By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Texas horse owners are encouraged to participate in a national survey to update industry data.

The American Horse Council (AHC) National Economic Impact Study survey aims to measure horse industry impacts, involvement and economic contributions while counting for Texas horses in every pasture and paddock.

Current data is over 15 years old, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horse specialists are emphasizing the importance of capturing updated data.

“We need to have a sizable number of responses to say this data accurately reflects the horse industry in Texas,” said Chelsie Huseman, one of two AgriLife Extension horses specialists in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science. “The horse industry contributes significantly to the Texas economy.”

Survey results will provide informational power on the horse industry.

The AHC National Economic Impact Study is one of the most comprehensive studies for the nation’s equine industry, and it is essential to get state breakout data secured for Texans, Huseman said.

Within five years, Texans have seen major economic changes that have forced business closures and federal stimulus programs related to the pandemic, but the horse industry has adapted to historic changes made to the tax code since 2017.

Huseman took on the project herself to get the Texas survey data into the national survey. She rallied industry partners to get a complete survey funded and noted it was a collaborative effort among several top equine events and organizations to get the job done.

“If we did not do that, the national survey would have only reported the number of horses in Texas and nothing else,” Huseman said. “By getting the state breakout data from the full survey, the American Horse Council will provide statistics beneficial to the state. It will include direct, indirect and induced economic impacts of horse ownership, recreation and equine-related services, and that’s informational power.”

Up-to-date and comprehensive data like this does not exist for Texas’ equine economic impact. A lot has changed since 2007 when Texas received state breakout data from a survey this comprehensive.

Information gained by AHC’s survey will influence the decisions made in government about the horse industry, as well as what is being taught in classrooms.

The survey began in April and will continue through September.

Texas horse owners can access the survey at horsecouncil.org/economic-impact-study.