The American Horse Publications Association (AHP) just released the results from the Equine Industry Survey. 11,171 people participated. The statistics show positive trends in the horse industry despite hard economic times. Some of the statistics reflect good things ahead for equine employment.
Over half of the participants expect to remain at the same level of participation in the horse industry over the next two years. Looking at the years 2007-2009, the age of participants is getting younger and the income levels are getting higher. Looking forward to the next two years, the trend of younger people is likely to continue, but income levels are not expected to be a factor.
The majority of participants said they would deal with the increasing costs of horse ownership by reducing costs in other areas in their lives (not by reducing the number of horses.) 70% of the participants say that they participated in more or the same number of competitions with their horses in 2009 as they did in 2007. About 80% of participants say they expect to own the same number of horses or more horses in 2011 as they did in 2007.
All of these results are positive for horse jobs. Most people are keeping their horses and are continuing to use them in competition. Look for more information on the results of the study at a web site or in a magazine near you.
If you missed out on participating in the study, you can participate in our five-question, two minute survey about the horse industry economy and see how everybody else feels for free.
