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August 15, 2014

Horse industry working on comeback strategyBreed registrations declined in past decade

By Malinda Larkin

Posted July 30, 2014

The declining number of horses and what should be done about the decline continues to be a hot topic ofconversation. That fact was made clear at the 45th annual meeting of the American Horse Council, held in lateJune in Washington, D.C. It drew nearly 200 attendees, including industry leaders from 50 organizations,members of Congress and their staffs, and federal regulatory agency staff.

AHC president Jay Hickey said the meeting attendance was the best it has been in years. He attributed this toissues before Congress and the federal agencies that affect all segments of the horse industry. We also think

the topic of this years National Issues Forum, Where Have All the Horses Gone, attracted great interest, hesaid.

Cause and effect

The AHCs National Issues Forum June 24 hosted three panel discussions featuring leaders from breedregistries, racing, and showing; professionals from the various equestrian disciplines; veterinarians; and otherstakeholders, who spoke about the decline in registered horses and the impact on their segment of theindustry.

Several major points emerged from the forum. One is that all breed organizations experienced a decline in thenumber of foals, registrations and membership from 2004-2014, according to Debbie Fuentes, registrar of theArabian Horse Association. While the economy is seen as a primary driver in this drop, shifting attitudestoward the value of registration may also play a role, she said.

Tim Capps, director of the Equine Industry Program at the University of Louisville, who gave the keynotespeech at the forum, agreed that the economy was the single largest factor in the decline but that there arelikely several others factors as well. The increasing cost of horse ownership and participation in shows,

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concerns about welfare, and increased competition for leisure and gambling dollars were other factors hecited as playing a role.

Capps also noted that this is not the first such decline in the number of horses, and in previous instances,there was a rebound. He presented evidence that the industry has experienced several drops in horsenumbers and spending in modern history, most notably during the Great Depression and in the mid-1980s.

More recently, Capps believes the decline was exacerbated by the horse industry being in a bubble that

peaked around 2004. Although the bubble-burst of the 2000s and going forward was far more economicallydriven than its late- 80s predecessor, Capps says he sees some hope in the fact that the recreational dollarcontinues to grow and in the knowledge that people still find horses fascinating.

In addition, following such declines in the past, growth has often been propelled by individuals outside theindustry becoming interested and investing in it, Capps noted. He believes it will again be important to lookbeyond current horse industry participants to grow the industry. What will be required is more consistent dataon potential and current horse owners, cross-disciplinary cooperation within the industry, and bettermarketing efforts, Capps said.

Strategy in motion

Horse industry leaders at the forum say they have been aware of this decline in horse numbers and have startedto take action. There was wide agreement among all segments that involvement in welfare programs is vital toattracting new participants, as is a focus on youth programs and on removing barriers that discourageindividuals from competing with their horse. All segments agreed on the need for better marketing, too.

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Jim Gagliano, Jockey Club president, said that, to stem the drop in the number of racehorse starts, of racehorsesin the field, of racehorse owners, and of racing days, the Jockey Club is working to promote the best races,make better use of social media, attract a younger demographic, and develop new racehorse owners.

Many breed registries have initiated marketing campaigns promoting the benefits of registration. Breedregistries are also taking other actions, such as the American Quarter Horse Association creating the Take MeRiding youth initiative to introduce children to horses.

Members of the Saddlebred, Hackney, and Morgan horse industries have formed the United BreedersCommittee to work with stallion owners, trainers, and veterinarians to help reduce the cost of producing amarketable horse. The committee has initiated the Stop the Drop campaign, which encourages reduced studfees, making mares available for lease, and reduced training fees.

Dr. Jeff Blea, president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, talked about the impact of thedecline on the veterinary profession and how fewer horses mean less work for equine practitioners. Dr. Bleamentioned the program AAEP Touch: Tools to Connect to Your Clients and Their Horses, which aims to helpveterinarians create a long-term, successful relationship with horse owners.

Following up on the need for more and better marketing, Patti Colbert of PCE Enterprises updated the forum on

Time to Ride, an initiative of the AHCs Marketing Alliance. Time to Ride has launched a national campaignand contest called the 100 Day Horse Challenge with a goal of introducing 100,000 new people to a horseexperience between May 31 and Sept. 7.

Earlier, the initiative accomplished its goal of signing up 1,000 stables, instructors, and others in the horsecommunity to host events. These hosts will now compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes in three categories

based on the size of their event, by introducing new people to a horse experience. Several have already hostedtheir first event.

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