lack of data from
that horses are and always will be cultural Statistics Service (NASS),
1960 to the present is regrettable.
large animals in a shrinking natu- an agency of the U.S. Department
USDA surveys ceased to be an accu-
ral world.
175• The commerce of horse involve-
Table 1 ment was the survey focus.
Respondents in the owner
U.S. Equine Population During group had to be at least eight-
Mechanization of Agriculture een years old and owner or part-
and Transportation owner of a horse(s). Data for
youth involvement and for non-
Year Number of Horses and Mules owning equestrians may be
underreported or excluded.
1900 21,531,635 • The survey posed questions in
1905 22,077,000
terms of horses only. No input is
explicitly solicited for other
1910 24,042,882 equidae, which include ponies,
miniature horses, donkeys/bur-
1915 26,493,000
ros, and mules. It is not uncom-
1920 25,199,552 mon for recreational horse own-
ers to maintain a mix of breeds
1925 22,081,520
and types, and if respondents
1930 18,885,856 answered the questions quite
literally, the lesser but still sig-
1935 16,676,000 nificant population of ponies
1940 13,931,531 and asses is not included in the
9.2 million figure. Finally, it
1945 11,629,000 appears that owners and pro-
1950 7,604,000 ducers specializing in minia-
ture horses might have been
1955 4,309,000 excluded entirely.
1960 3,089,000
• The survey sample was derived
from equestrian membership
Source: Adapted from Ensminger (1969). lists and business databases.
The 18,648 usable owner/indus-
try supplier responses from
rate assessment because they did American Horse Council which the report data were sub-
not take into account recreational The AHC has surveyed the eco- sequently derived (along with
horses, and the horse industry has nomic activity associated with different surveys of horse show
attempted only occasionally to horses and horse uses ever y and racing management) repre-
undertake a national horse popula- decade since the mid-1980s. The sent a valid pool for studying
tion assessment in the past thirty- data are collected primarily for economic matters, but the sam-
six years.) However, it appears to political purposes. By specifying ple would have excluded owners
be fairly safe to conclude that the dollars-and-cents figures for a spe- who maintain horses with little
1950s marked the low point of cialized and relatively small recre- or no organizational contact or
American equine numbers, with ational and business entity, the commercial involvement. Horse
horses and mules largely phased AHC, a lobbying organization, can population figures and activity
out of agricultural production and better influence national and state profiles may have been skewed
transportation but not yet filling legislatures in matters affecting by this selection process.
significant recreational roles. Since horse breeders, owners, trainers, • The primary response mecha-
then, the trend in equine numbers dealers, and recreational, sport- nism was through an Internet
has been steadily upward. ing, and business users. The larger website, with a small proportion
The surveys’ purposes, designs, the numbers shown, the more of mailed questionnaires for
and sampling methodology account impact equestrian interests those without computer access.
for the three divergent assessments appear to have. Again, the methodology selected
of the American equine population The AHC’s population figures against owners outside main-
cited above and most likely for the were shaped by the following stream culture, which would not
relatively large shifts reportedly study characteristics, as ex- have much effect on an eco-
occurring within short intervals plained in the study’s technical nomic impact study but probably
as well. appendix (AHCF 2005): underrepresents “invisible” own-
176 The State of the Animals IV: 2007ers in providing raw equine pop- son stables would be captured dur- vals and produces a demographics
ulation figures. ing the list-building process. sourcebook to aid its members in
The AHC report’s very precise The most recent USDA enumera- making business and marketing
tally of U.S. horses in 2003— tion lists 3.64 million horses and decisions. The data for these reports
9,222,847—is actually the center ponies and 105,358 mules, burros, come from a statistically representa-
point of a statistically determined and donkeys in the “other animal tive sample chosen from an estab-
range defining a 95 percent confi- production category,” along with lished panel of U.S. households that
dence interval. According to these the likes of bison, goats, rabbits, have agreed to participate in surveys
calculations, if the same methodol- and bees. Horse/pony numbers on of this nature (Clancy and Rowan
ogy were applied a hundred times, income-producing farms increased 2003). The most recent survey, per-
ninety-five of the surveys would by one million between 1992 and formed in 2001, found 1.7 percent
produce a U.S. horse population 1997 and by another half-million by of responding households reporting
figure somewhere between 2002, a 78 percent increase overall. horse ownership, with an average of
8,869,858 and 9,575,837. Given During the same decade, ass num- 2.9 horses per owning household.
the methodology’s exclusion of bers nearly doubled between 1992 Using data of this sort for the vari-
certain types of horse owners and and 1997, rising from 67,692 to ous species, the AVMA can offer pop-
some equine classes, the actual 123,211, then fell back to 105,358 ulation-estimating formulas for vet-
equine population seems likely to in 2002. While the progression in erinarians to use in calculating
be at the higher end of the range horse/pony numbers reflects the potential client pools in their com-
or possibly exceeding that 9.6 mil- population trend reported by other munities. The AVMA’s equine for-
lion (rounded) maximum figure. observers, the rather precipitous mula is therefore: divide the com-
rise and retreat of ass numbers in a munity population by 2.69 to get
U.S. Department single decade begs the question of the number of households, then
of Agriculture a sampling or reporting anomaly in multiply the number of households
USDA has kept tabs on agricultural one of the years. by 0.05. The national proportion
production through periodic cen- Recognizing the shortcomings of of horses to households was deter-
suses, starting in 1840. Every five the purely agricultural enumeration mined by this study.
years, NASS attempts to survey all model for gathering equine data, Though it does provide a useful
U.S. agricultural producers with a USDA conducted additional surveys business tool, the AVMA’s enumer-
shorter form and chooses a sizable following the 1997 census to esti- ation method is too many steps
sampling of them for a more detailed mate the number of all equidae in removed from an actual hooves-on-
assessment of agricultural practices the country and their sales, not just the-ground count to generate reli-
and expenses. For the most recent those on qualifying agricultural able population figures.
enumeration, approximately 2.8 mil- establishments. By including • The survey goal was to charac-
lion census packets were mailed in equine data estimated from enu- terize ownership patterns, not
December 2002, and follow-up con- merations of sixteen thousand ran- perform a true count of pet
tacts continued until each county domly selected square-mile areas species in the United States.
had at least a 75 percent response across the country and surveys of • The survey focused on compan-
rate. Such blanket coverage assures twenty thousand larger farms and ion/recreational owners and
a very accurate count of most food- commercial operations, along with may have underrepresented or
and fiber-producing units in the the basic findings from the standard excluded horses used for breed-
country, but horses and their kin are census, NASS calculated the total ing, work, and competition.
special case animals. number of equidae at the start of • The respondent pool was ini-
USDA’s equine population figures 1998 to be 5,250,400 and a year tially skewed by the self-selection
are significantly limited by the pri- later to be 5,317,400 (USDA 1999). of participants, then narrowed
mary criterion for inclusion in the If that 1.3 percent annual increase further by selecting a sample
enumeration: censuses are sent to continued until 2003, there would representative of the entire U.S.
all agricultural operations that pro- be 5.6 million equidae by this sur- population, not one representa-
duce or sell $1,000 or more of agri- vey model, still millions shy of the tive of U.S. horse owners. Horse
cultural products annually or would AHC count for that year. ownership is a phenomenon
do so in normal years. The large associated with rural areas and
block of “backyard” owners who American Veterinary smaller communities whose
maintain horses on a few acres or Medical Association populations may not have been
nonagricultural “farmettes” would The professional association for U.S. sufficiently represented in the
not be surveyed. It is also unclear if veterinarians conducts animal own- AVMA sample for accurate
suburban boarding, training, and les- ership surveys at half-decade inter- equine data collection.
The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population 177Applying the AVMA formula to Since passage of the Wild and As of March 2006 the BLM
the 2003 U.S. estimated human Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (2006) population included:
population produces an estimated of 1971 and its implementation in • approximately thirty-two thou-
5,297,938 companion/recreational 1973, the Department of the Inte- sand horses and burros on
equidae. Extrapolating an “agricul- rior’s Bureau of Land Management public range lands, exceeding
tural” equid population for 2003 (BLM) has been responsible for the optimum total population
by increasing USDA’s 2002 count overseeing herds on federal lands in of twenty-eight thousand by
another 1.3 percent yields ten Western states (Arizona, Cali- four thousand and
3,798,381. Some overlap probably fornia, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, • twenty-six thousand in short-
occurs between the AVMA and the Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and long-term holding facilities.
USDA respondent pools, but sam- and Wyoming). The agency is In fiscal year 2005, ending in Sep-
pling procedures and criteria for in- charged with multipurpose manage- tember, 11,023 animals were re-
clusion for each are quite distinct, ment of vast federal holdings for moved from the Western ranges. By
producing data from two essentially recreation, logging, mining, graz- early 2006, 5,701 of them had been
discrete groups of horse keepers. ing, and wildlife management, in adopted out, continuing the stream
The total of these two estimated addition to the equine oversight, of 208,000 BLM horses and burros
populations is 9,096,319, very close and at the same time sustaining the that have been placed with private
to AHC’s count of 9,222,847 for health and productivity of public owners since 1973. The remainder
2003. The AHC’s broader-ranging lands (BLM 2006). left in BLM holding facilities were to
sampling method appears to have Wild horse and burro popula- be offered for adoption three times
captured both companion/recre- tions are now held to population before being deemed unadoptable
ational and production owners limits that will prevent overgrazing and made available for unrestricted
for the most accurate and com- or other destruction of their range sale. Until the December 2004 legis-
plete numeric snapshot of today’s lands while still leaving adequate lation, unadoptable horses were
equid population. herd numbers for a healthy gene kept as government property for the
pool. Each management area has remainder of their lives. The BLM’s
an upper population limit deter- 2005 budget for the Wild Horse and
Wild Horses mined by available resources, and Burro Program was $39.6 million,
herds are subject to periodic
and Burros culling to maintain optimum pop-
with $20.1 million used to maintain
gathered animals in short- and long-
None of the censuses cited above
ulations. Additionally, birth control term holding facilities. The legisla-
includes equidae roaming on federal
measures are now being applied to tion allowing unrestricted sale was
lands or maintained in government
wild horses to lower their repro- intended to eliminate the expense of
holding facilities. This unowned
duction rates and reduce the num- lifetime care for the unadoptables.
population originated from domesti-
ber of excess animals needing Where it has jurisdiction over
cated horses and burros who
removal. The BLM (2006) disposes national seashores, the National
escaped or were freed onto range
of excess horses and burros from Park Service (NPS) either removes
lands, starting in the sixteenth cen-
federal lands as follows: feral horses there as non-native
tury with the first Spanish explorers.
• “adopting” them out to pri- species or attempts to maintain
The Atlantic barrier islands, from
vate citizens with restrictions barrier island horse populations at
coastal Maryland down through the
to assure adequate care and levels that do not harm the ecologi-
Georgia coast, have also harbored
prevent their being sold cal balance. On Assateague Island,
feral herds since the colonial era.
to slaughter; for instance, the NPS now uses con-
Even under seemingly harsh condi-
• maintaining them in holding traceptive injections to reduce the
tions, these feral equidae reproduce
facilities until adoption or in Maryland herd’s reproduction rate
quite successfully, with modern-day
long-range pasturage if they to maintain a population of 150
herds capable of doubling in size
are not adopted; and adults (Kirkpatrick 2005). On the
every five years, given the absence of
• since December 2004 dispos- Virginia portion of Assateague, the
natural predators in most of today’s
ing of the unadoptable popula- Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Com-
ranges (BLM 2006). Until the 1960s
tion through unrestricted sale, pany conducts an annual July “pony
free-ranging horses and burros were
meaning that buyers can deal penning” to cull that herd to the
considered wildlife of sorts, fair
with the animals as they would same target number (NPS 2003).
game for public taking for taming,
after a private transaction, Horse herds on barrier islands far-
selling for pet food or slaughter, or
although challenges were sub- ther down the coast have met with
killing to reduce grazing competi-
sequently made to this man- a patchwork of population-control
tion for domestic stock.
agement change. measures as coastal development
178 The State of the Animals IV: 2007has overrun their ranges, and of critters on hobby farms or as ported by a newspaper writer in
awareness of their damage to the work animals on secluded proper- 2004 for the Yakima Indian Reser-
fragile barrier-island ecology has ties. Not all horse owners compete, vation alone (Palmer 2004). By
grown. Over the years some herds register, join up, subscribe, or shop BLM standards Washington State
have been removed entirely from for horsey things and thus reveal has no “wild” horses because they
the islands, others have been fenced their whereabouts for enumerators. are not on BLM-managed federal
away from the new communities If these “below the radar” animals lands, but the herds kept on the
built on their former ranges (with equal just 1 percent of the known vast reservation acreages there and
only marginal success), and others equine population of the country, throughout the West and the Plains
still are managed by the NPS or pri- that’s another hundred thousand are certainly less clearly defined
vate entities to maintain a viable added to the true total. and probably more numerous than
presence on their historic ranges Two more definable equine pop- the NASS count suggests.
(Hause 2006). If the various target ulations are most likely under-
populations have been met and reported because they are legally Amish Horses,
maintained, the current horse pop- and/or culturally outside the Mules and Donkeys
ulation on barrier islands along the American mainstream. These are canvassed for NASS enu-
Atlantic coast appears to number merations, as long as they are on
around a thousand, a far cry from Horses on Indian properties that meet the $1,000-
the National Geographic Society’s Reservations production standard. While the
1926 estimate of six thousand wild These horses throughout the majority of the Amish in communi-
horses roaming the Outer Banks country actually live in sovereign ties now spread across twenty-five
just from Currituck to Shackleford lands and thus are not directly states do remain in agricultural
(Hause 2006). subject to state or national regu- production to some degree, mem-
Government agencies now man- lation or oversight. Many Western bers are increasingly turning to
age most unowned horses roaming tribes maintain large numbers of carpentry, manufacturing, and
free on public lands. The BLM’s horses for stock work on their other nonfarm work for their liveli-
2005 fiscal year count of wild horses range lands and also because of hoods (Milicia 2004), thus remov-
in ten Western states was 27,369; deep cultural and ceremonial sig- ing them from the NASS survey
the number of wild burros ranging nificance attached to the species. pool. With church tenants holding
in five of those states totaled 4,391 For the 2002 agricultural census, them separate from the “English”
(BLM 2005). With the East Coast which did survey reservations, (non-Amish) world, Amish horse
barrier horses added in, approxi- NASS performed a special enu- owners may not respond readily to
m a t e l y 3 3 , 0 0 0 f r e e - ro a m i n g meration of Native American agricultural censuses and are un-
equidae are currently in the United farms/ranches and merged those likely to have any presence at all in
States. Another 27,000 are living as results with full reservation data other forms of polling.
wards of the state, so to speak, in to produce “Appendix B,” detail- In lieu of reliable enumeration,
holding facilities, for a total feral/ ing the agricultural characteris- the current number of Amish
once-feral population of 60,000. tics of American Indian and horses and mules can be esti-
Eskimo farm operations. mated by applying the horse-to-
According to NASS, Native Amer- human ratio that existed in premo-
“Invisible” icans on 12,174 properties produc- torized America. In 1910, two
ing $1,000 or more in agricultural years after the first Model T rolled
Populations goods owned 115,464 horses in onto the roads, there were
As large as horses are, they do go
2002 (USDA 2002). Yet because 24,042,882 horses/mules and
undetected by government and
reservation horses are often han- 92,228,496 people for a 1:3.8
association enumerators alike. An
dled as communal property rather ratio. Today’s Amish population,
untold number of equidae live as
than individually owned and be- 70 percent of which lives in Ohio,
pets or pensioners in places, such
cause large herds on Plains and Pennsylvania, and Indiana, is esti-
as semisuburban smallholdings,
Western reservations are often mated to number around 180,000
not normally associated with live-
managed as range animals, that and is rapidly growing (Milicia
stock keeping, and many urban
enumeration may be very approxi- 2004). If this statistical time travel
centers have an equestrian pres-
mate. For instance, the NASS count has validity, there are at least
ence, such as police horses, riding
given for horses on Indian-operated 47,000 Amish horses and mules in
stables, and carriage operators,
ranches in Washington State in the United States.
that exists outside the norm. Other
2002 was 4,018, yet that statewide
equidae “hide” amid a menagerie
figure is less than the 5,000 re-
The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population 179How Many U.S. in age between five and twenty. The
random animal’s breeding, usually
which they could make mating deci-
sions that would improve their ani-
Horses Are There? discernible to experienced horse- mals’ production and performance.
Although current equine enumera- people by its physical characteris- Today DNA testing is required by
tions can be faulted for limitations tics, or conformation, would most the more rigorous organizations to
in their focus, methodology, and likely be quarter horse, the coun- assure authenticity of parentage.
results, their data, considered try’s preponderant type by all meas- The Thoroughbred studbook (The
cumulatively, point to the accuracy ures. The second most likely en- Jockey Club), started in England in
of the American Horse Council esti- counter would be with a somewhat the early seventeenth century, is the
mate. Projecting the AHCF horse more streamlined-looking horse in oldest and most carefully main-
population figure for 2003 two a “plain brown wrapper”—a sixteen- tained of any, closely guarding the
years into the future (1.3 percent hand bay or dark brown Thorough- bloodlines and racing data of the
growth in ’04 and ’05 = 9,464,200), bred type, with perhaps a touch of breed. Other studbooks are “open,”
and adding overlooked ponies and white on face and foot. meaning that occasional outcross-
asses (200,000), the country’s feral But in the United States, diversity ing is allowed with a few other spec-
equidae (60,000) and the “invisi- rules the equine as well as the hu- ified breeds. The quarter horse stud-
ble” populations (200,000) produce man population, so that random book, for instance, has permitted
a figure of 9,924,000 for the 2006 sighting might instead be of a four- matings with Thoroughbreds, among
U.S. equine population. foot-tall critter with a white and others, particularly in producing
brown coat, very long ears, a bray, racing stock. Crossbred registries
The Future not a neigh, and registration papers either specify one type of mating
With institution of a National Ani- from an organization called the pattern (for instance, Andalusian +
mal Identification System by 2010, American Council of Spotted Asses. quarter horse = Azteca horse, a reg-
all uncertainty should be removed Or the sighting could be of a large, istrable “breed”) or register any
from the equine-counting business. high-headed black horse with feath- type of offspring from the specified
In the planning stages as of 2006, ery legs and flowing mane hitched purebred parent (for example, the
this USDA initiative will permit to a cart: a Friesian, one of many im- half-Arabian registry).
tracking of all U.S. livestock from ported sorts increasingly brought In addition to or in lieu of re-
first breath to last for the sake of dis- into the country by horsepeople cording by bloodline, breeds are
ease control and bioterrorism pro- seeking something more exotic now defined by other parameters.
tection. Each animal will be identi- than the prevailing breeds for activ- Almost a quarter of the registries
fied through a standard coding ities outside the norm. The United listed in the AHC directory accept
system indicating place of origin, States unquestionably has the most horses on the basis of physical appear-
along with an individual identifier. variegated collection of equidae on ance, usually coloration, such as
Microchipping is the likely technol- earth. The American Horse Coun- palomino and buckskin, or marking
ogy that will be applied to equidae, cil’s Horse Industry Directory listed patterns, such as Appaloosas and
reporting all horses, ponies, and 106 registries for horses, ponies, or pintos, but there’s even a registry
asses to a single database where asses (AHC 2003). Some are multi- for curly-coated horses. Pony and
population figures will be actual ples drawing registrations from the miniature registries restrict entry
hooves-on-the-ground numbers, not same pool of animals, but an equal by height as well as parentage.
statistical extrapolations. number of smaller organizations Gaited horses who move in a vari-
probably missed out on inclusion in ety of less common footfall patterns,
What Does the U.S. the directory. with names like walker, paso, sin-
Equine Population glefooter, mangalarga, and foxtrot-
Look Like? ter, belong to a subset of registries
In a random encounter with a mem- Breed Registries that have increased in popularity
ber of the equine species in the Of the hundred or so U.S. registries, along with recreational horse use
United States, this is the most likely most record bloodlines to maintain because they produce a bounce-
sighting throughout much of the a “pure” genetic pool by requiring free ride. Sports and activities, such
country: a riding horse, standing that newly registered animals be the as flat and harness racing and per-
about fifteen hands (sixty inches offspring of two parents who are formance/sport horses bred for
measured at the shoulders), either already in the studbook. The origi- eventing and jumping, are the
female (a mare) or neutered male nal purpose of recording livestock organizing principle for some of
(a gelding)—but certainly not a bloodlines and maintaining them the oldest and some of the newest
stallion—probably sorrel, tending generation after generation was to registries. Finally, historically sig-
toward a stocky build and ranging give breeders information with nificant and geographically distinc-
180 The State of the Animals IV: 2007tive horses get their own associa- services and show-ring results than profiling the national equine popu-
tions, including Spanish mustangs, with actual breed improvement. lation. Viewing registration trends
Icelandic horses, and a recreated over time provides insights into the
medieval charger going under the waxing and waning of particular
name Spanish-Norman horse. In Registry Tallies horse types and equestrian inter-
the modern proliferation of equine Tracking the tallies of annual regis- ests. In both 2006 and throughout
registries, record-keeping more trations entered into the nine the past decades, American Quar-
often has to do with membership major U.S. registries is one way of ter Horse Association (AQHA) reg-
Table 2
Annual New Registrations for the
Nine Largest U.S. Horse Breed Registries
Tennessee
Quarter Thorough- Standard- Walking Saddle-
Year Horse Paint bred Arabian Appaloosa bred Horse bred Morgan
1977 94,445 5,565 27,551 18,797 19,316 13,929 6,212 3,855 3,700
1983 168,346 14,626 43,787 18,391 22,184 20,298 7,561 2,787 5,317
1985 157,360 12,692 46,635 30,004 16,189 18,384 7,812 4,351 4,538
1988 128,352 14,929 45,256 24,578 12,317 17,393 8,400 3,811 3,526
1989 NA 14,930 44,250 21,723 10,746 16,896 8,850 3,708 3,732
1990* 115,000 15,000 40,333 13,000 10,000 15,000 8,000 3,700 3,400
1991 101,390 18,648 38,149 12,993 9,902 13,617 8,092 3,570 3,392
1992 102,843 22,396 35,050 12,544 10 033 13,029 8,123 3,048 2,408
1993 104,876 24,220 33,820 12,349 9,079 12,086 7,510 3,353 3,120
1994 106,017 27,549 32,117 12,962 10,104 12,204 7,856 3,192 3,038
1995 107,332 34,846 31,882 12,398 10,903 10,918 9,450 2,300 3,063
1996 108,604 41,491 32,242 11,645 10,067 11,589 10,991 2,142 3,053
1997 110,714 50,440 32,115 11,594 11,030 11,336 12,256 3,213 3,415
1998 125,308 55,356 32,944 11,320 9,100 10,881 13,250 2,952 3,100
1999 135,528 62,186 33,838 11,501 10,099 11,183 13,375 2,705 3,220
2000 145,936 62,511 34,719 9,660 10,906 11,281 14,387 2,908 3,654
2001 150,956 56,869 34,705 9,266 9,322 11,261 14,479 3,050 3,475
2002 156,199 60,000 32,941 9,394 9,092 11,699 14,865 2,931 3,976
2003 160,980 51,000 33,671 9,400 9,200 11,050 14,978 2,578 2,938
2004** 162,590 52,000 34,070 9,000 9,200 11,500 15,000 3,200 3,500
2005** 165,000 44,000 34,070 8,000 7,000 11,000 13,500 3,000 3,400
*Approximate, except for Thoroughbred.
**Registry estimates.
Sources: Thoroughbred registrations for the U.S. only: The Jockey Club (2006); other breeds, years 1992–2001:
AHC (2003); remaining years: EQUUS (1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004).
The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population 181istrations exceeded all others by study, supported largely by the ment, conducted in 1998 for the
tens of thousands (Tables 2 and 3). Thoroughbred and quarter horse USDA’s National Animal Health Mon-
The American Paint Horse Associ- associations, characterized the itoring System (NAHMS) (USDA
ation (APHA), formed in 1965 to makeup of the 2003 U.S. horse pop- 1998). However, the 1998 sample of
register quarter horse types with ulation using only three broad pro- owners, selected from twenty-eight
more white coat markings than are files: Thoroughbred, quarter horse, states accounting for 78 percent of
permitted for AQHA registration, is and “other,” which included other the national equine population enu-
now the second-largest breed reg- registered and nonregistered merated by NASS for 1992, reported
istry. During the past fifteen years, horses. The survey respondents an even greater concentration of
registered quarter horses and paints reported ownership for 2003 in the quarter horses—40 percent—than
combined made up almost three- following proportions (AHC 2005): the more recent AHC study. The
quarters of all registrations in that • Thoroughbred—14 percent, NAHMS survey included all equidae
nine-breed cohort. It is safe to say or 1,291,807 found on U.S. properties and de-
that the multipurpose, American- • Quarter horse—35.6 percent, tailed the “other horses” that were
made breed derived from bloodlines or 3,288,302 lumped together in the AHC study.
that excelled in sprint racing during • Other horses—50.3 percent, Table 4 shows the NAHMS-deter-
colonial days (hence the “quarter or 4,642,739 mined composition of the U.S.
mile” designation), then seasoned Identical 50–50 proportions for equine population by type and breed
as stock horses on the Western the combined Thoroughbred-quarter as percentages of the total and as
ranges represents the preferred horse cohort and the other-horse current head counts, based on a
using type for today’s American group were also found by the only 2005 population of ten million.
owner. Quarter horses are just what scientific survey yet done of the U.S. Comparison of Tables 3 and 4
the recreational market wants: horse population and its manage- shows little agreement between
medium in size, comparatively easy-
going and low maintenance, and
capable of performing a variety of Table 3
activities, particularly as the registry Fifteen-Year Total Registrations for
has allowed outcrossing to create
the more streamlined physiques
Nine Major U.S. Registries, 1991–2005
favored in the “English” disciplines
(an equestrian style based on a flat Association Percentage of
Registry Total Nine-Breed Total
saddle that includes hunters,
jumpers, dressage, and polo, and American Quarter
“saddleseat” style riding) to the Horse Association 2,844,273 59.6
original, stockier cattle-horse type. American Paint
Horse Association 663,512 13.9
Breed Numbers The Jockey Club
(Thoroughbreds) 506,333 10.6
Quarter horse/paint dominance is
indisputable, but the diverse U.S. U.S. Trotting Association
equine population cannot be char- (Standardbreds) 174,634 3.7
acterized by registration numbers Tenn. Walking Horse Breeders’
alone. Despite the opportunities to and Exhibitors’ Association 178,112 3.7
“paper” just about any variety of
equid, a portion of the population— Arabian Horse
Registry of America 164,026 3.4
probably a significant one—was
never registered, or its registrations Appaloosa Horse Club 145,037 3.0
have gotten lost with changes of
American Morgan
ownership. Membership and regis- Horse Association 48,752 1.0
tration fees are expensive, and the
majority of Americans are involved American Saddlebred
in horse activities that don’t require Horse Association 44,142 0.9
registry/association affiliation, thus Total 4,768,821
papers are not a compelling need
throughout the horse-owning popu-
Source: Calculations from Table 2.
lation. The AHC economic impact
182 The State of the Animals IV: 2007the population percentages in the attempt to keep an exact count of face value, the breed populations
two lists, but they diverge most each year’s new entries; the produced by NAHMS percentages
strikingly for quarter horses and NAHMS percentages derived from and the two breed counts specified
paints. The NAHMS quarter horse a sample consisting of fewer than in the AHC study cannot be recon-
percentage derived from owner three thousand respondents taken ciled with reality. Even if every sin-
data was 20 percentage points from little more than half the gle quarter horse and Thorough-
lower than the registry’s share of states. Yet a more significant rea- bred registered in the past fifteen
the nine-breed total; for paints the son for the differences is probably years were alive today, there would
farm count was 5.4 percent, while timing. Since the 1998 survey was still have to be an additional
the registry proportion equaled conducted, AQHA and APHA have 643,577 surviving older registered
13.4. Only the Standardbred was experienced strong growth, while quarter horses and another
close to the same percentage on most of the remaining registries 394,327 aged Thoroughbreds to
both lists, while the remaining have nudged upward very little, fulfill the NAHMS percentage allot-
specified breeds were a little to a remained steady, or declined. ments. The overages are flipped
lot higher on the farm than the The three windows onto U.S. using AHC calculations: 444,000
registry numbers would indicate. breed numbers seem impossibly for quarter horses and 785,400 for
One explanation for this dispar- contradictory when actual popula- Thoroughbreds. All of the other
ity is the methodologies. Registries tion figures are compared. Taken at breed counts derived from NAHMS
percentages exceed the cumulative
registry figures as well.
Table 4 Horses do not really have to be
U.S. Breed Distribution Using immortal to make these numbers
work. The more realistic explana-
Percentages Determined by tion for the breed population infla-
USDA/National Animal Health tion reflected in survey results is
Monitoring System, 1998* recreational horse owners’ disre-
gard for the formal papering
process. When questioned, as they
Percentage Approximate
Type/Breed of Population Population were on both surveys, about how
many of each breed they own, they
Donkeys/burros 2.7 270,000 usually respond with the animals’
Mules 2.0 200,000
known or suspected origins, not
strictly with their registration sta-
Miniature horses 1.6 160,000 tus. Given this tendency to report
by type, not registry affiliation, the
Ponies 5.4 540,000
U.S. horse population probably has
Horses 88.3 8,830,000 a much greater proportion of
unregistered horses than the 9 per-
Quarter horse 39.5 3,487,850
cent designated “other, not regis-
Thoroughbred 10.2 900,600 tered” in the NAHMS results. That
particular group probably includes
Other, registered 9.1 803,530 primarily horses, often called
Other, not registered 9.0 794,700 “grade,” who are of unknown ori-
gin and no discernible type. All
Arabian 7.8 688,740 others are probably enumerated in
Appaloosa 5.9 520,970 whatever standard breed category
they most closely resemble.
Paint 5.4 476,820
Draft 4.8 423,840 Special Populations
The NAHMS study was uncom-
Tenn. Walking Horse 4.8 423,840 monly inclusive and provides a use-
ful glimpse of less visible equidae
Standardbred 3.5 309,050
found on U.S. equestrian proper-
*Based on a current total equine population of ten million. ties. The nonhorse group, includ-
ing ponies, miniature horses, and
Source: USDA (1998)
asses, represented little over 10
The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population 183percent of the equine population Unless the retired Standardbred is only 13.8 percent under age five,
on the surveyed properties in used for breeding—not an option compared to the 33.2 percent of
1998. Miniature horses, which con- for geldings—he or she must be con- the total sample and an exception-
stituted the smallest fraction at verted to pleasure or carriage use or ally high percentage—81.7—in the
1.6 percent, are clearly the growth disposed of. As riding animals, five-to-twenty group and only 4.3
group in this niche. Between 1992 retired Thoroughbred runners percent over age twenty. Miniature
and 2001, the American Miniature may have more opportunities horses and donkeys were well out-
Horse Association recorded 83,361 for second careers as performers in side the age norms in the opposite
new registrations, with the trajec- other sports or as recreational ani- direction (though the small sample
tory being upward throughout the mals, but temperamentally they sizes leave room for larger standard
decade (AHC 2003). Even though are not always suitable for pleasure errors): nearly half of each group
they were the smallest population mounts. was in the eighteen-month to five-
recorded by NAHMS in 1998, The NAHMS survey excluded race- year group, and they exceeded the
annual registrations of these pet track populations from its analysis norms for the two younger groups
equidae now exceed those for Ara- of age patterns in 1998. At that time as well; their percentages in the
bians, Appaloosas, saddlebreds, the survey group fell into the follow- over-20 group were markedly less
and Morgans. ing age ranges (USDA 1998): than the norm (2.7 for minis; 0.9
• 58.8 percent were five to for donkeys).
Age Characteristics twenty years of age, the Today’s equine age profile no
Equidae are quite long-lived com- horse’s average working life; doubt follows the same basic bell
pared to livestock and small-pet • 23 percent were eighteen curve, but the percentages are likely
species. They commonly live into months to five years, the to have undergone some adjust-
their twenties, even into their forties maturing and training period; ments. Except for quarter horses
and beyond. According to the Guin- • 8.9 percent were six to eight- and paints, production in the larger
ness Book of World Records, the old- een months, horse adoles- American breeds has been pretty
est documented horse was sixty-two, cence, so to speak; flat or in decline for the past decade
the oldest pony, fifty-five (Equine • 7.8 percent were twenty or or longer. That would indicate an
World Records 2006). Health-care overall aging of the population. Yet
more years old, generally re-
the loss of business in established
advances and ownership attitudes tirement time;
breeds may simply mean that Amer-
have combined to extend the aver- • 1.3 percent were under six
ican tastes/interests have splintered
age life span of recreational/com- months, the period foals are
off in many new directions, where
panion equidae. In a 2000 special normally at their mothers’
smaller breeds registering a few
report on the aged equine popula- side; and
hundred horses annually and impor-
tion, EQUUS magazine reported • 0.5 percent were of unknown age.
tation of “exotics” from other coun-
that, according to their registries, When applied to a current tries are taking up the production
52 percent of Arabians and 57 per- equine population of ten million, slack. Another possibility in the
cent of Morgans were over fifteen these percentages would produce slowing of established registries is
years of age, compared to 30 per- the following age profile: an increase in “backyard” cross-
cent of quarter horses, 25 percent of • 8,180,000 of training and breeding. Pleasure owners have a
saddlebreds, and 15 percent of paint using age; propensity to grow one or two of
horses and Standardbreds (EQUUS • 1,020,000 under using age; and their own from a favorite companion
2000). In general, breeds register- • 780,000 over age twenty and mare. The motive usually has more
ing an increasing number of animals likely in retirement. to do with sentiment than produc-
in the last five to ten years would The different equid types in the ing to a breed standard, and regis-
have a younger population than 1998 sample had some quite dis- trations would not be sought across
would those with declining registra- tinctive age patterns. Horses, mak- the board.
tions in the most recent decade. ing up nearly 90 percent of the sam-
The Standardbred youthfulness ple, were right on the norm in all
does not reflect recent breed growth, age groups. Ponies were the most
aged, with twice the percentage
The Future
however. Instead, it is the conse- As of mid-2006, NAHMS was in the
quence of the relatively short pro- (15.2) of over-twenties and half the process of preparing to publish a
ductive life of racehorses. Standard- percentage (0.6) of sucklings in 2005 version of its horse manage-
breds tend to race longer than their numbers, though they were ment and health survey. It will be
Thoroughbreds, but even then a trot- close to the average in the five-to- interesting to see how the current
ter or pacer still competing at age twenty age group. Mules also lacked from-the-farm population profiles
twelve is considered an old-timer. an up-and-coming population, with differ from the 1998 findings in
184 The State of the Animals IV: 2007light of changing production pat- The NAHMS study, another Someone driving through Mary-
terns of registered stock during USDA effort but concerned not land would be twice as likely to
the intervening years, shifts in so much with enumeration as encounter horses as would some-
minor populations, particularly of with sur veying horse manage- one traveling through Kentucky,
miniature horses, and the aging— ment practices for health-monitor- and New Jersey and Connecticut
or not—of U.S. equidae. ing purposes, reported 1998 pop- residents live with readier geo-
ulation patterns by region graphical access to horses than do
(USDA 1998): residents of Texas and California.
Where Do U.S. • Ten southern states, including The human-to-horse ratio defines
Horses Live? Texas, Florida, Oklahoma,
and Kentucky, accounted for
the states’ horsiness in yet another
way. The ten locales with the
Ranking states by the numbers of
40 percent of the surveyed fewest number of people for every
horses residing within their bound-
equine population. horse are
aries is the usual way of examining
• Seven Western states, includ- 1. Wyoming 5.1 people
equine population patterns and
ing California and Colorado, per horse
their significance. Both the AHC’s
accounted for 26 percent. 2. South Dakota 6.4
national economic impact study
• Seven North-Central states, 3. Montana 7.1
and numerous state-generated eco-
including Missouri, accounted 4. Idaho 8.8
nomic valuations use raw horse
for 20 percent. 5. North Dakota 10.7
numbers as primary data on which
• Four Northeastern states, includ- 6. Oklahoma 10.8
all other calculations are based. It
ing Ohio and Pennsylvania, 7. Nebraska 11.6
makes sense that the more horses
accounted for 13 percent. 8. New Mexico 12.9
who are maintained within a state,
Any useful assessment of loca- 8. Kentucky 12.9
the more economic activity will
tion’s effects on the lives horses 9. Iowa 14.8
take place around them. Reckoned
lead has to take into account more Residents in these ten states are
by head count only (AHCF 2005),
than raw population numbers. The far more likely to have direct con-
the top ten horsiest places in the
very largest states in terms of land tact with horses than are people in
country are
area are going to hold more horses more populous areas. Kentucky is
1. Texas 978,822 horses
than the medium to small states, the anomaly in the listing for not
2. California 698,345
but are horses also a large pres- being a wide-open-spaces Plains
3. Florida 500,124
ence to the human population in or Western state. Human-to-horse
4. Oklahoma 326,134
the very large state and of little ratio is better proof than the head
5. Kentucky 320,173
significance in the small state? count alone that a state is truly a
6. Ohio 306,898
The state tallies by themselves horsey area. In all the other low-
7. Missouri 281,255
don’t say. A more meaningful ratio states, both the human and
8. North Carolina 256,269
approach is to add two more fac- equine populations are sparse.
9. Pennsylvania 255,763
tors to the analysis: how many Even then, the two species knock-
10. Colorado 255,503
horses and how many people are ing around in an expansive land
The USDA’s equine-specific census
o n h o w m u c h l a n d ? Vi e w e d area have closer associations than
of 1998 and 1999 arrived at a rather
through this multifocal lens, the do tiny Rhode Island’s 308 people
different state ranking based on its
U.S. horse population looks quite for every one horse.
population estimates (USDA 1999).
different (Table 5). New England, home of less than
None of the state figures below is in
The top ten horsiest states in 2 percent of the national horse
any way comparable to the AHC’s
terms of number of horses per population is, far and away, the
numbers (see the earlier discussion
square mile of land area are least horsey area in the forty-eight
concerning methodologies):
1. Maryland 15.6 per square contiguous states. Expanding the
1. Texas 600,000
mile of land region to coincide with the U.S.
2. California 240,000
2. New Jersey 11.2 Census Bureau’s Northeast designa-
3. Tennessee 190,000
3. Connecticut 10.7 tion by including much horsier New
4. Florida 170,000
4. Florida 9.3 York and Pennsylvania and the little-
4. Pennsylvania 170,000
5. Kentucky 8.0 bit-horsier New Jersey improves the
4. Oklahoma 170,000
6. Ohio 7.5 horse presence to 8 percent of the
5. Ohio 160,000
7. Virginia 6.0 national total. At the same time,
6. Minnesota 155,000
8. Indiana 5.7 this region contains 19 percent of
6. New York 155,000
8. Pennsylvania 5.7 the human population (USCB
6. Washington 155,000
9. North Carolina 5.3 2000) and includes the nation’s
The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population 185four most densely populated states:
Table 5 New Jersey, at 1,134.4 people per
square mile; Rhode Island with
State Horse Population Characteristics 1,003.2; Massachusetts with 809.8;
Horse Horses/ Number of People/ and Connecticut with 702.9. New
Population* Square Mile Horse*** York is sixth and Pennsylvania tenth
United States 9,222,847 2.7** 31.8
Northeast
in population density. The conclu-
Maine 37,854 1.2 34.8 sion seems unavoidable: a reverse
Massachusetts 37,529 4.8 171.0 correlation exists between an area’s
Rhode Island 3,509 3.4 308.0 human population density and its
Vermont 24,540 2.7 25.3 equine population density. The
New Hampshire 14,681 1.6 88.5
Connecticut 51,968 10.7 67.4 cause, too, seems obvious: more
New York 201,906 4.3 95.2 human inhabitants per square mile
New Jersey 82,982 11.2 104.8 mean less physical space for keep-
Pennsylvania 255,763 5.7 48.5 ing large animals and for the
Southern Region
Delaware 11,083 5.7 74.9
services, such as hay production,
Maryland 152,930 15.6 36.3 needed to sustain them. In addition,
West Virginia 89,880 3.7 20.2 higher population density translates
Virginia 239,102 6.0 31.2 to higher living costs, making horse
North Carolina 256,269 5.3 33.3 hobbies less affordable.
South Carolina 94,773 3.1 44.3
Georgia 179,512 3.1 49.2 As general principles, those con-
Florida 500,124 9.3 34.8 clusions are true, but reality does
Kentucky 320,173 8.0 12.9 not fall tidily into the either-peo-
Tennessee 206,668 5.0 28.6 ple-or-horses dichotomy. Maine, for
Alabama 148,152 2.9 30.6
instance, has the largest land area
Mississippi 113,063 2.4 25.7
Louisiana 164,305 3.8 27.5 of all the New England states and
Texas 978,822 3.7 23.0 is, in fact, almost the same size as
Arkansas 168,014 3.2 16.4 South Carolina, with less than a
Oklahoma 326,134 4.7 10.8 third of that state’s population.
Midwest Region
Ohio 306,898 7.5 37.3
Even with plenty of room for lots of
Michigan 234,477 4.1 43.1 horses, this northernmost state
Indiana 202,986 5.7 30.7 has only 1.2 horses per square mile
Illinois 192,524 3.5 66.0 and just one for every 35 people,
Wisconsin 178,636 3.3 30.8 a lower than middling placement
Minnesota 182,229 2.3 28.0
Missouri 281,255 4.1 20.5 in the national ratio rankings.
North Dakota 59,391 0.9 10.7 New Hampshire also has the physi-
South Dakota 120,878 1.6 6.4 cal space for horses, but its per-
Iowa 199,220 3.6 14.8 square-mile horse population is
Nebraska 150,891 2.0 11.6
Kansas 178,651 2.2 15.3
almost as low as Maine’s, and the
Western Region human-horse ratio, at 88.5:1, is
New Mexico 147,181 1.2 12.9 one of the country’s highest. Yet
Arizona 177,124 1.6 32.4 neighboring Vermont, sharing
Nevada 51,619 0.5 42.1 many of New Hampshire’s charac-
Colorado 255,503 2.5 18.0
Utah 120,183 1.5 19.9
teristics except for its spillover
Idaho 158,458 1.9 8.8 population from Boston, is a much
Montana 129,997 0.9 7.1 horsier place, still below the
Wyoming 99,257 1.0 5.1 national average with only 2.7
California 698,345 4.5 51.4 horses per square mile but with
Oregon 167,928 1.7 21.4
Washington 249,964 3.8 24.8 a better human-horse ratio. The
Alaska 11,449 0.0**** 57.2 small state of Connecticut and very
Hawaii 8,037 1.3 157.0 small state of New Jersey break
the many humans/fewer horses
*AHCF (2005).
**Land area for forty-eight contiguous states.
rule in the opposite direction
***USCB (2004). by fitting proportionately large
****Fewer than 0.1 percent horse populations into very subur-
banized landscapes.
186 The State of the Animals IV: 2007Culture greatest concentration of the U.S.
equine population—41 percent—is
• Quarter horses were the domi-
nant breed everywhere except
and Climate in the Southern region (AHCF the Northeast, where they rep-
Physical space in a state or region 2005), where only 36 percent of resented 24 percent of the
is a major equine population deter- the U.S. population lives (USCB population, 16 percent less
miner, but human demand decides 2000). In twelve of the sixteen than the norm. If the survey
the density rate. Maine, with its Southern states, the median house- had not included Ohio in this
smallholdings of poor agricultural hold income in 1999 was a little— region, the proportion would
land and New England rectitude, or a lot—lower than the national have been even less.
has a comparatively short history median (USCB 2000). Along with • Draft breeds made up only 1
with horses as work animals and as its warmth, the Southern region is and 2 percent of the popula-
recreational presences. Its climate historically horse country from its tions in the Southern and
does not invite year-round horse long and, in some areas, continuing Western regions, respectively,
enjoyment or make horse keeping dependence on live horsepower in but accounted for 11 percent
an easy, inexpensive venture. Main- agricultural and ranch work and its in the Northeast and 12 per-
ers would apparently rather be sail- horse-sport-and-socializing legacy. cent in the Central region.
ing or snowshoeing than horseback The eleven Pacific Coast and • Standardbreds had a negligible
riding. Vermont’s distinction as the Mountain states in the Western presence in the West (0.9 per-
birthplace of the Morgan breed and region and the twelve states in the cent) and the South (2.1 per-
continued home of its registr y Midwest region (as defined by cent), but approached 10 per-
probably contributes to that state’s USCB, not by the NAHMS study) are cent in the Northeast and 6
greater equestrian involvement. closely matched in horse numbers, percent in the Central region.
Marylanders have no demographic with 25 and 26 percent, respectively, The inclusion of Ohio as a North-
reasons for their higher-than-aver- as well as human population, with eastern state has distorted the
age horse interest. They live in the 22 and 23 percent, respectively. In results, as the Standardbred reg-
most densely populated state out- the northern tier of states, weather istry is located in Columbus, and
side the Northeast, ranking fifth in may put a damper on horse enjoy- the breed has more of a follow-
the country, with 541.9 people per ment, but both regions offer bound- ing in the Midwest.
square mile. With less than a third less space for equestrian activities, • Thoroughbreds comprised
the land area of Maine, Maryland and horses have always been an more of the Southern horse
has four times its horse population essential element in Western and population than elsewhere
and the nation’s highest horse den- Midwestern work and culture. In the (14.2 percent) and had the
sity. The small state’s more congen- states in these two regions with the smallest presence in the Cen-
ial climate and better soil are fac- lowest human-horse ratios, the tral states (4.3 percent).
tors, but its historical associations median household incomes in 1999 • As could be expected, Ten-
with horse sports back to the colo- were also below the national average nessee Walking Horses were
nial era have encouraged commer- (USCB 2000). As long as an area has found in greatest concentration
cial horse production and profes- lots of open space, horses are not in the Southern region (8.2 per-
sional operations, and well-paid the luxury items that they are often cent of the population there),
workers in two major metropolitan perceived to be. In fact, a state’s but their second strongest
areas have the disposable income median income appears to be a poor showing was in the Northeast,
to spend on horse enjoyment. predictor of horsiness, given the fact accounting for 4.3 percent of
A warm climate apparently has that New Jersey, Connecticut, Mass- that area’s population.
greater appeal to horse owners achusetts, and New Hampshire had • Arabians made up about 10
overall than do large incomes. among the highest median house- percent of the horse popula-
Horses themselves adapt quite well hold incomes in the country in 1999 tion in the Northeast, Western,
to cold climates and are probably (USCB 2000) and only a small frac- and Central regions, but only
healthier in the north, where tion of its horses. 4.5 percent in the South.
there’s less opportunity for biting • Appaloosas were consistent
insects to spread several serious throughout, ranging from 5
equine diseases and where heat- Breeds by Region to 7 percent.
associated conditions, infections, Regional breed differences re- • Paints had their greatest concen-
and skin disorders are less com- ported in the NAHMS study (USDA tration in the Northeast, at 8.8
mon. But horses cluster where peo- 1998) reflect the use patterns and percent, while they accounted
ple want to use/enjoy them, prima- equestrian preferences character- for around 5 percent of the rest
rily in outdoor activities, and the istic of each area: of the regions.
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