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horse industry includes more than horse owners, trainers and riders.
It includes farriers, vets, equine dentists and therapeutic practitioners.
It includes merchants who sell feed, fencing, saddles and tack, western
and show clothing, trucks, trailers, tractors and arena equipment.
It includes contractors who build or sell pre-fabricated barns, stalls,
pens and shelters. It includes those who manage breed and sport organizations,
judges and announcers. It includes commercial transport companies
that haul show horses from winter venues in Florida to summer venues
in the North. It includes employees of the 250 magazines and newspapers
devoted exclusively to horses and the 27 universities that have equine
programs.
The United States horse industry:
Has an economic impact of $112.1 billion.
Supports 1.4 million jobs.
Pays more than $1.9 billion in taxes.
1 in every 35 Americans is involved in
the horse industry.
Florida has the second largest horse industry of the 50 states.
The Florida horse industry produces goods
and services valued at $2.2 billion annually, second only to California
($3.4 billion) and ahead of Texas ($1.7 billion), New York ($1.7
billion), Kentucky ($1.2 billion) and Oklahoma ($762 million).
Florida has the third largest horse population
of the 50 states. The Florida horse population is 299,000, behind
Texas (678,000) and California (642,000), and ahead of Oklahoma
(278,000), Kentucky (150,000) and New York (146,000).
74 percent of Florida's horses are involved
in showing and recreation.
12 percent are involved in track racing.
14 percent are involved in other activities, including ranching,
mounted law enforcement, therapeutic riding, etc.
Source: American Horse Council, "Economic
Impact of the Horse Industry in the United States."
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