CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HORSE INDUSTRY TO SOCIETY

Karyn Malinowski
Rutgers University

The impact of the horse industry goes well beyond economics to societal benefits such as building a solid foundation for youth, mental and physical therapy and, one thing we specialize in at Rutgers, enabling the horse to serve as a wonderful model for studying human medicine. Today, the horse’s role in American society is different than it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to the horse owners’ dedicated commitment, horses today enjoy a higher standard of living, productivity and quality

The total impact on the U.S. Gross Domestic Product by the horse is $112 billion. Over 1 million people are employed in the horse industry. And the total taxes and fees paid by the horse industry are almost $2 billion.

The number of horses in the United States is approximately 7 million. There are over 7 million people who are involved as participants in the horse industries. The value of direct goods and services produced is over $25 billion. The number of full-time equivalent jobs, and those include veterinarians, feed and tack stores, etc., is over 300,000 persons.

If we look at that $25 billion impact of direct goods and services, it certainly is ahead of industries that you would think are major impacts in our society. It’s higher than motion picture making, railroad, and even higher than tobacco production and manufacturing. This $25 billion GDP contribution falls just behind such things as radio and television broadcasting, petroleum and coal, and our metals industry.

If we look closer to home, New Jersey, we see we have about 50,000 horses. The value of the horses on the hoof in New Jersey is almost $700 million. Equine-related assets in New Jersey are $3.2 billion, and the expenditures, or revenue generated, is approximately $700 million. As a comparison, if you look at nursery, turf and landscaping, that, too, is approximately $700 million in New Jersey.

New York State has 168,000 horses with a value on the hoof of $1.7 billion. In Pennsylvania, there are over 200,000 horses. There are 20,000 - plus horse-related jobs and the value of the horses on the hoof is in Pennsylvania is $1.3 billion. Revenue generated is in excess of $1 billion. Employment compensation is in excess of $412 million, and the value-added or “ripple effect” is $615 million.

The social impact of horses is tremendous. There are 14,000 sanctioned horse shows in the nation annually. A quarter of a million young people participate in 4-H programs and pony clubs across the country. The sporting competition of the horse industry has an economic impact of almost $35 billion and 441,000 employees are involved in this component. There are almost 3 million horses in the United States used for recreation. About 4.3 million Americans ride for pleasure. The economic impact of the pleasure segment is $28.3 billion and it employs 317,000 full-time employees.

Horses provide a wonderful opportunity for an enhanced quality of life, serving about 30,000 people with various disabilities through therapeutic riding. It has been used since the early 1950’s in Europe as a tool for improving the lives of people with physical disabilities. People with almost any cognitive, physical and/or emotional disability can benefit because horses move the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait. Riders with physical disabilities often show improvements in flexibility, balance and muscle strength. For people with emotional disabilities, the unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience and self-esteem.

Something that I have personally been involved with in my professional career is rehabilitation of adjudicated youth. Horse management and care play an important role in development and rehabilitation of both adults and youths. It teaches responsibility and humane care of living things. A program that was begun at Cook College was entitled “Careers in the Green Industries.” We transported adjudicated youth to our 4-H camp and gave them hands-on instruction in the care and management of the horse. We gave the young men and women carte blanche to do what they wanted to, within safety reasons, with the animals and pretty soon, the horses’ manes were being braided, and the people were having a wonderful time. In following up on this program, we learned that the young men, especially, never spoke to each other when the returned from field trips to the institution where they were housed. But, for the first time, they began talking with each other about the day they had with the horse. The after-experience among adjudicated youth that work with horses is improved self-esteem, and communication. We gave them ideas for career exploration and now, several of these young men are working at the Meadow Lands racetrack.

Many of you may have the perception that all is wonderful in the horse industry, but the reality is that it is very tough to be a horse, and to be in the horse business. The Rutgers Equine Science Center is helping the racing industry. We are one of the leaders in helping maintain the integrity of the horses, the industry itself, and the betting public. Performance altering substances is one of our key research areas. We have an undergraduate and graduate teaching program that is appreciated worldwide.

Biographical Sketch

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In an effort to provide wide-ranging views and perspectives regarding the practice of and issues surrounding agriculture, the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture (PSPA) seeks speakers representing a variety of perspectives. The statements and opinions they present are strictly their own and do not necessarily represent the views of PSPA.