Readers Express Concerns about Future of Equine Industry

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More than 1,220 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, "What are you most worried about for the future in the equine industry?"

Results were as follows: 

• Unwanted horses 57.63% (706)
• Rising costs of owning horses 51.43% (630)
• Loss of equestrian spaces 33.71% (413)
• Parasite resistance 11.35% (139)
• Emerging diseases 7.18% (88)
• Other (please specify) 5.80% (71)
• Lack of vaccines for impending diseases 4.49% (55)

Readers shared their worries in the comments below.

Results of weekly polls from TheHorse.com are published in The Horse Health E-Newsletter. Published every week, this e-newsletter offers news on diseases, veterinary research, health events, and in-depth articles on common equine health conditions and what you can do to recognize, avoid, or treat them. Sign up for our e-newsletters using the form above or on our e-newsletter page.  

Look for a new poll on TheHorse.com every week!

• The economy is going to create more horses that people cannot afford to keep.
• everything keeps going up!
• Loss of trails, locally and in state and Federal lands.
• pro horse slauther house
• Too many inferior horses being bred, not enough quality trainers and riding instructors.
• unwanted horses and the rising costs, especially of hay and bedding
• just breaks my heart to see horses being bred for a market that isn't strong anymore
• rescues like ours have high cost feed bills & back yard breeders cause 4 too many unwanted horses
• Please stop breeding horses for simple pleasure...we have too many and they are sold for human food
• & lack of vaccines for new diseases
• I have one with metabolic syndrome - slow onset laminitis
• quality hay production
• Over breeding and backyard breeding. Nursemare foals are also disturbing.
• The Equine Industry as a whole sufferes from neglected,abused .Bigger fines a must
• irresponsible breeding, ownership, or suffering on the part of the horses due to financial situation
• taunting & cruelty to horses by kids (with nothing better to do)
• We are assured that we are getting our horses parasite free. To many horses on smaller pastures
• That owners will ignore the preventative messures such as Chiro. Sports Massage, Dental etc.
• I just think that there's too much breeding while horse go without homes
• If there is no place to live or to ride ?????
• too much control by PETA, HSUS, EPA, etc
• loss of wild horses
• equine abandonment /lack of finances
• Over breeding by greedy horse owners only interested in the money and not about the horses
• Too many irresponsible people buying/breeding horses. They aren't toys!.
• loss of trails
• After losing a horse to EPM this summer, I hope for vaccines/better treatment for the disease.
• Each of your topics are a of concern to all equestrians-unwanted horses are a great concern also!
• Overbreeding and slaughter are my biggest worries
• Loss of trails throughout the country.
• Over Breeding! And Crappy Breeding...Its crazy!
• Ugh...I know about horses...but I need more expert advice.My worries are about my project!
• neglect and abuse
• all the wild horses will be captured and become extinct
• Need Lyme Disease Vaccine
• Emotional and physical equine health being overlooked by industry leaders and clubs.
• could easily choose all of the above
• All this Natural Horsemanship Stuff - not all is horsefriendly. We must learn to read the Horse!
• Between the rising costs and loss of riding areas, horses are not easy to keep anymore.
• I would like to own 2 horses, but the cost keeps me to just one.
• Tick borne diseases are a problem in my area. I can easily pick 6 to 10 ticks off each horse per day
• fewer people involved in the industry, too few young people being exposed to horses
• we need to put a stop to all the backyard breeding and rescue the horses living that need homes for
• with peta ect getting money from gov. we r in more trouble with regard to horse slauthger. it is a n
• laws preventing owners from obtaining vaccines/antibiotics to treat their own animals
• horses were fine until people messed them up!
• The prices of everything is going up. No job, no horse, then what?
• To much government interference,chips,etc.
• too many people do not know the responsibility of owning a horse; they think of 'my little pony'.
• Lack of equine veterinarians
• Too many owners consider horses a throw-away hobby & are the 1st thing to go in a financial crunch
• Closed slaughter houses are causing more suffering for unwanted horses.
• Rural areas are starting to experience the building frenzie.
• There have always been unwanted and starved horses, but now with the internet we can see more.
• Many horse owners have been forced in to giving up their animals due to the econy-No Slaughter!
• lack of interest in our up and coming gereration
• with the slaughter horses not being sold prices of horses falling down so low that good horses are d
• so many horses are being put down because their owners can't afford them.
• Trying save foals from the "nurse mare" industry.
• Mis treatment of stock not checked
• Availability of quality hay due to serious water shortages
• over population of unwanted and/or unusable horses
• Decline in racing options
• horse racing industry in Ohio
• No ban on slaughter
• most worried about obnoxious, limiting laws written by people who have never taken care of a horse
• So many horses are slaughtered for stupid reasons (like many animals I might add).
• the racehorse industry is in trouble
• horse slaughter staying banned: it hurts the horse industry so much having that banned
• I've seen too many cases here in central VA where there are many adoptable, unwanted & uncared for
• unwanted horse problem is messing up the market
• Government rules rugulations and interference (ie: money grabbing)
• NAIS!!!!!
• Human drugs eg Pergolide for Cushings being withdrawn by regulatory bodies.
• what to do with unwanted horses and rising cost to keep healthy
• Lack of hay and bedding being available and affordable
• We dont need to ship our unwanted horses to Mexico. we nned to do it humanely in the states.
• On going horse abuse, market down, horse meat high on black market.
• Law's to demand Micro chipping
• all horses should have a place to retire when finished w/ their careers...
• irresponsible and uneducated horse owners go along with unwanted horses
• This will surely lead to destroying more horses, maybe even bring back US slaughter houses.
• Alarming lack of equine (or even large animal) veterinarians! My vet just changed to cats/dogs only!
• cost of keeping horses is going up to where only rich will be able to afford them
• I am worried for the horses who are either wild or because of the economy their owners can't keep
• Industry collapse
• People need to be more vigilant with regard to breeding;not only grade horse but all reg.breeds too
• Not so much unwanted horses - but what to do with them
• Unwanted horses and many people simply can't afford them anymore.
• This can be a deadly situation, especially in the case of very contagious, fatal diseases.
• It is getting to expensive to own horses let alone show them to insure their worth on paper.
• Poor sales market
• horse slaughter is on the uprise again. wish more people could afford to keep their horses
• Horses have gone from a way of life to a luxury, but where I live its a luxury few can afford!
• overbreeding causing excess animals and no where to keep them
• I'm afraid horse slaughter plants might reopen-they are NOT the answer for unwanted horses!!!!!!
• Hay shortage, feed costs rising =abandoned horses..sad
• are still taking up open space at an alarming rate! NEED TO STOP
• loss of trails
• very worried about the amount of hores being returned to rescue centers, and more being abandoned
• Lack of affordable, good quality hay.
• It is so sad to see the horses leaving this town, except for the influx of the Mexican Charros
• losing land just to keep horses along with places to ride and costs.
• Boarding close to home - expensive. Least expensive - too far away
• That people will be mis-led to believe that reinstating slaughter is an answer to the unwanted horse
• Scary how many free horses I've been offered this year.
• what will we do when we can't ride?
• Price decline on horses
• Steps need to be taken to discourage breeding.
• Individual efforts to adopt can't equal the unwanteds churned out by the industry each year
• abused horses
• Since most horse owners like to trail ride, we need to worry about retaining trails and horse camps.
• more breeding, motre unwanted for rescues to bear the cost of
• That the liberal left will restrict my rights taking from me to give to thoes who do not
• This is the main comntributer to unwanted horses & rising costs. Screw Tract Homes!!!
• I'm worried that I won't be able to care for my horses as I would prefer to
• We need more research NOW to develop new dewormers and inexpensive, easy-to-use "at home" fecaltests
• In this area people are coming in for the country life but don't want the dust and flies
• BLM's poor handling of the Mustangs.
• I'm bothered bt the fact that people are stealing and slaughtering horses for meat.
• here in west aust most of out trails are closed due to developement for housing & not replaced .
• possible return of slaughter
• Most worriesome is the current & future shortage of equine vets; without them, where will we be?
• we need a vaccine for Pigeon Fever-PLEASE contact the about this concern
• I'm very concerned about the plight of the unwanted horse more than any other issue. As humans, I b
• Hay prices & impacts on horse ownership... ending in financial stresses = unwanted horses.
• Lack of vets to replace retiring vets in the south. VERY SCARY!
• The loss of our parks for my trail riding
• i want horse slaughter to stop.
• Loss of common sense
• I think the rising cost of keep horses coupled with careless breed will lead to many homeless horse
• parasite resistance is REAL and not enough people are paying attention - it's deadly!!
• all of the above
• lack of market to sell nice horses
• There are so many aren't there. Unwanted horses and $$ go together.
• Overbreeding of horses without a purpose
• NAIS making horse owership impossible for the average person
• No place to ride out anymore. Too many people!
• Loss of value of the horses, can not sell horses anymore.
• TO many unwanted horses! plus, it is crazy expensive!!! but i still luv it!
• loss of cropland
• Animal rights fanatics ,so called abuse confiscations .
• ever increasing government overreach, e.g. USDA mandates for farm registries & mandatory transponder
• poor breeding practices
• I fear loss of farm/green space to housing developments, so horses have nowhere to go.
• With many people lossing their homes...the animals like the people often have nowhere to go.
• What I am most worried about is related to unwanted horses, but more to do with expendible horses.
• availability of quality bedding eg. shavings due to pellet stove/furnace use
• Continued cruelty via slaughter and mustang gathers
• rising costs of owning horses and unwanted horses are related
• Horse Slaughter
• Rising costs of owning is one factor in the unwanted horse situation
• horse slaughter,when you make the choice to own a horse you must accept the responsibility for their
• In the Chicago area we are loosing more & more places to keep & ride our horses & it costs more too
• Trails being closed to horses.
• Not just the use of space but also loss of agricultural farmland in general to development.
• I have had three horses given to me because the owners could not care for them.
• I worry about becoming numb to the unwanted horse problem.
• Must retain land and costs low
• I've taken as many rescues as I can. I'm on the verge of having to find a rescue for myself!
• lack of outside interest in equine-related sports
• People overbreeding
• Loss of farms/agriculture
• All are real future issues
• Worsening economy
• Rank it. Loss of Equestrain spaces, Cost and unwanted horses
• people are casting aside nice horses...very sad
• We need to re-open the slaughter houses.
• Overbreeding & low demand causing abandonment all over. Rescues have no $ to take them in.
• lack of professional services in rural areas, especially equine vets
• the dollar driven horse slaughter industry revival. don't want it, don't need it, better not reopen
• If a group is allowed to make a change- horse slaughter- they should have to provide a solution
• Too much breeding the Jockey club report 37,426 mares bred in 10 states-just a drop in the bucket.
• I worry about a decline in good horsemanship.
• the loss of trail access is happening now as well as cost of keeping horses
• Over breeding & horse slaughter
• The costs are ridiculous
• All of these are worrisome.Wish I knew the answer
• Both reckless breeding and racehorses